Western Conference rivals get a lift
The Warriors will be fine. Saturday’s loss in Houston only gives them a motivational boost after they’d looked unbeatable on the road. The day’s big story was the Western Conference, and two teams trying desperately to be recognized.
You have to admit: After ABC’s doubleheader, you think a bit more of the Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s time to forget the Warriors’ seven straight wins on Houston’s floor, and acknowledge the Rockets’ 17-0 record when James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela play together — and that the team is 16-1 in games finished by Harden and Paul.
Did they cross any massive psychological barrier on Saturday? Maybe not. The Warriors still believe they’re the superior team, and they’re probably right. But this was hardly “another game in January,” as Paul tried to convey after the game. Harden, who insisted on surpassing his playing-time restriction (30 minutes) after a hamstring injury, said he returned for the stretch drive because “we gotta get this. Show ’em we can play a little bit. That’s a championship team right there.”
Around Houston, they’ll remember a classic Harden sequence: hitting a three-pointer over Stephen Curry’s tough defense for a 114-108 lead with 1:10 remaining, then (after a timeout) blocking a Curry three-pointer at the other end. To say the least, after all the talk belittling the Rockets’ chances against Golden State, he needed that.
Cleveland needs a whole lot of things after being obliterated at home by OKC, 148-124. It was a nationally televised blowout reminiscent of a loss to the Warriors that cost head coach David Blatt his job. It was almost exactly two years ago, and the Cavaliers had the East’s best record (30-11) at the time, but the Warriors’ 34point rout delivered a powerful message: Something has to change.
That is definitely the case now, after Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony had their way against the horribly overmatched Cleveland defense and left the distinct impression that the often inept Thunder have hit their stride. Afterward, LeBron James said he hopes head coach Tyronn Lue keeps his job, but “I really don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Hardly a ringing endorsement.
Around the NBA
The great Jo Jo White died Tuesday and the NBA honored one of its most distinguished point guards, invaluable to the Celtics and well past his prime by the time he joined the Warriors ( January 1979-September 1980).While Boston is most remembered for the Bill Russell and Larry Bird eras, White played on the championship teams of 1974 and ’76 with Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, Paul Silas and Don Nelson (who didn’t start, but always seemed to be there at the finish). It was a major surprise when the ’75 Celtics lost to Washington in the Eastern Conference finals. I’m not sure Rick Barry’s Warriors could have beaten that Boston team in the Finals, and I’m positive it wouldn’t have been a sweep.
The Spurs are starting to wonder how much they’ll get from Kawhi Leonard for the rest of this season. After missing training camp and the first 27 games with a right-quad injury, causing pain and weakness in the knee, he played just nine games before retreating to the sidelines. The Warriors know how dangerous he can be; Leonard led the charge in Game 1 of last year’s Western Conference finals, when San Antonio took a 25-point lead at Oracle Arena. But Leonard’s ankle injury removed him for the rest of that game, and the series, resulting in a Warriors sweep. If the Spurs go quietly this year, they’ll be worried about more than their All-NBA forward, with Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker near the end of the line.
Perhaps a more dangerous team come playoff time: Minnesota. Jimmy Butler is the unquestioned leader, excellent on both ends of the floor. KarlAnthony Towns is a big man on the rise. Jeff Teague ably handles the point, and coach Tom Thibodeau finally has the team playing tough defense. The wild card: Andrew Wiggins, fabulously talented but a bit flighty and undependable at times.
If you’ve heard of Cameron Payne, it’s probably because he unveiled some lively pregame dance routines with his Oklahoma City teammates two years ago. He’s with Chicago now, cast into irrelevance by poor play and injuries (he hasn’t taken the court since April), and yet he got a vote during the players’ balloting for the All-Star Game. Votes were also cast for Alex Poythress, Pat Connaughton, Deyonta Davis, Royce O’Neale and Joffrey Lauvergne, among other obscure types. Is it safe to say the players don’t take this seriously?
Great idea from a reader: Have Stephen Curry and LeBron James, the All-Star captains, pick their teams on court right before the Feb. 18 game, playground-style. What a show! As if that could happen, with the NBA terrified to make the selection process public. Let’s hope ESPN’s influential Rachel Nichols keeps pounding away with her “televise the draft” campaign.
Lesser lights: After years of obscurity in the D-League, former Stanford forward Josh Huestis is averaging around 15 minutes a game with OKC. Former Warriors guard Ian Clark is getting similar playing time in New Orleans, including vital stretches of the fourth quarter.
Can you imagine the Giants ignoring Juan Marichal or Willie McCovey in the statue alignment outside AT&T Park? That’s the Lakers, finally getting around to honoring Elgin Baylor alongside the statues of Jerry West, Kareem AbdulJabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and broadcaster Chick Hearn. All Baylor did was change the sport in the late 1950s and ’60s, paving the way for Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and other high-flying talents with his hang-time creativity. Plagued by bad knees for years, Baylor still averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds in his career — and in his absolute prime (1961-62), those numbers were 38.3 and 18.6. Some of the early pioneers, such as center George Mikan and point guard Bob Cousy, look like ancient relics in game films. Baylor’s game would be just as magnificent today.