It was an ugly, sloppy heavyweight fight. One the Warriors came out on top of Sunday afternoon when they held off the Houston Rockets to grab a 104-100 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, both banged up, didn't have their A-game. But Kevin Durant (35 points) took over in the second half and James Harden's game-tying 3-point attempt with 9.1 seconds remaining was off the mark, as the Warriors escaped with a crucial Game 1 victory.
Despite their sloppy play (20 turnovers) and the uncertainty surrounding the health of Curry and Thompson, Game 1 was enough for Richard Jefferson to proclaim the series O-V-E-R.
"I really do feel like this series is now over," Jefferson said Monday on "Get Up!" "This was [the Rockets] one opportunity. Now, they have to win four out of six? It's not going to happen."
Well, guess that's a wrap. Everyone go home.
While it will be difficult for the Harden and Co. to win four of the next six games, it's certainly not impossible.
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Despite getting less than nothing from Clint Capela and an average game from Chris Paul, the Rockets still had every opportunity to steal Game 1 from the Dubs. The Rockets believe they can beat the Warriors and are unafraid of playing in Oracle Arena.
No offense to the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, but these obviously are the two best teams in the conference. They appear destined to go the distance for the second year in a row.
[RELATED: Warriors' flawed Game 1 win over Rockets perfect for rest of series]
The Rockets will not roll over and have the firepower to give the Warriors all they can handle.
Golden State likely will come out on top, but over the series is not.
