The Golden State Warriors advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs after beating the Houston Rockets 103-89 in Game 7.
Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler scored 22 and 20 points respectively, while Buddy Heald stole the show with 33, including nine of them.
Even Draymond Green scored 16 as Steve Kerr’s team performed excellent all-round performances to confirm the semi-final matchup against the Minnesota Timber Wolves.
Kendrick Perkins reviewed the game right after the final buzzer and praised Curry for doing something unknown to secure a victory.
Everyone knows everything about shooting curry, playing making and ball handling, but few people discuss his play on the defensive side.
Well, because that’s usually his only weakness.
Perkins thought Curry was superior in that respect, as the Warriors opposed to under 100 points.
It reminded him of his 2022 NBA Finals victory against the Boston Celtics.
Perkins explained: “When people look at Golden State, when they think of Golden State, they think of attacks because they have the best shooter God has ever created. And you think of the Splash Brother.
“They forget what they do on the other side of basketball and on the defensive side of things, which helped them win the championship.
“Tonight was one of the nights back to his final championship with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. He stepped in when he was struggling to score in the first half and was doing all the little things. That’s leadership.”
The consensus is that Curry is the driving force behind the attack and Green is the Warriors’ defensive leader.
But while that may be true, Curry could definitely inspire his teammates defensively for this.
When other players see smaller, defensively lacking superstars, they stand out more when everyone gives them everything to stop their opponents than when candidates for the player they defend this year do.
Perkins thought Curry’s efforts were a major factor in Game 7 against Rocket. “All of a sudden, it was a ripple effect,” he said.
“We saw (Brandon) Posiemski. He got there and was dirty. We know what Draymond and Jimmy bring to the table.
“A sudden Buddy Heald comes up with a block, so once again, tonight, the defensive side of things was huge for the Golden State Warriors.