Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Winning Crucial Game 3

Thanks to a brilliant last-second double-team by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors nabbed a critical Game 2 win Thursday night, moving them to 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals and 6-0 overall against the Houston Rockets this season. Why then, does this series feel so alarmingly close?

For one thing, the Dubs have won the first two games by a combined total of six points. For another, those narrow victories have come at home, where only three opponents have managed to upend the Warriors all season long.

James Harden has been making his MVP case well known, and if these games had been played on a neutral court, you could make the argument that this series could be knotted 1-1 or even 2-0 in favor of Houston.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle, and all that jazz. But there’s also a saying that a playoff series doesn’t really begin until a road team wins a game. It sounds like something the lower seed tells itself to stay positive, but that’s why Game 3 is so important. It’s all about establishing tone.

A win in Game 3 could put this thing away. The Rockets are understandingly frustrated after being so resilient in the first two games and coming away with zero wins. A Warriors victory on the road sends the message that no matter how hard you try, you’re not beating us, even with Harden rising to the moment as quite possibly the best player in this series so far.

A loss, on the other hand, validates Houston’s mentality that they’ve hung tough with this juggernaut the whole time. It gives extra fuel to a team that just rallied from a 3-1 deficit and truly believes it can beat Golden State. Even with a 2-0 series lead and two opportunities to steal a road game, Game 3 could be a crucial turning point for both teams.

Here’s a look at the five biggest keys to making sure that turning point remains in the Dubs’ favor.

Next: No. 5