Final score Houston one thirty one, Golden State one sixteen. There tomorrow, there is tomorrow. How about that a rocket's able to take care of business last night? You heard Matt Thomas just give you the final score. And with all that we say away we go in good morning here on the Sean Salisbury Show. Sean much better. We like that version much.
Better, well do we? You know? I personally it looked to me like Golden State was preparing for game six. I'm sorry, it just did. Now. Part of that Dan has got to be the the way the Rockets jumped out to put it on him early. I actually think it was one of those kind of test games you saw the minutes and the rest of it. One of those test games. Let's see how we start and see how this thing goes, and then we'll get our guys fresh. We won't zue too much energy after we get our
ass handed to us. Had they come out and been up by the way the Rockets played against them, it might have been a different story. But it almost felt to me like, okay, let's test it. Well, tonight's not our night, let's not wear it out. And then the Rockets put it on them and put their foot down. And that's without Jalen Green dominating, and it's with Van Vliet and the whole group doing their thing last night. And I'm gonna tell you, look at the free throws. Just look at the free throws.
Yeah, massive difference there.
They shot almost forty of them and made what thirty two or thirty three? If I remember going to bed last night, two there you go, thirty two or what thirty eight?
That's it.
That's gonna win, that's gonna win games. It's it's it's it's not it's not a whole you know, there's other things that go along with it, not letting Butler and Steph Curry dominate a game and getting production from you know, a bunch of people. And Fred looked like a you know, a top notch player in the NBA last night. It looked like a guy with playoff experience. But they they gave Golden State everything, they everything that they needed last night.
And I had, you know, we talked about it yesterday and we were leaving the building about you know, and at the end of the show and throughout about the Rockets and that we felt that they'd win this ballgame and head back and it was one of those that Golden State got a pretty good feel early on that the Rockets came to play and they were sharp from the free throw line. See, it goes to show when you do this. Now it's the teaser. You can't give us the fact that, well, you know, they're just not
a good free throw shooting team, whether it's concentration or focus. Now, there's a lot more that goes into this game. But it isn't it uncanny how you say, okay, even if you didn't watch going in, the first thing you did was say, okay, look at Butler and Curry's line, and then how they play shooting free throws. The you know, the unforced air Can you go to the line, make
them or miss them? What's that damage due to either you or the other team if you're good or you're not at the line, And that'll tell you the story of the game. It definitely just and it did. Yeah, we just did.
Yeah, it definitely did. And you know a couple of things of what you just mentioned right there. I mean one is you know, the the good what you mentioned with the free throws thirty two of thirty eight, fifty five percent from the field, for the night.
That was the next thing that might have even been just as important the way they shot it. I mean to interrupt you, Dan, was their their ability to knock down high percentage of shots from a lot of different places last night.
Yeah, that was massive. And you know the other part of it too, is you mentioned I mean, I do see what you're saying about Steve Kerr saying, hey, look we've got a lifeline here. This night's just not going. It kind of reminded me of there was a regular season game, I think it was the second to last meeting these two teams had, and it was the shoe was on the other foot. The Rockets were the ones
that the starter is just getting blown out. Imidoka said, you know what, why don't you guys take the rest of the night off. And then you've got Jay, Shawn Taate, Nate Williams and Jock Landale and all these guys nearly leading the Rockets back. And we kind of saw that too. I mean, the Rockets up by I mean what was their largest lead, thirty thirty one something like that, and there with about nine minutes left to go, it's down to like twelve, and you're kind of like, oh my god,
they're gonna have to sweat this thing out. I've never seen the white flag waved. And the other team says, okay, well, if they're taking their guys out, we can take cars too. But then need me don't gad to quickly go back to his guys and say, hey, heat pads, ice bags, don't put them on just yet. You're going back out there.
Yeah, and I do. I think it was I swear going in. I think it was a field game. I think he was gonna cur was going to judge energy wise and how they were playing and what you were getting out of Houston and your team and how it was played out, and you saw a playout and then you're just going, okay, just stay on reserve and we'll see how it felt to me. And that's not taking angway from the way the Rockets put it on them. I think they were saying, Okay, yeah, obviously they came
in to win. You try to get out of a series, you you won't rest. You're trying to get out of a series as quickly as possible. But once it started to flow the way the Rockets had intended, I think Steve Kerr was not going to over exert, especially down thirty plus. You aren't going to say the energy it's going to take to get us back in with our starters and win this game on the road for a team that we handled it, you know, we got the series in control, and what it would have taken for
And think about it. Now, they've they've got a few veterans to get a little long in the tooth. Qualified players, but long in the tooth. So let's test this thing and see what it is. Hey man, if you're in a four hundred meter race and you're at the three hundred meter mark and the guy's got you by forty meters, I'm going to suggest that's right, and it's the quality, and it's a qualifying heat and you just got to get to the final run. You ain't trying to win
the race at that point in time. You're just getting in safe and healthy so you have a chance to run in the final. Were your last eight runners? Now, four hundred meet, I got that extra burst the energy. You try to go too much, you still qualify, but you finished the second qualifying and you'd sent that last under me is just out of pride and ego trying to chase the guy down and now you've exerted everything. So when you get to the final, you finished sixth.
