SAN FRANCISCO – In contrast to a Steph Curry bounce shot, there may be nothing glamorous about offensive rebounding.
It’s one, two, three or 10 gamers slamming into each other, every attempting to get away with at the least a number of uncalled fouls underneath the rim as they wrestle amongst themselves for positioning whereas the shot flies by means of the air.
But when there may be one participant who could make this act appear like an artwork kind within the Warriors-Rockets sequence that’s headed again to Houston for a Recreation 7 on Sunday, it’s Steven Adams.
In a sequence that has seen the Warriors squander a 3-1 lead, Adams’ taking part in time and affect has solely elevated because the sequence has unfolded.
The Rockets’ 6-foot-11 heart is listed at 265 kilos, however the 31-year-old New Zealander may as effectively be twice that weight when the Warriors have tried to field him out.
“I just do whatever Coach says, mate,” Adams mentioned. “Good stuff.”
Adams’ stuff has been extra than simply “good” this postseason for coach Ime Udoka.
He has grabbed an astounding 18.7% of accessible offensive rebounds — nearly double that of Alperen Sengun, who’s second on the workforce — shrugging off and discarding would-be Warriors board-getters after missed Houston photographs earlier than ripping the ball out of the sky.
“Adams was fantastic tonight. Thirty-one minutes,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned Friday. “Probably the most he’s played in a couple years. But he was so effective that Ime kept him out there. They controlled the game while he was out there.”
Adams has lengthy been a problem for Golden State. He was a starter for the Thunder through the Warriors’ seven-game sequence in opposition to them within the 2016 Western Convention finals, which Golden State got here again from a 3-1 sequence deficit to win.
Ten years later, he’s nonetheless inflicting issues.
The Warriors tried to get Adams, a 46.2% free-throw shooter, off the court docket by utilizing the Hack-a-Shaq technique in opposition to him. However he made an sufficient 9 of 16 from the foul stripe, and the Rockets put again a number of misses to render the technique moot.
As soon as Adams rooted himself within the lane, it was not possible to get him to maneuver, a indisputable fact that each impressed and aggravated Draymond Inexperienced.
“I just wish we could get a three-second call,” Inexperienced mentioned. “You stand in the paint, whole possession, it’s hard to box out. He’s strong as hell, so … being outweighed by, what, 40, 50 pounds, six inches, standing in the paint, it’s tough to box him out.”
Houston Rockets’ Steven Adams (12) shoots over Golden State Warriors’ Quinten Put up (21) within the first quarter of Recreation 6 of the Western Convention First Spherical NBA Playoffs sport at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Might 2, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
The Warriors really outrebounded the Rockets on the offensive glass 13-11 on Friday, however that mattered little to Golden State. Houston has gained the sequence margin 80-70 and general rebounds 276-239.
Wing Jimmy Butler, taking part in by means of a bruised pelvis, took accountability for what he noticed as his workforce’s laziness on securing 50-50 balls.
“I’ve been being lazy. I’m going definitely going to chase after the loose balls, dive, do all that good stuff come Game 7,” Butler mentioned. “I should have been doing it anyways.”
Inexperienced, who usually performs heart, agreed.
“In order to beat this team, you got to make second- and third-efforts,” Inexperienced mentioned. “Last two games we have not done that.”
Adams has additionally executed greater than steal second and third probabilities for the Rockets.
He has been the anchor of a zone that has uncovered the Warriors’ lack of non-Curry and Butler shotmakers.
The Warriors had been simply 15 of 49 from 3-point distance on Friday.
Adams, an 11-year veteran spiked three blocks out of bounds in Recreation 6, including to his series-high whole of eight.
He has develop into an imposing presence on each the weak and robust facet of Houston’s stingy protection.
“The thing with the zone is that there are windows to attack, weak spots, obviously,” Adams mentioned. “We just managed to scramble and get to those spots like pretty good, you know what I mean. So the window for error, we keep it very tight.”
Regardless that the Rockets zone, which switches from a 2-3 to a 2-1-2 relying on the possession, has given the Warriors complications, Golden State says it has the components to take care of the Adams-centric scheme.
“Obviously when you drive, they have Steven Adams in the middle of the paint waiting on you,” Curry mentioned. “Boy, that’s a drive to a kick to a swing that’s going to get you a step-in three. I believe we is usually a little bit extra affected person on sure possessions.“
The Warriors will see if they will make the adjustment in Recreation 7 on Sunday.
If they will’t, they won’t play once more till subsequent season.
