Five days ago, the Golden State Warriors were cruising. They had just outlasted the Houston Rockets 109-106 in a back-and-forth thriller at the Chase Center, and took a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. The Jimmy Butler addition appeared to be paying major dividends toward the Warriors' postseason success, and though the Warriors still needed another win to advance, that only seemed like a formality at that point.
Less than a week later, the Warriors are in danger of blowing a 3-1 lead, like they famously did during the 2016 NBA Finals. The Rockets have won each of the last two games against the Warriors, and their win during Game 5 of the series was so dominant that Steve Kerr pulled Golden State's starters by the middle of the third quarter.
Ahead of Game 7 between the Warriors and Rockets, Steph Curry acknowledged that if they don't show up with the right mentality, they will be on their way to vacation.
“It's baked into the nature of a Game 7," Curry told reporters after Friday's loss. "If you don’t show up with that appropriate mentality, then you got a long vacation ahead of you, so you don’t want to be the team that’s packing up. We’re packing for a week. Getting on this plane to go to Texas and hopefully go to Minnesota right after. That’s the approach. I know we're all excited about the fact that we have life left even though these last two games haven't gone our game."
“If you don’t show up with that appropriate mentality, then you got a long vacation ahead of you, so you don’t want to be the team that’s packing up. We’re packing for a week. Getting on this plane to go to Texas and hopefully go to Minnesota right after. That’s the approach.”… pic.twitter.com/eM8u0NoWEo
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 3, 2025
Butler appeared more optimistic heading into Game 7. Despite the Warriors leading these past two games, Butler maintained that the team's confidence is at an "all-time high."
“It’s not wavering," Butler said. "We know how good of a team we are. ... It's up to us to get it done.”
Jimmy Butler has played in four Game 7 matchups. Said Golden State’s collective confidence is at “an all-time high.”
— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) May 3, 2025
Butler: “It’s not wavering. We know how good of a team we are.”
More: pic.twitter.com/OH7RfkTmSo
The Warriors and Rockets will go head-to-head on Sunday for a chance to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Semifinals. If they win, Curry's dreams of a fifth championship remain alive. If they lose, the criticism for blowing another 3-1 postseason lead will surround the team until next season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steph Curry Issues Reality Check to Warriors Ahead of Game 7 Matchup vs. Rockets .
