Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Rockets

3. Warriors’ lack of focus is still biggest flaw

Two years ago, the Warriors were heavily favored against a loaded Oklahoma City Thunder team in the Western Conference Finals. They felt invincible at home, and were unsurprisingly up 13 at halftime in Game 1.

They were outscored by 19 in the second half, and went from waltzing to a title to needing a road win to survive the series.

Game 4 of this series was eerily similar. Every time the Warriors went up, they played like the game was over. The Rockets, in somewhat out-of-character fashion, dug deep and came back in both the second and fourth quarters.

Houston certainly deserves the bulk of the credit, but a locked in Warriors team is virtually unbeatable at Oracle, and you can drop the “virtually” when they are up 10 entering the fourth quarter. They weren’t locked in, though, and suddenly, this series goes from over to a near 50-50 proposition.

In 2016, the Warriors’ superior talent, teamwork and mental toughness prevailed. They stole Game 6 in OKC, protected Oracle twice and moved on.

The next round, they were not so fortunate. With a chance to close out the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5, Green got suspended at the end of Game 4. No worries, they still had two more chances — except that Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala both got hurt, while LeBron James and Kyrie Irving gained confidence. By the end of Game 7, it was clear that the series was lost in Game 5.

Golden State is clearly better than Houston. If both teams remain healthy and focused from here on out, it’s hard to see the Warriors losing two more games.

But they blew an opportunity to take command of this series, and have tempted fate in the process. With Iguodala and Klay Thompson now both nursing leg injuries, just as Harden and Paul are hitting their stride, there is a chance that a lack of focus costs Golden State its second title in three years.