PLEASANT SURPRISES
By most measures, the Warriors’ regular season went according to script.
Golden State clinched the NBA’s best record for the third straight year.
The league’s most potent roster led the league in scoring.
After Las Vegas gave them a preseason over/under of 66.5 wins, the Warriors went 67-15.
But to meet outside expectations, the Warriors introduced plenty of wrinkles to the narrative. Now, as they prepare for Sunday’s Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against Portland, here’s a look at the five biggest surprises of 2016-17:
Benefiting from Durant’s
injury: Most teams endure at least one significant injury every season, and Golden State was no exception. Kevin Durant missed five-plus weeks after suffering a left knee injury Feb. 28 at Washington. But more startling than losing the eight-time All-Star was what unfolded next: After dropping five of seven games, the Warriors won 13 in a row without Durant.
Andre Iguodala, David West and Ian Clark provided muchneeded sparks off the bench. By closing off driving lanes and nabbing steals, Golden State feasted on open looks in transition. Stephen Curry reminded his critics that he is still the player who won the MVP Award unanimously last year.
Don’t be mistaken: The Warriors are better with Durant available. But with him sidelined, Golden State was forced to get more out of the rest of its roster — a development that only buoys its championship pursuit. McGee becomes an important part of the rotation: When JaVale McGee joined the Warriors as a non-guaranteed training-camp invitee, he was best known for his numerous appearances on “Shaqtin’ a Fool,” a weekly bloopers segment on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.” Three years removed from his days as a solid backup center for Denver, McGee’s NBA career was on life support.
With Golden State, he has carved out his niche as a lob threat who crashes the glass and swats shots. Though he’s one of several centers in the Warriors’ rotation, his per-36minute averages of 23 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.3 blocks underscore how dynamic his stints have become. The defense improves: Many expected Golden State’s defense to regress after the team parted ways with Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli in July. West and Zaza Pachulia, who were brought in at bargain prices to round out the frontcourt, were more positional defenders than prototypical interior defenders.
But the Warriors have shown that their switch-heavy defensive system is more important than any two players. Long known more for scoring than locking down his man, Durant has used his 7-foot-5 wingspan to guard multiple positions and alter shots. Draymond Green, who finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting each of the past two seasons, is poised to finally win the award. Golden State leads the league in steals, blocks and opponent field-goal percentage. A year after finishing with the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating, the Warriors are No. 2 in that category.
Thompson scores 60: A catch-and-shoot maestro, Klay Thompson is arguably the team’s most explosive scorer.
But heading into a Dec. 5 game against Indiana, no one would have predicted that he’d score 60 points in 29 minutes.
What made the feat so stunning was how he accomplished it. Thompson needed only 88.4 seconds of possession, 52 touches, 33 shots and 11 dribbles. And he could have scored much more, but because Golden State was up big, Thompson was benched midway through the third quarter after having become the fourth player in franchise history to score at least 60 (Rick Barry and Joe Fulks each did it once ... Wilt Chamberlain did so 27 times).
A “We Believe” link: The Warriors’ final roster spot has been an intriguing, albeit subtle, story line this season. In February, the team released Anderson Varejao to sign Briante Weber. But when Durant was injured, the front office scrapped plans to sign Jose Calderon and added Matt Barnes instead.
Golden State fans best remember him as a key member of the 2006-07 “We Believe” squad, which became the first No. 8 seed in NBA history to defeat a No. 1 seed in a sevengame playoff series. With Durant sidelined, Barnes thrived as a defense-oriented, highmotor role player. He is doubtful Sunday for Game 1 with a sprained right ankle.