Seeking a puncher’s chance, the Rockets return to Oracle Arena hoping to stand toe-to-toe with the Warriors and pledging — even “guaranteeing,” according to Jason Terry — to bring the series back to Houston.
The question of whether they can take a punch remained unanswered.
The Rockets have had their moments in the best-of-seven series, most recently when they headed to the second half of Sunday’s Game 4 with the game tied. They went from that solid half to a 21-point third-quarter deficit in a rush of Golden State three-pointers and the sort of panicked breakdowns that the Warriors inspire and that the Rockets have been prone to since opening night.