NBA Playoffs
The Golden State Warriors are preparing for a Game 7 showdown against the Houston Rockets for a chance to advance to the NBA Western Conference semifinals.
The Golden State Warriors have everything on the line as they gear up for a crucial Game 7 against the Houston Rockets. After back-to-back losses tied the first-round series, the Warriors are looking to shake things up for the final game.
Warriors gearing up for a lineup shake-up ahead of Game 7 vs Rockets
The Warriors had the series lead in Game 4, but let the next two slip as the Rockets outsmarted them to even the series.
“If you don’t show up with that appropriate mentality, then you got a long vacation ahead of you, so you don’t want to be the team that’s packing up.” said Warriors star Stephen Curry. “We’re packing for a week. Getting on this plane to go to Texas and hopefully go to Minnesota right after. That’s the approach. I know we’re all excited about the fact that we have life left even though these last two games haven’t gone our game.”
The pressure is on for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to shake up the lineup a bit before Game 7 and add something (or someone) to the trio of Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. Curry put up 29 points in the Warriors’ Game 6 loss (115-107), but Golden State is relying too much on him, Butler and Green, while the bench has struggled to provide significant contributions as well.
To counter Houston’s intense physicality, Kerr announcred he will increase the minutes of veteran center Kevon Looney in hopes that he’ll be the teams’ X-factor against the Rockets’ tough frontcourt of Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
Steve Kerr says Kevon Looney will play more than the 2 minutes he logged in Game 6…
Expect a bigger role for Loon in Game 7. pic.twitter.com/3IjdRjvRzx
— GSW Ball Report (@GSWBallReport) May 4, 2025
“I trust Loon, you know, implicitly,” said Kerr. “Based on being together for 10 years, seeing him perform in so many of these big games. So I would expect Loon to play more than he did last night.”
The 6′9″, 29-year-old center hasn’t contributed much this season, but he has a good reputation as a rebounder, and his playoff experience could come in handy.
Despite the adjustments, the Warriors’ path is still unknown, and beating the Rockets is just step one. A win on Sunday night would put the Warriors against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle could expose the Warriors’ weaknesses
For now, they focus on Game 7, where the Warriors must rediscover their defensive identity and rally as a unit – or risk an early playoff exit.
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