The mind games never stop in the NBA. Just ask Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, whose team just got walloped by the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 to fall into a 2-1 hole ahead of Game 4.
Speaking to reporters Monday, D’Antoni made a puzzling statement about which team is facing the most pressure come Tuesday night in Oakland.
Mike D’Antoni: “To me, Golden State has all the pressure. They have to come in here and win tomorrow night.”
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 21, 2018
Talk about things that make you go, “Hmmmm.”
The Warriors are up over the Houston Rockets heading into Game 4 because they already won once in Houston to steal homecourt advantage over their Western Conference Finals opponent.
So, if the Warriors win Game 4, then Houston has to win three games in a row to stave off elimination and advance to the NBA Finals.
As for how Houston can potentially win Game 4, D’Antoni cracked a joke about the formula for success.
Mike D’Antoni: “I’m hoping for the best: us to play great, and them to play bad.”
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 21, 2018
Now, this is just one man’s opinion, but if any team should be feeling some pressure, it’s the Rockets. After all, Golden State has the rings already, as Steve Kerr so happily pointed out recently, and Houston is trying desperately to knock the Warriors off their perch as the best in the west.