They were all dancing on the Warriors’ grave. All the pundits who were predisposed to buy a headstone because they admittedly disliked the team.
The Warriors had a couple of messages for those pundits Wednesday night in San Antonio. Reports of their demise were premature. Oh yeah, and shut up.
It’s never a good idea to spot anyone a 29-7 lead, much less the Spurs at their place. Actually, if you were playing at the basketball equivalent of Coors Field against the 76ers, it isn’t a good idea. These Warriors were unfazed.
Steve Kerr called a couple of early timeouts, and David West said guys were encouraging each other in the huddle, reminding them to keep a good attitude and body language. They stayed focused, even when Javale McGee was missing dunks and getting blocked by the side of the backboard.
Many were live-tweeting that Steve Kerr should rest his stars the way he did the last time in San Antonio. By the end of the game, there was a cornucopia of mea culpas. Some pundits should be demoted to “observer.”
How many times have we seen NBA teams come back from double-digit deficits early in games? We thought the Warriors could come back and make the Spurs sweat, they were too good to get blown out. Instead, the Warriors switched on the turbos and tied the Spurs at 45-all late in the second quarter.
Down by three at the half, they pulled away in the second half. The difference? Defense. Again. As it has been through their 9-game winning streak. The Warriors held the Spurs to 41 percent shooting. In several sequences, Klay Thompson was brilliant keeping his feet against Kawhi Leonard, who was held to 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting.
After losing 5 of 7 in the wake of the Kevin Durant injury, a few things had to happen for the Warriors. First, rest. After a schedule that only a
travel agent on funny mushrooms would craft, Kerr made the right call. We said so then and it has proven out.
They needed fresh legs for the next step, which was stepping up the defense. After a puzzling three quarters against the 76ers, that kicked in.
Or, Draymond Green kicked in (pun intended). It was another clip in his Defensive Player of The Year highlight reel.
Since then, the Warriors have actually had a BETTER defensive rating without Kevin Durant. The defense fueled the fast breaks and gave them more easy transition buckets, while demoralizing the opposition.
The return of the Splash Brothers also had to happen. With rest and improved defense, and re-calibration without Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are back to being Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
The third factor in the Warriors’ streak is more consistent bench production. Andre Iguodala has increased playing time, gets into the flow of the game a little more, adds to their defensive efficiency, has been more aggressive at the offensive end and has improved his free throw shooting. That all has tied together, I believe.
However, it couldn’t be just Andre. The Warriors also needed other veterans like David West and Shaun LIvingston to help lead the way, and they have. West had his finest game of the season in San Antonio, scoring 15 points and logging a plus-24.
The win comes on the heels of good news about Durant’s rehabilitation from a sprained knee and bruised tibia. He will be re-evaluated in 7 to 10 days and it’s still possible for him to play the final couple of regular season games. The Warriors need him to win a championship. I don’t think they can do this without him, but it doesn’t look quite as daunting as before.
It was the best win of the season and will likely sew up the top seed in the West, as they now enjoy a 3 1/2 game lead over the Spurs atop the Western Conference. Down 22, without Durant, unable to sniff the Spurs before Wednesday night (one game without Durant, Curry, Green, Thompson, and Iguodala), and they didn’t panic. They found hyper-drive during the third game in four nights, after a win at Houston and against Memphis at home, with a home game coming against the Rockets Friday.
They delivered some messages to the NBA, to the Spurs, and maybe to themselves:
They’ve got this. And Durant is coming back soon Be very afraid. And shut up.
