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

2. 3-point disparity too much to overcome

The Rockets have redefined what it means to be a 3-point shooting team, drenched in analytics to the point of insanity. They ranked first during the regular season in both makes and attempts per game from downtown, and they’ve shown the ability to overwhelm opponents with that level of marksmanship.

That was certainly the case in Game 4. Despite shooting just 34.0 percent as a team from downtown, Houston still canned 17 outside shots on the night. Harden nailed six. Tucker hit half of his six attempts. Chris Paul and Austin Rivers had two apiece. It was quite the team effort from one of the best shooting teams the league has ever seen.

Golden State has tried its best to shed that same identity, yet it still ranked third in makes from beyond the arc and attempted the eighth-most 3-pointers during the regular season. The Dubs have the firepower to match the Rockets with three of the best shooters ever, but they didn’t translate it to the stat sheet in the loss.

The Warriors shot just 8-for-33 from the 3-point line in Game 4, equating out to just 24.2 percent. With nine more makes from distance, Houston was able to get an extra 27 points from its outside shooting — too large of an advantage for even the Warriors to overcome.

Whether that means finding their own rhythm or slowing down the Rockets’, Golden State has to find a way to shrink that disparity in Game 5 and beyond. They can get the most efficient looks from inside the arc as often as they want. Eventually, as Daryl Morey has tried to prove with the construction of this Houston roster, the math will simply be too much to overcome.