Draymond Green: The Rockets Are Playing Scrappier
Draymond Green: “They’re doing whatever it takes to win and we’re rolling in like, ‘Ok, we’ll box.’ (Said nonchalantly) And they’re slamming us.” pic.twitter.com/pB5F2CELrV
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 7, 2019
A few days after being left for dead, the Rockets evened the Western Conference semis on Monday night, fending off a late Warriors’ surge to hold on in Game 4. One of the striking things about watching this series, and really any game the Warriors are in these days, is that there is a perceptible effort disparity. Draymond Green noticed it in the video above.
Usually, the Warriors are talented enough that they can compensate for their complacency. But, the combo of James Harden playing at an astounding level, Eric Gordon drilling open threes, and the Warriors being banged-up and lacking bench depth means that the bend has become a fracture.
Draymond Green’s analogy about bringing boxing gloves to a wrestling match is a pretty good one for how this series has gone. Nonetheless, Vegas still has the Warriors — who have the pedigree, and the home-court advantage — as over two-thirds favorites to win this series:
Updated series price via @SuperBookUSA: Rockets +190 vs. Warriors -240.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) May 7, 2019
Series is tied 2-2. Gm 5: Rockets at Warriors (-5.5, 218.5).
If you’ve got plans Wednesday and Friday night, it might be time right now to see if you can get out of them.