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May 1, 2025 • 12 mins
With the season on the line and facing elimination as the Warriors hold 3 of the 4 games needed to clinch the Western Conference Semifinals, the Rockets stage a thrilling comeback last night to win Game 5 with a final score of 131-116. Keeping their playoff hopes alive now forcing a Game 6 and set to return back to San Francisco, Sean and Dan assess last nights phenomenal resurgence from the Rockets' following standout performances from Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun along with what adjustments must be made if the Rockets' look to take Game 6 and push for a Game 7.
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Final score Houston one thirty one, Golden State one sixteen.
There tomorrow, there is tomorrow. How about that a rocket's
able to take care of business last night? You heard
Matt Thomas just give you the final score. And with
all that we say away we go in good morning

(00:22):
here on the Sean Salisbury Show. Sean much better. We
like that version much.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Better, well do we? You know? I personally it looked
to me like Golden State was preparing for game six.
I'm sorry, it just did. Now. Part of that Dan
has got to be the the way the Rockets jumped
out to put it on him early. I actually think
it was one of those kind of test games you

(00:48):
saw the minutes and the rest of it. One of
those test games. Let's see how we start and see
how this thing goes, and then we'll get our guys fresh.
We won't zue too much energy after we get our
ass handed to us. Had they come out and been
up by the way the Rockets played against them, it
might have been a different story. But it almost felt
to me like, okay, let's test it. Well, tonight's not

(01:08):
our night, let's not wear it out. And then the
Rockets put it on them and put their foot down.
And that's without Jalen Green dominating, and it's with Van
Vliet and the whole group doing their thing last night.
And I'm gonna tell you, look at the free throws.
Just look at the free throws.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Yeah, massive difference there.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
They shot almost forty of them and made what thirty
two or thirty three? If I remember going to bed
last night, two there you go, thirty two or what
thirty eight?

Speaker 1 (01:35):
That's it.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
That's gonna win, that's gonna win games. It's it's it's
it's not it's not a whole you know, there's other
things that go along with it, not letting Butler and
Steph Curry dominate a game and getting production from you know,
a bunch of people. And Fred looked like a you know,
a top notch player in the NBA last night. It
looked like a guy with playoff experience. But they they
gave Golden State everything, they everything that they needed last night.

(02:00):
And I had, you know, we talked about it yesterday
and we were leaving the building about you know, and
at the end of the show and throughout about the
Rockets and that we felt that they'd win this ballgame
and head back and it was one of those that
Golden State got a pretty good feel early on that
the Rockets came to play and they were sharp from
the free throw line. See, it goes to show when

(02:21):
you do this. Now it's the teaser. You can't give
us the fact that, well, you know, they're just not
a good free throw shooting team, whether it's concentration or focus. Now,
there's a lot more that goes into this game. But
it isn't it uncanny how you say, okay, even if
you didn't watch going in, the first thing you did
was say, okay, look at Butler and Curry's line, and
then how they play shooting free throws. The you know,

(02:44):
the unforced air Can you go to the line, make
them or miss them? What's that damage due to either
you or the other team if you're good or you're
not at the line, And that'll tell you the story
of the game. It definitely just and it did. Yeah,
we just did.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, it definitely did. And you know a couple of
things of what you just mentioned right there. I mean
one is you know, the the good what you mentioned
with the free throws thirty two of thirty eight, fifty
five percent from the field, for the night.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
That was the next thing that might have even been
just as important the way they shot it. I mean
to interrupt you, Dan, was their their ability to knock
down high percentage of shots from a lot of different
places last night.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Yeah, that was massive. And you know the other part
of it too, is you mentioned I mean, I do
see what you're saying about Steve Kerr saying, hey, look
we've got a lifeline here. This night's just not going.
It kind of reminded me of there was a regular
season game, I think it was the second to last
meeting these two teams had, and it was the shoe
was on the other foot. The Rockets were the ones

(03:43):
that the starter is just getting blown out. Imidoka said,
you know what, why don't you guys take the rest
of the night off. And then you've got Jay, Shawn Taate,
Nate Williams and Jock Landale and all these guys nearly
leading the Rockets back. And we kind of saw that too.
I mean, the Rockets up by I mean what was
their largest lead, thirty thirty one something like that, and

