[ad_1]
When Kevin Durant left the fifth game of the Warriors playoffs in the second round with the Houston Rockets, everyone assumed that the two defending champions were in a world in trouble.
But after a hectic first half in the sixth game, the Dubs pushed the Rockets aside and swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference final, without Durant, who continues to heal his calf before the NBA finals. .
The return of the old school Warriors (if 2015-2016 can be considered old school) has led many people to wonder if the Dubs are really better without Durant.
This, of course, is crazy. But you do not have to take my word for it.
Rockets head coach Mike D Antoni had the misfortune to face both versions of the Warriors in Houston's second round defeat, and he knows he's ridiculous to think that the Warriors are better without the double player at the NBA Finals.
"They play a little differently, but I know one thing: when Kevin came out, everyone, every player, every coach and everyone in the country … who was against them was relieved that Kevin (who was not not there), "D & # 39; Antoni spoke to Sam Amick of The Athletic. "This gives me a clue, in my opinion, that they are better with him when everyone says," Oh, thank god (he came out). "
"Now, does that mean that they are not (able to win everything without him)? Heck, they were really good (before him). They won 73 games and a championship without him a year, and they probably should have won 2. That does not mean that they can not win and be an amazing team, but Kevin Durant is only a special player. And again, I think without a doubt that they are better with him, but they are really good without him too. "
The warriors pushed their game to another level with Durant. Antoni believes that improving the game level is a mixture of hopelessness and letting other players shine in different roles.
"Well, I think it puts them more in a state of desperation," said Dr. Antoni. "We do not have Kevin, and so yes (they are) more desperate." "They go back and forth?" "Yeah, probably." But again, I think they are next to the point (in this discussion) is we know how good the Splash Brothers and Kevin are, but Draymond Green plays at a very, very high level, and he's just as valuable – if not more valuable – than anyone else.
"They have a group of players who can go there and there is one missing, I think, made them more aware of what they had to do."
Without Durant, the warriors seemed vulnerable. But the Rockets once again missed their chance, which allowed Steph Curry to explode for 33 points in the second half in the sixth game.
So, what went wrong for Houston?
"We gave them too many shots," said Antoni. "You can not give them extra goods, that's what we did." We did not bounce the ball well, which meant we were not in transition as much as we And their defense, in a determined half-court, I think the combination of these two things, just getting out in transition and how we could not do it because of the rebound, I think that's killed us.
"We shot, probably, better than they did for most playoffs, I do not know for the last game, but most of the playoffs were better, so we did a lot of games, and I thought our The defense was good, they did excellent individual games at the end of the sixth game – big individual games – what Steph did on a few shots and Klay (Thompson) in the first period (in which he scored 21 his 27 points), and then Steph in the second half, they have that champion mentality, and we just can not get rid of it. "
[[[[RELATED: How the absence of KD during the NBA finals affected the clashes of the Warriors]
After losing again to the Warriors in the playoffs, the Rockets must return to the table to find a way to knock down the champions.
This is not an easy task, no matter what Durant decides to do in an independent agency.
[ad_2]
Source link