© Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time since a 2017 first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Warriors were without Kevin Durant in the playoffs. And much like the pre-KD era, the Warriors were still fantastic and they beat the Houston Rockets 118-113.
Klay, Steph and Dray, all day
Sometimes Klay Thompson gets into a funk and goes missing. But much more often than not, the reverse is true. When the Warriors need him desperately, he often comes through. Such was the case tonight, when, with Steph Curry going completely silent with a goose egg in the first half, Thompson carried the load offensively. In the first half, Thompson dropped 21 points, sending the Warriors into the half tied at 57.
But even as Thompson struggled offensively in the second half, his defense was immaculate, and he came through in the clutch. With less than three minutes remaining, he forced an unbelievable jump ball and guarded James Harden multiple times with near perfection. Then, with 36.1 seconds remaining, Thompson hit the dagger and pointed to Warriors owner Joe Lacob. He finished with 27 points (10-of-20, 7-of-13 from 3-pt), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers.
Bang!
Klay Thompson 3 pic.twitter.com/hL4IuJiUNS— Ⓜ️arcusD (@_MarcusD3_) May 11, 2019
Draymond Green was as important as anyone for the Warriors tonight. He was that constant, gritty cog who kept all of the wheels of the Warriors greased and moving even when he ran into foul trouble. If there were series-by-series MVPs, he might have been crowned the Warriors’ series MVP tonight. he had 8 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, and most importantly, kept his cool and kept his 4 personal fouls at 4 and remained in the game.
Finally, the man was the man tonight. After putting up zero points in the first half, Curry took the game over in the second, to finish with 33 points (9-of-20, 4-of-11 from 3-pt, 11-of-11 from FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers. Those free throws were where Curry showed the gap between him and James Harden. While Curry grew into the game, Harden faltered, and was abysmal from the free throw line, going 7-for-12. While Harden finished with 35 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 assists in one of his best defensive performances in recent memory, he turned the ball over six times and was outplayed by Curry down the stretch.
All those other guys
Shaun Livingston redeemed himself. Andre Iguodala shot the lights out. The rest of the Warriors’ bench, many of whom had not seen the light of day for most of this series, played incredibly well.
Iguodala had 17 points on an astounding 5-of-8 shooting from deep, along with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and an almost unbelievable 5 steals.
First time since 2013 that Andre Iguodala has made 5+ threes in a game.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 11, 2019
Livingston looked like his vintage self, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting along with 2 rebounds and an assist. Crucially, he played with a poise and ease that he hadn’t shown early in this series; but it returned when it was most needed.
In addition to those veteran efforts, the Warriors received effort like this from Jordan Bell (see below) and another great night from Kevon Looney, who punched up again on Clint Capela to finish with 14 points (6-of-8, 2-of-2 from FT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. Quinn Cook and Jonas Jerebko, despite only scoring two points each, were both solid in a combined 30 minutes, only turning the ball over once between them, and combining for 5 assists. Those efforts kept the Warriors afloat until Curry arrived.
JB blocks Harden, takes ✈️ on the alley from Draymond pic.twitter.com/Qu8aHstZ4O
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 11, 2019
Remember the pre-KD era? No? OK
For some reason, most sports books had the Rockets favored over the Warriors tonight by seven points or more. It was a clear reaction to two things: Kevin Durant’s series-ending calf injury and the Rockets’ staunch ability to defend home court. Still, it seemed like an overreaction. The Warriors currently are still similar to the team they were when they won their first championship, but they’re older (which can be seen as both a positive for experience, and a negative, for obvious aging reasons).
The bench is not the same as it once was, but the core of Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston remain intact, as do Quinn Cook, Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell, all of whom have had to step up on multiple occasions. They stepped up tonight, as did the Warriors’ stars, and it was a reminder that at its core, this team still has the same identity it did before Durant arrived.