Golden State Warriors: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

3. Golden State wins Game 7 on the road to get to the Finals

The 2018 Western Conference Finals saw the Warriors’ title chances in doubt for the first time in roughly two years.

The Houston Rockets had built a 3-2 series lead, and after a Game 6 win by Golden State, they had the chance to advance to the Finals with a Game 7 on their home court.

A hamstring injury to Chris Paul in Game 5 dampened their chances, but with their home crowd behind them, Houston had as good a shot as any to end the reign of the defending champions.

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Through the entire first half, the Rockets appeared in control, building a lead as high as 15 points while stifling Golden State with their physical defense. Weirdly enough, the Warriors looked like the team that had never been in that situation before, tensing up under the pressure while the Rockets looked like a team headed for their destiny.

Then, as they tend to do, Golden Stae slowly chipped away in the third quarter, eventually taking the lead thanks to a 33-15 difference in the frame.

After that, it was smooth sailing. Houston’s players were simply out of gas, and against a historically great team like the Warriors, it takes a full effort for 48 minutes to take them down.

CP3’s presence may have changed the outcome of the game, but it was still an impressive showing by a Dubs squad that appeared overmatched early on.

Simply put it, Golden State has another gear it can turn to when it’s necessary.

The Dubs understand their place in NBA history, and with that comes added pressure to win championships. Had they lost that Game 7, a title wave of criticism would’ve crashed down upon them, probably more than when they lost the title in 2016.

This Game 7 in Houston showed the world that no matter what circumstances may transpire, the Warriors are never truly out of a game until the final buzzer sounds.