The Golden State Warriors were pummeled on their home court by a score of 115-107 at the hands of the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of their first-round 2025 NBA Playoff matchup, setting up a pivotal seventh installment of the series.
4-time NBA champion and 2-time league MVP Stephen Curry's 29 points, seven boards and six hits from three-point range were not enough to close things out at home against the Rockets' swarming defense.
Following the disappointing defeat for Golden State, Curry shared his thoughts with reporters on how the team can overcome both physical and mental fatigue, as well as the hard-nosed brand of basketball that Houston brings to the floor each night.
"It’s always been hard to win," Curry told The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II during his post-game media availability on Friday night.
"Like, don’t get that twisted...winning is hard. Sustaining it is hard."
"There are different challenges of figuring out a team that’s trying to take you out of your rhythm or your patterns or whatnot. You’re playing against a really good team."
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"If you want to win at the highest level, you have to embrace the hard. Whether that’s the physical challenges of doing it at this stage of your career, or whether it’s because you’re playing a good team."
The all-time great point guard displayed a level of readiness in his statement, likely due to his familiarity with the atmosphere and pressure involved in a Game 7 showdown.
In the 2023 postseason, Curry delivered one of the greatest Game 7 performances in NBA history when he dropped a playoff career-high 50 points and sunk seven shots from distance to defeat the Sacramento Kings in the first round.
Heading into what will be a fiery, drama-filled night, Golden State could be considered lucky to have Curry in their corner, as the 6-foot-2 scoring dynamo has averaged a ridiculous 32.6 points spanning his five Game 7 outings throughout his illustrious career.
Though the Warriors face an uphill battle, the presence of the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made in both the regular season and playoffs should help the team adjust quickly to the rowdy setting of their win-or-go-home contest on Sunday night.
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