It looked him And maybe I'm wrong from somebody else's vantage point, and I think it had to do with the Rockets putting it on him early. They don't misunderstand me. If Golden State's up fourteen, they're playing there, guys, you're getting they're getting minutes, and they're going to go try
to close this thing out. But the way the game shaped up, and you could see pretty early what was happening with the way that the Rockets were playing and knocking down free throws and the way they were shooting the basketball and playing on the defensive end, they did a hell of a job of it, especially early in the game. And to get that lead at that point in time, I think Steve Kurb made that decision of Okay,
this gets in within six or eight. Maybe it's a different story, but and you're right in the fourth quarter, I'm sitting there watching thinking, okay, it's started to close down a little bit. But they were able to stave it off. But I don't think that they were in there at a huddle at a time out at the beginning of the fourth quarter or in the third saying all right, everybody back in, we're going to go try
to win this thing. Not saying they quit, but they paced themselves late after the Rockets had put their foot on their throat early, and it got to the point where saying we're waiting for the you know, the final race, and we're not. We're not. We're not meaning you know, I qualified for this. Now we'll go back to game six and deal with you in our building with a full amount of energy. Not did we over exceeded to still lose by seven if that would have been the case.
I think that was a whether you like it or not, it was. It was I think absolutely part of what they were trying to do. Once they knew you're down thirty plus, that's a lot of energy to get back into it. Even if you say, well, the games are never over, but imagine exerting all that energy, Dan, and then the game's too You still get beat and now you've got to go back and deal with game six, and it's like, okay, man, it took a lot of effort,
you know, it just did so Rockets. I mean it was because of them, but I got news for you. At Golden State, they'll be fresh legged ready to go after that ass whoop. And it was for the most part last night. And now you got to go back in their building and see how it is. But impressive effort shooting the basketball and the when they got free opportunities, they knocked him out. Now they knocked free throws down and that was a huge That's what I was watching
for him. How are you how's Jalen going to play? And they were still able to overcome. But look what happened. He did not He's had four or three not real good games. Last night was I mean, he got them. He got himself about seven eight rebounds, so he played decent. He was in the plus category in the game. He just didn't score like you used to. And they still want, you know, handsomely why because the other things we just
talked about. They played defense, they shot the basketball well, very well, and they knocked down free throws and free opportunities, which thirty two of their points came into free throw line. That's at thirty eight you know opportunities. So that was it, and then Golden State decides, well you know that decision was made in the third quarter. I believe that I we'll see in games.
Yeah, I mean, but for the good that the Rockets did. You mentioned the defensive part of it, and you know that's something we can talk about too as the show goes along. I mean, that was the nice thing to see. I just I thought that we saw a more free flowing team last night. Like I think that we saw the team that we saw fifty two times this year be able to play really good basketball and be the team that's the number two team in the West. So it was nice to see that version as opposed to
the h we're in the playoffs. This is different type of version that I think we had seen for at least three times in this series.
So what Dan it looked to me also just talking about that, you know, we went into this saying, okay, they got a couple veterans that have been in the league for a minute, got a ring, meaning I mean Fred van Vliet with his ring. My thought was, and we talked about it, don't don't play not to lose and too cute and okay, that's that naive thing that a lot of young players who've not been in a playoff situation, like I don't know what this is supposed
to look like. So to me, it's just another basketball game at the gym, or series, should I say and just go let it rip? Well, I think they've been tentative at times in this series. It's Golden State, it's oh my gosh, it's you know, we're in the playoffs. We haven't been in this situation a while. We're the two seed, so it can be overwhelming. And also to the point where you're playing not to lose. You're getting really fine and cute, which you want to do, but
you don't want to be thinking about that. You just want that to be natural. And we said going into last night, let it rip. Man, you're not getting it done by, you know, trying to methodically and overthinking everything and standing at the free throw line and bricking shots up and going nineteen to thirty one. Last night, it looked like a team that said, you know what, if we're going home, we're going home on the terms that we are just letting it rip and playing like a
team that's got it. It's relaxed and has the three to one lead. And it showed last night. They looked like a young, energetic team with some proper veteran leadership that did their thing and got a lot of people into it on the defensive offensive end. And even when one of your top scores again for the five games is hovering around double digits, you know, eight nine, what'd he get eleven or something last night? Whatever it was, so and then everybody else did their job, and then
you shot free throw. So yeah, I thought last night not just free flowing. I thought last night looked a lot more relaxed. Whether that means you were in your building, but you've got to bring that same energy and that same I don't want to say you don't care about the result, but there's something to be said for I don't care about the result. It's it's the journey. Just enjoy along the way. The result will take care of itself. We do that, and it will take care of itself
at Golden State too. If they do the same thing, play like they did last night, they can go into Golden State and win in that building. And now and now it's a whole different We're looking a whole different coming back for game seven.
Yeah, I mean, and that that was the other part of it too, I mean, just you know, being able to play the way that they did last night. And you know, more importantly, Sean, you didn't get knocked out in five. I mean it's like I said, there's two scenarios that are embarrassing for you in a playoff series. You get swept or you lose in five. And the Lakers can't say that because they got knocked out last night. Paul Bracito whatever.
Yeah, what do you think about their performance?
Well, it wasn't necessarily the performance. It was their head coach. And that's something we're going to get into as the show goes along, because I am all the way out on that guy. I have been, but this completely pushed me off the edge last night.
So you're out on JJ Red.
He is such a d dude, Like I just I can't deal with them, And you can take whatever interpretation of d that is, and we'll let you hear from him as the show continues. Well, also get into some astros. They're off today, but they lost just a seven four to the Tigers. So all of these things at your disposal, John on the Northwest Side, to see you right there. We'll get to you here and we'll continue here on The Sean Salisbury Show.