(04:04):
there with about nine minutes left to go, it's down
to like twelve, and you're kind of like, oh my god,
they're gonna have to sweat this thing out. I've never
seen the white flag waved. And the other team says, okay, well,
if they're taking their guys out, we can take cars too.
But then need me don't gad to quickly go back
to his guys and say, hey, heat pads, ice bags,
don't put them on just yet. You're going back out there.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, and I do. I think it was I swear
going in. I think it was a field game. I
think he was gonna cur was going to judge energy
wise and how they were playing and what you were
getting out of Houston and your team and how it
was played out, and you saw a playout and then
you're just going, okay, just stay on reserve and we'll
see how it felt to me. And that's not taking

(04:46):
angway from the way the Rockets put it on them.
I think they were saying, Okay, yeah, obviously they came
in to win. You try to get out of a series,
you you won't rest. You're trying to get out of
a series as quickly as possible. But once it started
to flow the way the Rockets had intended, I think
Steve Kerr was not going to over exert, especially down
thirty plus. You aren't going to say the energy it's

(05:06):
going to take to get us back in with our
starters and win this game on the road for a
team that we handled it, you know, we got the
series in control, and what it would have taken for
And think about it. Now, they've they've got a few
veterans to get a little long in the tooth. Qualified players,
but long in the tooth. So let's test this thing

(05:28):
and see what it is. Hey man, if you're in
a four hundred meter race and you're at the three
hundred meter mark and the guy's got you by forty meters,
I'm going to suggest that's right, and it's the quality,
and it's a qualifying heat and you just got to
get to the final run. You ain't trying to win
the race at that point in time. You're just getting
in safe and healthy so you have a chance to

(05:51):
run in the final. Were your last eight runners? Now,
four hundred meet, I got that extra burst the energy.
You try to go too much, you still qualify, but
you finished the second qualifying and you'd sent that last
under me is just out of pride and ego trying
to chase the guy down and now you've exerted everything.
So when you get to the final, you finished sixth.
It looked him And maybe I'm wrong from somebody else's

(06:12):
vantage point, and I think it had to do with
the Rockets putting it on him early. They don't misunderstand me.
If Golden State's up fourteen, they're playing there, guys, you're
getting they're getting minutes, and they're going to go try
to close this thing out. But the way the game
shaped up, and you could see pretty early what was
happening with the way that the Rockets were playing and
knocking down free throws and the way they were shooting
the basketball and playing on the defensive end, they did

(06:34):
a hell of a job of it, especially early in
the game. And to get that lead at that point
in time, I think Steve Kurb made that decision of Okay,
this gets in within six or eight. Maybe it's a
different story, but and you're right in the fourth quarter,
I'm sitting there watching thinking, okay, it's started to close
down a little bit. But they were able to stave
it off. But I don't think that they were in

(06:55):
there at a huddle at a time out at the
beginning of the fourth quarter or in the third saying
all right, everybody back in, we're going to go try
to win this thing. Not saying they quit, but they
paced themselves late after the Rockets had put their foot
on their throat early, and it got to the point
where saying we're waiting for the you know, the final race,
and we're not. We're not. We're not meaning you know,

(07:16):
I qualified for this. Now we'll go back to game
six and deal with you in our building with a
full amount of energy. Not did we over exceeded to
still lose by seven if that would have been the case.
I think that was a whether you like it or not,
it was. It was I think absolutely part of what
they were trying to do. Once they knew you're down
thirty plus, that's a lot of energy to get back

(07:38):
into it. Even if you say, well, the games are
never over, but imagine exerting all that energy, Dan, and
then the game's too You still get beat and now
you've got to go back and deal with game six,
and it's like, okay, man, it took a lot of effort,
you know, it just did so Rockets. I mean it
was because of them, but I got news for you.
At Golden State, they'll be fresh legged ready to go

(07:59):
after that ass whoop. And it was for the most
part last night. And now you got to go back
in their building and see how it is. But impressive
effort shooting the basketball and the when they got free opportunities,
they knocked him out. Now they knocked free throws down
and that was a huge That's what I was watching
for him. How are you how's Jalen going to play?
And they were still able to overcome. But look what happened.

