After a rigorous first-round best-of-seven series, the Golden State Warriors finally take down the Houston Rockets in game 7, after almost blowing their 3-1 lead in the series. Surprisingly, in the closeout match, it wasn’t Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, or Draymond Green who pushed the Dubs over the horizon. Instead, it was Buddy Hield and his hot hand, marking the beginning of thr viral “Game 7 Buddy” in the playoffs.
Hield was already going ballistic from the start and was shooting lights out from downtown. The 32-year-old veteran shot 12-of-15 from the field and 9-of-11 from the three-point line, giving Golden State a much needed boost while in enemy territory. Hield then etched his name in NBA playoffs history by setting the record for most threes made in a Game 7.
The former Kings and Pacers shooting guard finished with 33 points, subsequently making history as the first player to put up at least 30 points in a Game 7, without a single free throw attempt. Even Steph Curry hasn’t done both of those feats yet, hence why fans are now calling Hield as “Game 7 Buddy” because of his efficient and exceptional closeout performance.
However, the most important part of his stellar display of talent was that the Warriors came up big in sudden death against the third-seed Rockets, 103-89, and advanced to the semifinals once again.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler also helped with 20 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds. After the game, Hield and Butler had a fun moment in the conference room, after the former made a playful jab at the latter. The joke plays on the Batman and Robin dynamic, implying that Jimmy Buckets is the Robin to Steph’s Batman. However, Hield had a hilarious revelation after calling Jimmy as “Alfred” and that he is no longer Batman’s sidekick but instead is now the butler–a humorous way of saying Butler has taken a step back while he stole the spotlight in game 7 after a historic shooting performance.
On the other hand, despite a tough shooting start, Curry was still able to bounce back in the fourth quarter and finished with 22 points, 7 assists, and surprisingly cleaned the boards with team-high 10 rebounds.
The Warriors will advance to the next round and face Anthont Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was truly a hard-fought series, one that will be a harsh learning experience for the Rockets’ young core. Although Amen Thompson was exceptional after giving 24 points and 9 boards, and Alperen Sengun took things to the next level with another double-double game with 21 points and 14 rebounds, H-Town still has a lot to work on in the offseason. One thing they must resolve is looking for a go-to guy, and with Jalen Green disappearing in big moments, Houston’s front office may be left with a tough decision in the summer.
