Golden State Warriors

Is this one of those rare times in sports you don’t mess with the positive energy? You ride the hot-hand to keep everything feeling the same? You let Kerr keep coming up with strategies from afar? If he’s still feeling closer to lousy than healthy, it really does make sense.

Early in the news conference, Popovich said at the start of the game he didn’t think his team believed they could beat the Warriors after losing Kawhi Leonard. Long-time Bay Area columnist Ray Ratto asked Coach Pop about when he realized this. Popovich didn’t appreciate the question, and snapped back at Ratto. You can check out the video from KNBR.com alumnus Dieter Kurtenbach.

“Bigs are not used to being out on the perimeter and guarding guys on the perimeter,” Durant said. “So that whole thing is to kind of give you space so when you pull up, they just contest. That’s just part of the game.”

The game was never close. Not for a second. The Warriors led by 17 at the end of the first quarter, had 72 points at halftime and hit 9 of their first 12 3-pointers. None of Golden State’s starters played a minute in the fourth quarter. This was a massacre.

In the middle of the third quarter of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals Stephen Curry put his handles on display, putting a hesitation move on Deadmond. Deadmond tried to recover and stop Curry’s path to the basket from the floor, but there was no stopping the two-time MVP.

It’s no secret that Klay Thompson hasn’t been his usual sharp-shooting self in this year’s playoffs, especially in his last few games. The Warrior’s All-Star shooting guard is currently averaging playoff career lows in field goal percentage (.388), 3-point percentage (.360), player efficiency rating (8.7) and points per game (15).

Prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Popovich was asked whether he found himself distracted in recent months concerning Trump and the unusual state of the country. The 68-year-old Popovich did not hold back.

Kerr will reportedly be in attendance on Sunday for the first time since taking a leave of absence from the team after Game 2 of the first round series against Portland. On Saturday, Kerr was seen at Warriors practice for the first time since Mike Brown took over as interim head coach.

In a game 3 win over the Utah Jazz last round, Zaza Pachulia scored seven points, while Klay Thompson scored just six. After the game, Zaza posted on Instagram to commemorate what he called the “historic” occasion of him outscoring Thompson. At practice Friday, Zaza took it one step further.

The Warriors wouldn’t have been scared of Houston, at all. That same feeling can’t be said about the Spurs because they have Popovich. He’s now won a playoff series against 14 different Western Conference opponents. He’s the original gangster.