(08:20):
He did not He's had four or three not real
good games. Last night was I mean, he got them.
He got himself about seven eight rebounds, so he played decent.
He was in the plus category in the game. He
just didn't score like you used to. And they still want,
you know, handsomely why because the other things we just
talked about. They played defense, they shot the basketball well,

(08:42):
very well, and they knocked down free throws and free opportunities,
which thirty two of their points came into free throw line.
That's at thirty eight you know opportunities. So that was it,
and then Golden State decides, well you know that decision
was made in the third quarter. I believe that I
we'll see in games.

Speaker 1 (09:01):
Yeah, I mean, but for the good that the Rockets did.
You mentioned the defensive part of it, and you know
that's something we can talk about too as the show
goes along. I mean, that was the nice thing to see.
I just I thought that we saw a more free
flowing team last night. Like I think that we saw
the team that we saw fifty two times this year
be able to play really good basketball and be the

(09:22):
team that's the number two team in the West. So
it was nice to see that version as opposed to
the h we're in the playoffs. This is different type
of version that I think we had seen for at
least three times in this series.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
So what Dan it looked to me also just talking
about that, you know, we went into this saying, okay,
they got a couple veterans that have been in the
league for a minute, got a ring, meaning I mean
Fred van Vliet with his ring. My thought was, and
we talked about it, don't don't play not to lose
and too cute and okay, that's that naive thing that
a lot of young players who've not been in a

(09:55):
playoff situation, like I don't know what this is supposed
to look like. So to me, it's just another basketball
game at the gym, or series, should I say and
just go let it rip? Well, I think they've been
tentative at times in this series. It's Golden State, it's
oh my gosh, it's you know, we're in the playoffs.
We haven't been in this situation a while. We're the
two seed, so it can be overwhelming. And also to
the point where you're playing not to lose. You're getting

(10:17):
really fine and cute, which you want to do, but
you don't want to be thinking about that. You just
want that to be natural. And we said going into
last night, let it rip. Man, you're not getting it
done by, you know, trying to methodically and overthinking everything
and standing at the free throw line and bricking shots
up and going nineteen to thirty one. Last night, it
looked like a team that said, you know what, if

(10:39):
we're going home, we're going home on the terms that
we are just letting it rip and playing like a
team that's got it. It's relaxed and has the three
to one lead. And it showed last night. They looked
like a young, energetic team with some proper veteran leadership
that did their thing and got a lot of people
into it on the defensive offensive end. And even when

(11:01):
one of your top scores again for the five games
is hovering around double digits, you know, eight nine, what'd
he get eleven or something last night? Whatever it was,
so and then everybody else did their job, and then
you shot free throw. So yeah, I thought last night
not just free flowing. I thought last night looked a
lot more relaxed. Whether that means you were in your building,
but you've got to bring that same energy and that
same I don't want to say you don't care about

(11:23):
the result, but there's something to be said for I
don't care about the result. It's it's the journey. Just
enjoy along the way. The result will take care of itself.
We do that, and it will take care of itself
at Golden State too. If they do the same thing,
play like they did last night, they can go into
Golden State and win in that building. And now and
now it's a whole different We're looking a whole different

(11:44):
coming back for game seven.

Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah, I mean, and that that was the other part
of it too, I mean, just you know, being able
to play the way that they did last night. And
you know, more importantly, Sean, you didn't get knocked out
in five. I mean it's like I said, there's two
scenarios that are embarrassing for you in a playoff series.
You get swept or you lose in five. And the
Lakers can't say that because they got knocked out last night.

(12:07):
Paul Bracito whatever.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
Yeah, what do you think about their performance?

Speaker 1 (12:12):
Well, it wasn't necessarily the performance. It was their head coach.
And that's something we're going to get into as the
show goes along, because I am all the way out
on that guy. I have been, but this completely pushed
me off the edge last night.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
So you're out on JJ Red.

Speaker 1 (12:27):
He is such a d dude, Like I just I
can't deal with them, And you can take whatever interpretation
of d that is, and we'll let you hear from
him as the show continues. Well, also get into some astros.
They're off today, but they lost just a seven four
to the Tigers. So all of these things at your disposal,
John on the Northwest Side, to see you right there.

(12:48):
We'll get to you here and we'll continue here on
The Sean Salisbury Show.
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