‘All hail GP2’ — GSoM reacts to Game 3 win

A look at the fan reactions to Game 3.

The Golden State Warriors had perhaps their most important and impressive win of the season on Saturday. Even with Jimmy Butler III sidelined with an injury, the Warriors took control of their playoff series, beating the Houston Rockets 104-93 to take a 2-1 lead. With the team optimistic that Butler can return for Monday’s Game 4, the Dubs are in a pretty good spot.

Here’s how Warriors fans reacted to the game in real time, using comments from the Golden State of Mind game thread.

First quarter: ‘Already getting chippy’

The tone was set immediately, and picked up where it left off on Wednesday. It was aggressive, physical, and chippy, with both teams playing intense defense and the reefs letting nearly everything go. It felt like a game from the ‘90s, and the Rockets led 22-18 at the end of the fram.

Second quarter: ‘Play like that we win’

The second quarter started the same as the first. It was all physical, and the Warriors couldn’t score at all. It looked like they were destined for a 30-point half, and spent much of the quarter trailing by double digits. But in the final minutes they came to life. Steph Curry started to take over, and the offense started to figure things out. The Warriors ended the half on a 9-0 run and, even though they trailed 49-46, they had all the momentum going into the break.

Third quarter: ‘They can win this game’

The Warriors took the lead fairly early in the second half, but couldn’t run away with it. The teams went back and forth and back and forth, trading blows and leads. Drama was building, and the Rockets led 71-69 as we went to the final quarter.

Fourth quarter: ‘Payton is in the matrix’

The fourth quarter was one of the best frames of the season. The Warriors slowly built the lead a little larger and a little larger, with clutch shots and incredible defense. Draymond Green was playing out of his mind on defense. Curry was making heroic shots. And Gary Payton II showed up in a huge way as an offensive force, making bucket after bucket, including nine straight Warriors points late in the quarter, as the Dubs put the game away and clinched a win.