On Sunday, the Golden State Warriors had a great ending to their first-round series against the Houston Rockets. The Warriors set the tone and secured a 103-89 victory over the third-seed team. The Rockets tried to make a comeback in the series after Golden State had a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. However, the Stephen Curry-led team locked in on Game 7 to come away with a win.
Buddy Hield led all scorers with 33 points on 81.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Defensively, he paid attention and had one steal and two blocks. Curry added 22 points and 10 rebounds. He was also efficient from deep, as he shot 40 percent. Like Hield, the four-time champion was also defensively commanding with his two steals and two blocks.
While Hield and Curry took the spotlight, the Warriors believe that Draymond Green set the tone in Game 7. Head coach Steve Kerr revealed the team had a meeting following their 115-107 defeat. Kerr said the four-time All-Star owned up for his poor performance.
“Draymond set the tone last night at our team meeting. Basically, he owned up to losing his poise in Game 6,” Kerr said. “He said: ‘I’ve got to be poised and I have to be better and we’re gonna come in here tomorrow and get it done,’”
Steve Kerr: “Draymond set the tone last night at our team meeting. Basically he owned up to losing his poise in Game 6.” pic.twitter.com/D75cwQNcZH
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 5, 2025
Kerr referred to what happened early in Game 6. At the 8:53 mark in the first quarter, Green picked up a foul for shoving Jalen Green. The officials ruled it a flagrant 1 foul. The four-time champion believes his actions early in the game led them to get bullied by the Rockets.
This led to their eventual loss in Game 6. Fortunately for the Warriors, they performed better in Game 7 and advanced to the second round.
Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield said the team meeting was emotional
Hield wasn’t the most consistent player for the Golden State Warriors against the Rockets. He had four games where he shot poorly and was often criticized. However, that changed in Game 7 as he outperformed most players with his 33-point outing. The former Oklahoma standout almost didn’t miss a shot.
One of the main reasons for his performance was the team meeting they had after their Game 6 loss. According to Hield, the meeting was led by Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. The former lottery pick said it was emotional, which led him to “lock in” to step up.
“Yesterday, we had a very emotional meeting led by Draymond, Steph, and Jimmy. From then, I was just locked in just get my spirit together… the meeting we had gave everybody chills,” Hield said.
Buddy Hield said the Warriors' vets led a team meeting yesterday that inspired everyone to lock in.
BUDDY HIELD: "Yesterday, we had a very emotional meeting led by Draymond, Steph, and Jimmy. From then, I was just locked in … [the meeting] gave everybody chills."
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 5, 2025
Hield also credited Green for taking responsibility for their Game 6 loss. The Warriors will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
