The Golden State Warriors were just a little bit of bad luck away from losing their leader and unquestioned top star to a scary head injury in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
However, Steph Curry came away from his scary fall over the top of the Houston Rockets' Trevor Ariza with nothing but a head contusion, coming away with a win of sorts despite the Rockets' series-saving 128-115 home win.
With Curry in a tow and the Cleveland Cavs already waiting out of the East, the Golden State Warriors will look to clinch their first NBA Finals appearance in 40 years with a closeout win in tonight's Game 5.
Here's our sneak preview of the festivities in Oakland...
Projected Starting Lineups
(All stats based on playoff performance only)
(2) Houston Rockets
G Jason Terry – 8.8 ppg, 2.8 apg
G James Harden – 28.0 ppg, 7.7 apg, 5.7 rpg
F Trevor Ariza – 13.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg
F Josh Smith – 13.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg
C Dwight Howard – 16.3 ppg, 13.9 rpg
(1) Golden State Warriors
G Stephen Curry – 29.4 ppg, 6.4 apg, 4.7 rpg
G Klay Thompson – 19.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg
F Harrison Barnes – 10.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg
F Draymond Green – 14.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg
C Andrew Bogut – 5.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg
What to watch for:
Which Rockets team will show up in Game 5?
And the award for the most perplexing team in the 2015 NBA Playoffs goes to...the Houston Rockets. The same Rockets team who was embarrassed in Games 3 & 4 of the West Semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers was the same team who rolled off three straight elimination game wins in rousing fashion. The same Rockets squad who practically handed the Warriors Game 3 on a silver platter in the worst blowout loss in franchise history is the same who blitzed the Rockets from all angles in their fourth-straight elimination game win.
Who knows what we'll get in Game 5. Anything's on the table with these Rockets.
How is Steph Curry feeling?
Steph Curry's return to Game 4 was big for the Warriors' psyche, if not for the team's production on the court. Curry missed 7 of his 11 shots after his prolonged absence from the game, finding his stroke just a little too late for the Dubs to make a full comeback. Will Curry be gun shy in Game 5? Will the same NBA MVP who's made the playoffs his playground come back full throttle to send the Warriors to their biggest stage in four decades?
Is the head contusion going to affect him more than we think?
Prediction: Warriors win 111-104
The Warriors picked up as close to a moral victory as is possible in the playoffs in Game 4. With a chance to win the West in front of their home fans, we don't see them giving this one away. Expect Klay Thompson to build off an impressive last game in Houston with a "next step" performance than pushes the Warriors to an epic showdown with LeBron and the Cavs.
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