One more win. One more chance.
The Golden State Warriors needs only one more win to be one step closer to their fourth NBA title they last won 40 years ago as they battle the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at the Oracle Arena in Oakland in Game 5 of the NBA (National Basketball Association) Western Conference Playoff Finals.
The Rockets needs another win Wednesday to keep their hopes alive.
The Golden State Warriors is leading the Western Conference Playoff Finals, 3-1.
The Warriors lost to the Rockets, 128-115 on Monday after league MVP Stephen Curry sustained a frightening fall in the second period when he jumped in the air as Houston's Trevor Ariza was about to shoot a layup midway.
Curry hit the floor hard. He was dizzy after his head hit the court with his arms bent backward and remained on the floor for several minutes. He was escorted out to the locker where the doctors cleared him of the mandatory concussion tests. Curry returned in the middle of the third quarter with the Warriors trailing the Rockets by 11 points.
"It could have been a lot worse," Curry told the Associated Press.
The Warriors are determined to finish the series when they return home in Game 5. "We just don't want to come back to Houston," Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. "It's not going to be easy. They are here for a reason. We have to come and play with more intensity and play together and we'll win the game."
Rockets Are Starting to Pick up The Pieces
In Game 4, an angry and frustrated Rockets appeared to have picked up the pieces after losing three straight games in the Western Conference Playoff Finals. With their backs against the wall, the Rockets played their best basketball of the series and bounced back and kept their dream of another NBA championship alive.
"We don't want to go home, man," Corey Brewer was quoted by Chron.com as saying, "I guess everybody needed to get mad. I feel like it was good for us. We got mad and we did what we needed to do. We couldn't let anybody come in here and sweep up. Somebody is going to make history. Why not us?"
But it will not be easy for the Rockets. None of the past 116 teams in NBA history have rallied back from a 0-3 deficit to with the series. But we cannot write them off this early, after all, Houston came from a 3-1 deficit against the Los Angeles Clippers. And when all hopes faded, the Rockets won three straight games in the playoffs and eliminated the Clippers
Dwight Howard Will Play in Game 5
The Rockets can also depend on Dwight Howard in Game 5 as NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn said Tuesday that the Rockets center would not be suspended after they decided to uphold his flagrant 1 foul.
In a statement, Thorn said the league does not see a reason to modify the call and has concluded that Howard was just freeing himself from Andrew Bogul when he ''recklessly hit him in the face with an open hand.'' Howard was facing a possible suspension if his action was upgraded to flagrant 2.
NBA Schedule
To keep up to date, go to the NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Schedule site to track how your favorite NBA team is doing.
For those interested in more NBA Playoff action, here is how and when to watch the games online. Go to the NBA Stream site for this action, and be sure to check to see if you are in the right time zone:
For those who are interested in watching these games on television, here are the stations they will play on according to the National TV Schedule on the NBA Site. Any Tuesday or Wednesday game will be on the NBA on TNT. For Thursday and Friday, check on ESPN. For Sunday and Monday, it is back to NBA on TNT again. As for radio times, check your area.
Those that want even more action on their phone, tablet, or computer might want to check out TNT Overtime, a way to watch enhanced coverage of the NB on TNT Live. This service allows the viewer to watch on a phone or tablet, vote for a favorite NBA player to watch live, watch live from multiple camera angles, and follow social buzz on the games and players.
