NBA Players React to the Golden State Warriors Winning Western Conference Finals
The Golden State Warriors are now the Western Conference champions for 2018, and they are heading to the finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fourth straight year. Before that, however, it was a hard-fought Game 7 against the Houston Rockets that had NBA players reacting on social media.
Just like the Eastern Conference Finals, the Warriors and Rockets dueled for a win-or-go-home match on Tuesday night, May 29. It was a thrilling match that saw the Rockets lead for as much as 15 points in the first half, before a scoring explosion from the Warriors, with their famous third-quarter rally, flipped things around.
It was as chippy and gritty as expected late in the playoffs, and fans from both sides were pointing out what they saw as lapses from the referees during the game. Jeremy Lin of the Brooklyn Nets, for one, seems convinced that the officiating referee during that game 7 "definitely" favored the defending champs despite the game being played out in Houston.
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"As objectively as I can be, the Warriors are prob still the better team but the refs are definitely helping them..." Lin noted in his Twitter post the night of the game.
Jared Dudley, veteran of the Phoenix Suns, has another complaint of his own. After all, it's the Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fourth time now, a continuity that's almost unheard of in American pro sports.
"Man I just wanted to see a different final!!! OH well," he posted in his tweet. Same with former Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert, who asked fans which team they'll be cheering on for the NBA finals.
For Terrene Ross of the Orlando Magic, he's just all too happy to watch history unfold, now that two teams are meeting for an unprecedented fourth time in the finals, a first in the history of US professional sports.
For Jamal Crawford of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was all hats off to the tough series the Rockets and the Warriors just went through.
Nick Van Exel, retired NBA player and current assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies, had a few coaching tips for the Cavaliers who are now set to face the Warriors.
"If Cavs don't make this a dirty/physical finals it wont be good to watch. They cannot be afraid to guard and get in there chest. Rockets accepted the challenge," Exel told followers on social media on Tuesday night after the game.
The Warriors are hosting the Cavs for game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals on Thursday, May 31 at 9 p.m. EDT.
