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At no point did the Golden State Warriors feel an ounce of pressure in Sunday night's Game 7 win on the road against the Houston Rockets. Although they had squandered all momentum created with a 3-1 series lead and allowed a young, feisty Rockets team to keep their playoff hopes alive, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler never felt like their backs were up against the wall.
The main reason for this was due to a players-only meeting held on Saturday at the team hotel, one day before a series that would make or break the organization's immediate future. Curry, Green, and Butler led what was described as an “emotional but motivating and encouraging” session, league sources told ClutchPoints.
What was said behind closed doors was the spark Golden State needed, not a lineup change or a made shot from a certain player on the court. All it took was a real, intimate meeting between teammates for this team to regroup and play up to their full potential.
“We had a very emotional meeting led by Draymond, Steph and Jimmy,” Buddy Hield told the NBA on TNT crew after Sunday's win. “From then, I was just locked in and getting my spirit together. The meeting we had just gave everybody chills. We know when we go to battles, we know what that means. The meeting was well-needed.
“We know how much this game meant for them (Curry, Green, and Butler), and we collectively had a meeting. We figured it out.”
Hield was a massive part of the Warriors' success in Game 7, as he scored a playoff career-high 33 points, knocking down 9-of-11 shots from the perimeter. He not only tied Donte DiVincenzo (2024) for the most threes in a Game 7 in NBA Playoff history, but Hield also joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in league history to to score 30 points on 80% from the field in a Game 7.
As good as Hield was throughout the game and as good as Curry was in the fourth quarter, this was a complete and dominant team effort by the Warriors. Houston had scored 352 total points over the last three games heading into Sunday, yet Golden State held a young, athletic Rockets team to only 89 points.
With this win, the Warriors now turn their attention to the Western Conference Semifinals, where Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are waiting for them. Even though the Dubs won three of their four regular-season meetings against the Wolves, this playoff series presents a new test.
The Timberwolves have won 12 of their last 14 games dating back to the regular season, and they have not lost a game at home since Mar. 19. Edwards has his team playing at an extremely high level right now, and many tend to forget that Minnesota recently made it to the Western Conference Finals last season.
This franchise has real championship aspirations, and their confidence is at an all-time high right now coming off their five-game series win over LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the 3-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
Before Minnesota's win over Los Angeles, a 6-seed had won a playoff series only 22 times. In the Warriors' case, a 7-seed had won a playoff series only six times before Sunday night.
The 6-seed in the West will now meet the 7-seed with a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals on the line, marking just the third time in league history that a 6-seed and 7-seed have met, according to Keerthika Uthayakumar.
In 1987, the 7-seed Seattle SuperSonics led by Dale Ellis took on the 6-seed Houston Rockets led by Hakeem Olajuwon. After winning the first two games of this series on the road, it was the SuperSonics who shocked the NBA in six games and became the first 7-seed to reach the conference finals.
Just two years ago, the 6-seed Warriors took on the 7-seed Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. One season after winning a championship, Curry and Golden State could not get past LeBron in this series, as the Lakers won in six games.
A 6-seed and 7-seed will play in the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals for the third time ever, and the Warriors have the early advantage based on the historical significance of this series. Both the SuperSonics and the Lakers were the 7-seed, yet they got the job done and advanced to the conference finals in six games.
Will the Warriors keep the trend going and extend this record to 3-0 for 7-seeds in the playoffs against 6-seeds?
If one thing is known heading into this series, it's that the Warriors are definitely happy to see the Timberwolves rather than play the Rockets again.
Warriors match up better with Timberwolves
This is Edwards' fourth year in the playoffs with the Timberwolves. He has faced superstars like Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic, but the Wolves young star has never had the chance to go up against the Warriors — the team he's been dying to get a crack at in the postseason.
“Going further in the playoffs to go versus the Warriors,” Edwards said in 2023 when asked about what he was looking forward to entering the 2023-24 season. “I want to play the Warriors. I want to get to the Warriors. Wherever they at, I want to get to them.”
Getting to the Warriors has essentially been the path to getting to the NBA Finals over the last decade in the Western Conference. Golden State has won four titles since 2015, and Edwards understands they are the last challenge he needs to conquer to take that next step in his career.
Aside from this, he always wants to face the Warriors because of the energy and passion created from going up against Draymond Green.
“I mean, Draymond talks so much trash. That's pretty much the only reason.”
Although Green and Edwards do not have any sort of rivalry whatsoever, these two have been seen going at it on the court in recent years. Green is never afraid to talk trash to any player, and Edwards thrives off this negativity from the opposition.
In 2023, the Warriors veteran grabbed Edwards' arm on a layup attempt. The Timberwolves guard took exception to this foul and exchanged some pleasantries with Green. After telling Draymond that he couldn't grab his arm like that, the former Defensive Player of the Year jokingly questioned Edwards, repeatedly saying, “What you gonna do about it?”
That is when Edwards snapped back at the free-throw line: “Man, ain't nobody worried about you, bruh. Hell nah. I promise you that.”
