After the Houston Rockets stunned the Golden State Warriors 115-107 in Game 6 on Friday night, veteran big man Steven Adams highlighted the team’s unorthodox zone defense and internal chemistry as key reasons for their postseason resurgence.
Adams, who played 31 minutes and contributed 17 points and three blocks off the bench, downplayed his individual impact, saying, “I just follow the game plan, bro. Defensive game plan. We communicate.”
The Rockets have leaned into a zone defense few teams dare use against the Warriors’ perimeter-heavy attack.
Asked why it’s been effective, Adams said, “We do such a good job at just making sure we know where the threats are… we manage to scramble and get to those spots. The window for error is actually—we keep it very tight.”
Golden State shot just 9-for-28 in the fourth quarter and went scoreless for nearly seven minutes during a critical stretch.
Adams pointed out that rebounding out of a zone, typically a weakness, hasn’t hurt Houston: “We do a good job rebounding, keeping them to one shot… it’s a weird zone… but it works.”
When asked about Fred VanVleet’s postseason rise, Adams explained the concept of a “playoff riser” as a function of opportunity and scheme, not just scoring totals.
“If you blitz [a player] the whole game, you force the ball out of their hand… their volume of shots is going to go down,” Adams said. “It’s what the defense is presenting… It’s all up to you, individual, whatever you guys put value on.”
VanVleet finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 boards.
With the Rockets trailing 3-1 in the series just days ago, Adams said the locker room never felt out of it: “Our games, they were really close games… it’s not like you need some big hurrah speech. It’s like, brother, we’re right there.”
The 31-year-old center emphasized the importance of staying within the system.
“These possessions are very, very crucial… stick to your role, not trying to do too much,” Adams said. “You don’t want to surprise your teammates by doing stuff we haven’t gone over.”
Asked where his recent surge in energy and shot-blocking has come from, Adams credited his teammates: “The boys on the ball is doing a really good job… those are the [shots] you can go after.”
Game 7 is set for Sunday in Houston, and Adams expects an energized home crowd.
“The fans been showing out, so it should be good atmosphere and whatnot… Game 7… Hell yeah, brother.”
The winner will advance to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals.
