West’s best
Golden State Warriors relished their victory yesterday; if nothing else, they’ve built momentum for significant back-to-back set-tos against the Rockets and Spurs, after which they play six of their last seven matches at home. They’ll aim to finish strong
For a while there, it looked as if the scrappy Grizzlies would once again prevail over the superior Warriors. It didn’t matter that they missed vital cog Marc Gasol due to a foot injury yesterday. In typical “grit ‘n’ grind” fashion, they took the measure of the hosts, who were in danger of bowing to them for the third time this season, unprecedented in the Steve Kerr dispensation. Unfortunately, they wound up losing steam in the final quarter, and their lack of firepower proved too much to overcome.
On paper, the contest shouldn’t have been tight, the continued absence of Kevin Durant notwithstanding. After all, the Warriors still boast of reigning two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry and fellow All- Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have had to rely on a roster already missing supposedly crucial free- agent pickup Chandler Parsons, somehow staying competitive in the deep Western Conference on the strength of its collective overachievement under the creative tutelage of David Fizdale.
As things turned out, resolve allowed the Grizzlies to keep pace early on, but talent enabled the Warriors to pull away late. The latter started sluggishly, but, as Kerr noted, “picked up our intensity. Most of the second half, I thought our defense was much better. That fueled our offense,” which starred a red-hot Thompson in the midst of ice-cold opposition. And, unlike in January, when the protagonists last met, there was to be no letdown and meltdown. Curry was, well, Curry in the crunch, and the rest became history.
Moving forward, it’s a wonder the Grizzlies remain fearsome despite glaring lineup deficiencies; offhand, having a 40-year old, past-prime player as the starting guard, even if it’s Vince Carter, doesn’t seem like an integral ingredient for sustained success. Yet, they’ve thrived under pressure. Which is why the Warriors relished their victory yesterday; if nothing else, they’ve built momentum for significant back-to-back set-tos against the Rockets and Spurs, after which they play six of their last seven matches at home. They’ll aim to finish strongly; staying as the top seed has obvious benefits, and none more apparent than the opportunity to avoid Fizdale & Company in the first round of the playoffs.