Van Jordan won the gods and extended his life in the last quarter, and the Warriors missed a good opportunity at home and fell into the tiebreaker.

On May 3, 2025, the first round of the NBA playoffs became the "Waterloo" of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, who held the match point, wanted to end the series at home, but were stubbornly blocked by the Houston Rockets. Fred VanVleet broke out in the final quarter, and made a key goal in a row to lead the team to reverse 115-107, tied the total score 3-3. This thrilling showdown put the defending champion in a tiebreak of life and death.

Kor's change of the lineup failed, and Curry was deeply encircled before the game, Warriors coach Steve Cole decisively changed the lineup and replaced Pojmsky with Gary Payton II to start, trying to share the pressure for Curry with his strong defense and activate the fast attack system. However, the Rockets quickly understood the tactical intentions and chose to vacate Payton II, gathering heavy troops around Stephen Curry. Although Curry made a three-pointer and shot in the first quarter, he frequently encountered double-teams and made continuous pass mistakes, and even had an embarrassing scene of being surrounded and intercepted by Jaylen Green, Adams and Ethan. In just one and a half quarter, Curry swallowed 4 turnovers and 2 fouls, and the Warriors' offensive rhythm was completely disrupted.

Splashes briefly awakened, and the Rockets lost their advantage. When the Warriors fell into a passive position, Curry and Jimmy Butler showed their superstar character. In the second quarter, Curry caught the Rockets' defense and made two consecutive three-pointers, scoring in double digits in a single quarter; Butler faced Dillon Brooks' defense before the end of the half, and hit a high-difficulty two-pointer with his super-stuck ability and scored 2+0. In contrast, the Rockets, Alperen Shinkin's blind three-point shooting and defensive omissions made the team lose a double-digit lead, and only took a slight lead of 53-48 at the end of the half.

Van Jordan was the god of the last quarter, and his championship background finally showed that the two sides were in a stalemate in the second half. Curry gritted his teeth and pushed his personal score to 26 points, but Van Jordan became the turning point of the game. At the beginning of the final quarter, he hit the limit of 3+1 against the defensive hit, instantly destroying the Warriors' counterattack momentum; when the opponent's morale declined, he completely locked in the victory with a cold-blooded three-pointer. The defender who once won the championship with the Raptors showed the calmness and domineeringness of the champion guard when the team was alive and dead. The comprehensive data of 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists completely dissipated the doubts.

The Warriors missed the opportunity, and the tiebreak hidden suspense

Although the Warriors had Curry's outstanding performance with 29 points and Butler's 27 points, the restrictions on Van Jordan and Shin Kyung on the defensive end were invalid. The offensive end was overly dependent on star singles, and the role players failed to support in time. With the final whistle, the center of Chase fell into silence - holding the match point but losing two games in a row, the Warriors had to rush to the Rockets to play a tiebreak battle. This loss not only exposed the team's lineup shortcomings, but also cast a shadow on the road to defending the title. On May 5, the Toyota Center will stage the ultimate showdown. Can the young Rockets create miracles in one go? Can the experienced warriors turn the tables in desperate situations? The suspense is about to be revealed.