He’s shot 59% in total across the three games in helping to take down the Stephen Curry and Draymond Green-led Warriors. In Game 6’s postgame presser, Green — who’s been a stingy defensive presence for decades in Golden State — was asked if he was surprised at VanVleet’s increased production of late.

Coming out on top in a Game 7 on the road will be tough for the Warriors, especially considering the Rockets carry all the momentum in this series. As the second seed in the West, the Rockets have been on point all season, and they've found something against the Warriors that has worked for two straight games.

And yet, longtime assistant coach Ron Adams pointed to Green’s intelligence as perhaps his greatest strength and the biggest reason he – along with Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels – is a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.