2018 Western Conference Finals Game 7 (Warriors vs Houston Rockets)
The 2018–19 Warriors: A season of records, injuries, and a fifth straight Finals appearance.
The 2018–19 Golden State Warriors season was the 73rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 57th in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Warriors entered the season as the two-time defending NBA champions, having won back-to-back NBA championships. The Warriors attempted their first 'three-peat' in franchise history, but were defeated by the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. This was the Warriors' final season at Oracle Arena in Oakland, before moving to the new Chase Center in San Francisco, beginning with the 2019–20 NBA season.
The Warriors won the Pacific Division title and Western Conference Championship for the fifth consecutive season. They finished with the best record in the Western Conference, with a record of . Golden State made the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, a new franchise record. The previous record was six, in the team's first six years of existence between 1947 and 1952. Golden State recorded 50 wins for the sixth consecutive season, a franchise record.
Quick Facts
- Series result
- Warriors win 4-3
- Key player performance
- Kevin Durant: 43 points
- Location
- Toyota Center, Houston
- Final score margin
- 29-10 run in the fourth quarter
- Historical context
- The Warriors overcame a 3–2 series deficit to win their fourth consecutive Western Conference title
Lore & Background
In the postseason, the Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 4–2 in the first round, the Houston Rockets 4–2 in the Western Conference Semi-finals, and swept the Portland Trail Blazers 4–0 in the Western Conference finals. The Warriors' run ended in the NBA Finals, where they lost 4–2 to the Toronto Raptors. Golden State made their fifth consecutive Finals appearance and are the second team in NBA history to achieve this feat after the Boston Celtics made ten straight between 1957–1966.
The Warriors playoff run was riddled with injuries, with DeMarcus Cousins (quadriceps tear in the first round), Stephen Curry (dislocated finger in the semi-finals), Kevin Durant (calf strain in the semi-finals, ruptured achilles in the finals), Andre Iguodala (calf strain in the Western Conference finals), Klay Thompson (hamstring strain and a torn ACL in the finals), and Kevon Looney (fractured collar bone in the finals) all missing a combined total of 26 games.
Reader's Guide
The 2018 Western Conference Finals Game 7 (Warriors vs Houston Rockets) occurred in the 2017–18 season, not the 2018–19 season. For the 2018–19 season, the Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 4–2 in the Western Conference Semi-finals, not in a Game 7.
Did You Know?
- Thompson broke the NBA record for three-pointers made in a game with 14, surpassing the 13 made by teammate Curry in the 2016–17 season.
- Curry broke the NBA record for most three-pointers made in the playoffs with 470, surpassing Ray Allen's 385.
- Curry, Durant, and Thompson were all named to the All-Star Game; Durant was named MVP of the game.
- The Warriors had five All-Stars on their roster from the previous season, the first team to do so since the Boston Celtics in 1976.
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