Streaking Warriors laugh Spurs off the court
Golden State takes 2-0 lead in Western finals with 36-point conquest of Kawhi-less San Antonio
Ten-and-oh, with six to go. That’s where the Golden State Warriors stand after throttling the San Antonio Spurs 136-100 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. Ten straight victories in the playoffs. One win away from tying the best start in NBA postseason history. Six wins away from the championship.
After Sunday’s drama-packed Game 1 victory over San Antonio, it was kind of a letdown to see the Warriors return to their dominating ways. The boring was back. At least for one game.
The Spurs clearly missed their MVP candidate, Kawhi Leonard, lost to a sprained ankle after Zaza Pachulia’s closeout in Game 1 – the play debated throughout the land. And without their engine, the Spurs looked broken down. We’ll see if they can regain their form when the series travels to Texas this weekend.
“Down in San Antonio, it’s going to be more than a dogfight,” said Golden State’s acting head coach, Mike Brown “There’s no easing into any game down there. Game 3 is going to be tough for us.”
We’ll see. But Tuesday night’s game was a laugher, from tip-off to buzzer. The Warriors led 72-44 at the half, led by Steph Curry’s 19 points, on 5-for-7 shooting from three. He just missed a three-quarter-court shot at the halftime buzzer. And that was one of the highlights. It was that kind of game.
In the second half, Curry kept the pressure on, dazzling with his ball-handling and shooting skills, eventually pouring in a game-high 29 points, including six of nine from three-point range. He didn’t play a second of the fourth quarter, ceding time to folks like Patrick McCaw, who had himself a game.
The Spurs, on the other hand, looked outmatched. Only Jonathon Simmons, Leonard’s replacement, brought his A-game, scoring a team-high 22.
The most interesting moment of the night happened in the pregame coach’s news conference. Brown came in a few minutes late and proceeded to explain.
While pulling up to Oracle Arena, his black Range Rover was overtaken by a squadron of motorcycle cops, escorting the Spurs to the game. Brown showed off his humor and personality, spinning a long yarn about how the police held him back while leading the Spurs’ team bus through the traffic. The coach protested, to no avail. It all ended with San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich calling Brown on his cell phone, teasing his former protégé and laughing about it. The two men are old friends, and it showed.
“Someone’s got to teach him if the California Highway Patrol tells you to move over, you move over,” Popovich quipped.
That was a nice change of pace in a series that got off to quite the contentious start. Pachulia’s foul on Leonard lit a fuse that burned up the Internet, the TV, the radio and the corner bar. Everyone had an opinion on whether it was a dirty play. But all the hot air fizzled on the court Tuesday, as Pachulia played only seven minutes, scored four points and left right before the half with a bruised heel.
If this mismatch continues, Leonard’s injury will be remembered as the end of this series. But the next two games will be contested in San Antonio. Leonard could come back, and the fans will be riding Pachulia like rodeo cowboys.
We have three days to dissect the next game, a pretty long break that could further deflate interest in a series that suddenly lacks tension.
Which brings us back to Tuesday night’s thriller. In case you missed, here are some basic observations: The Sports were flatter than a can of warm soda, missing Leonard’s fizz. Klay Thompson turned in another tepid offensive performance, scoring 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting. But he made up for it checking the Spurs’ dangerous Patty Mills. It’s tiring work, and maybe that’s why he’s had two poor shooting games. It’s amazing to think the Warriors are cruising like this while one of the Splash Brothers is in a mini scoring slump. The Warrior's defense was outstanding, on the perimeter and down low. Someone give assistant coach Ron Adams a raise. McCaw (18 points, 6-for-8 shooting) earned himself some more minutes in these playoffs. Head coach Steve Kerr addressed the team before the game and at halftime, just as he did in Game 1. I believe the coach might be inching closer to a return to the bench, although he is not traveling to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4. “
In Game 1, we didn’t come out with a sense of urgency,” Brown said. “That’s one of the messages Steve gave the team from jumpstreet. They played that way for 48 minutes.” How do you make a coach happy? Share the ball. The Warriors had 39 assists on 50 baskets. “Which is phenomenal,” Brown raved. Popovich looked a bit lost on the San Antonio bench, not sure of which lever to pull. Apparently, nothing came to mind. It felt like he pulled some punches, trying to generate fresh legs for a last stand at the Alamo.
Here’s hoping the energy returns to this series in San Antonio for Saturday’s Game 3. These two teams are the class of the Western Conference, if not the NBA, and it would be fantastic if Leonard can return and the two heavyweights can go back to trading punches.
“All I care about is the next game and see how they come out,” said Popovich, who also said his players didn’t have “belief” in Game 2. “If they obey the basketball gods, they’ll win.”