Rockets Beat the Odds, Win in the Dubs' House

Do tell.

After getting nuked in Game 3, where the night's highlight was Stephen Curry getting scolded by his mother, the Houston Rockets reminded hoops fans everywhere that one game is just that.

Dudes not only lived to fight another day, they served notice they're giving inevitability a run for its money.

 

One of basketball's lost arts -- the mid-range jumper -- proved to be Houston's salvation in their 95-92 victory in Game 4 to even the Western Conference finals at two games apiece.

Where the Washington Capitals seemingly needed until Game 6 over in the NHL's Eastern finals, the Rockets were well aware that taking a game in Oaktown made this one a virtual do-or-die situation.

 

They played like it was their last stand, and that had a lot to do with the difference.

 

Sure, it woulda been cool for the Dubs to have Andre Iguodola available, but his absence isn't why they shot 3-18 in the final quarter and looked like they were juggling grenades in the final moments.

With a 16-game home playoff winning streak on the line, it was almost as if the defending champions figured karma would see them through, one way or another.

 

But in the real world, dudes gotta earn it.

That seems to be foremost on James Harden's mind, too. His demeanor at the end confirmed his understanding, too, that this was only one game.