Speights, Barbosa lead bench resurgence
OAKLAND — Don’t try to fudge the numbers on Marreese Speights. Told he only played a minute in the opening game of the playoffs against New Orleans, Mo Buckets quickly interrupted.
“Forty- one seconds,” he said. “Forty- one seconds.”
Speights’ box score line was a string of zeros during those 41 seconds, and the rest of the Warriors’ bench — not counting sixth man Andre Iguodala, who often plays more minutes than the starters — wasn’t far behind him.
Backup guards Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa played only 13: 02 and 11: 23, respectively, while center Festus Ezeli managed a mere 3: 41. The bench as a whole scored 12 points, and Iguodala had eight of them.
That all changed in Game 2 as the bench returned to the production level it provided much of the season, and once again demonstrated the strength of this Warriors team doesn’t just rest with its starters.
With the Warriors trailing by 11 points at the end of the first quarter and the first five looking more than a bit disheveled, Speights and Barbosa led a bench surge in the second quarter that got Golden State back within four in less than three minutes. Speights hit his first two elbow jumpers, Barbosa hit a long shot and a slicing layup, then Speights found Iguodala wide
Barbosa open in the corner for a 3point swish.
The Warriors never looked back from there. The starters ultimately returned, worked to get the halftime lead, and the team controlled much of the second half en route to a 2- 0 series lead. But it all started with that burst from the bench crew.
“That’s what it’s about, that’s what we’ve been doing all year,” Speights said. “When the team starts off slow, we come in and bring our energy and we know the starters are going to feed off us, and when they come back in the game, they’ll be ready to go.”
So what happened in Game 1, Mo? Speights flashed his wide, infectious smile.
“It was Coach’s ( Steve Kerr’s) first playoff game, so we understood,” he said. “But he realized he had to get the second group out there a little longer ( in Game 2), and he did. It felt good to be out there together again. I still only played 13 minutes, but it felt like 30 after last time.”
Draymond Green said what the bench did changed everything.
“No one will write about it, nobody will say it, but
BENCH SCORING
Gm
Pelicans ( leader)
25 ( Norris Cole, 8) that won us that game,” Green said. “When they came out of the game, we were still down seven, but they changed the complete pace, tempo of the game. We were getting punched and getting punched and getting punched. The second unit came in and threw a few blows and got ( the Pelicans) on their heels. Then the first unit came back in and ended up taking the lead back.”
When they’re on their game, there’s no question Speights and Barbosa bring a special flair to the Warriors’ attack, Speights with his angry- man presence and Barbosa with his manic, circusstyle drives to the hoop.
Stephen Curry, in a glowing assessment of the bench’s performance after Game 2, was apprised that he failed to mention Barbosa by name after he scored 12 points in 15 minutes.
“Well, L. B., he knows how he played,” Curry said. “He was talking about himself in the locker room.”
As for Speights, he’s always talking, often to himself or opposing players on the court. Green said that if Mo makes a couple of buckets, he turns all- purpose wild man.
“Anything goes at that point,” Green said. “He’s fearless. He doesn’t back down from anyone, no matter who it is. He’ll talk junk to anybody, even if it’s not his matchup. We’re playing OKC, and this guy starts talking junk to K. D. ( Kevin Durant). I’m like, ‘ Dude, that’s not your matchup. You’re making it tough on somebody else.’ But that’s who he is.”
“Who he is” is not just a shooter, either. At his best, Speights brings a little of everything — rebounding, defense, even a smart pass here and there. He’s among the league leaders in charges drawn, and he picked up a big one against Anthony Davis in the second half Monday night. It’s what earned him Sixth Man of the Year votes.
“I thought the play of the game was his pass to Andre in the corner for the 3pointer,” Kerr said. “That’s when we really started to flow offensively, and that led to the 38- point second quarter.”
n David Lee has been ruled out for Game 3 because of a lower back injury, but Kerr did say that Lee is improving and could be available at some point in the series.
n The Warriors’ Game 2 win was their 42nd this season in which they held the opponent under 100 points, and they are 42- 0 in those games.