Anthony Edwards to Draymond Green in November 2023 👀
“Ain’t nobody worried about you… I promise you that”pic.twitter.com/YN13LPoncb
— Wolves Lead (@TWolvesLead) May 5, 2025
Edwards holds a lot of respect for Curry and the Warriors. While he may feud with him in games, Draymond has always spoken very highly of Edwards and the talent he possesses. Many have already deemed the Timberwolves star as the next face of the league with James and Curry getting older, which is why this is a significant matchup for him in the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals.
At the same time, it's also a huge moment for Steph, Draymond, and the Warriors.
There is no telling how much longer the Dubs will be able to compete for titles with Curry and Green nearing the end of the line, which is one of the big reasons why GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. pulled the trigger on the Jimmy Butler deal at the trade deadline. Winning is all that matters to this organization, and after getting past the Rockets, that title belief lives on.
As a matter of fact, Houston was a much tougher and physical opponent for the Warriors to deal with than what they will see from Minnesota.
Despite the Timberwolves still being a tough, defensive-minded team, Golden State handled their pressure well during the regular season. While Butler was not on the team yet, the Warriors averaged 114.3 points per game in their three regular-season wins over Minnesota. The Timberwolves' only win, a 107-90 beatdown on the road in December, came at a time when the Dubs were going through an identity crisis.
Minnesota plays significantly slower than Houston, and that continued in the playoffs. After all the first-round, the Wolves ranked tied for 13th in pace of play. Although they were very efficient on both ends against the Lakers, the Timberwolves tend to take their time on offense instead of pushing in transition like the Rockets.
This favors the Warriors and Steve Kerr's plan on defensive alignments because Golden State struggled to keep up with the younger Rockets. Every time Houston had a chance at scoring in transition, they punished the Warriors for their age and lack of athleticism. That is one of the major reasons why the Rockets were able to come back and force a Game 7.
However, in Game 7, the Warriors controlled the pace of play and were able to slow things down for basically all 48 minutes. As a result, they created a lead and never looked back.
The Warriors also know what to expect from the Timberwolves. Unlike the Rockets, who have several ball handlers and playmakers who can get to the rim from the perimeter, Minnesota's point of attack on offense starts with Edwards. Outside of Edwards, Julius Randle is the only other player who looks to initiate offense for the Wolves.
This season against the Warriors, Randle averaged 15.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the floor.
Unlike the Rockets series, this one against the Timberwolves should also be significantly less emotional. Houston and Golden State had a history with one another, and this was a battle of mental fortitude more than it was actual skill. The passion and energy both of these teams played with won't be present in the Western Conference Semifinals because each of those games between the Warriors and Rockets meant a little more.
That is why Green was quick to pick up flagrant and technical fouls. Even though Green and Rudy Gobert dislike one another, the Warriors veteran understands that this is a new series where he must remain poised to put his team in the best position possible.
“I have to keep it similarly (calm) for my guys,” Green said via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Forget anybody else. I’ll be locked in. Finding that balance, finding that line and not crossing it is important for me and this team. I gave them my word, and I’ll continue to give them my word.”
On the Timberwolves' side of things, their focus becomes finding a way to contain Curry as well as the Rockets did.
Can Timberwolves replicate Rockets' success vs. Stephen Curry?
There is no stopping Steph Curry. The best shooter the NBA has ever seen always gets going at some point in every game.
While he was held to just three points in the first half against the Rockets in Game 7 on Sunday night, Curry finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Down the stretch, it was his big shots that put the nail in the coffin for Houston, eventually leading to his infamous “night, night” celebration that Green couldn't help himself from participating in.
THIS MOMENT >>> pic.twitter.com/79oDyfHAWr
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 5, 2025
As the Warriors prepare for Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night in Minneapolis, their counterparts are looking for a way to limit Curry's production.
The Rockets, for the most part, did as good of a job as any team could defend Curry. Outside of a 36-point performance in Game 3 and a 29-point performance in Game 6, Steph wasn't able to get his shots to fall and he was held in check by a stifling defensive effort from Houston.
Amen Thompson, a gifted athlete and lengthy defender, hounded Curry every chance he got. On ball screens, Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet, and others were contently surrounding Curry and not letting him get an ounce of space for open looks. After all, it takes just one shot for Steph to get in a groove and punish his opponents for the rest of the game.
Houston was not about to let that happen. That is why their defensive performance in that first-round series is commendable.
Will the Timberwolves look to replicate that defensive effort with their personnel, or does head coach Chris Finch have a different idea? More importantly, who is going to draw this assignment of guarding Curry?
Edwards may draw the defensive task at times, but with the amount of running Curry does throughout the game, this could wind up being taxing on the young star. One can recall that Edwards was clearly fatigued in the playoffs last season when the Timberwolves came up short of the NBA Finals after losing to the Dallas Mavericks.
That means Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Donte DiVincenzo will likely be the primary defenders on the Warriors star. Whether or not they will be able to replicate the success that the Rockets found is the major question in play.
If Minnesota is to have any chance at advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season, they will need to learn from Houston's success against Curry.
