Golden Statement made in devastating style
PORTLAND, Ore. — Stephen Curry grabbed the long rebound and pushed it up court. He saw the defender backpedaling, so he pulled up and drilled a 29-footer on the fast break.
Curry said it was a heat check, the type of shot a player takes after making a few in a row. But it wasn’t Curry who was hot. It was his team. The Warriors were clicking in jaw-dropping fashion and the two-time MVP was seeing if it was contagious. It was. The Warriors didn’t start Game 4 looking to finish the sweep of the Blazers. They
were looking to desecrate Portland and its beloved squad. They blitzed the Blazers in the first quarter, hijacking control of the game from the outset and scoring a team-playoff record 45 points in the first quarter. And the way they did it was like a basketball tutorial on going viral.
The final result, 128-103, was never in question as the Warriors advanced to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
“The way that we showed up in the first quarter said a lot about just our mindset and focus,” Curry said. “The way that we played (Game 4) on both ends of the floor is a great recipe for success down the road.”
This was a display of power, a show of might. The Warriors were letting the Blazers, and the rest of the league see, what they’ve got under the hood. Why?
Because Kevin Durant was back in the lineup following two games out because of a calf strain. And since the Warriors ripped off a 13-game win streak, and dominated Portland without him, there was still chatter about Durant disrupting the Warriors chemistry and cramping Stephen Curry’s style.
Because head coach Steve Kerr is on the shelf with serious health issues. Having assistant coach Mike Brown take over at this juncture leaves some uncertainty about how the team will manage without its conductor.
Because erasing the perception of vulnerability, even if it’s a hint, is all the Warriors had to play for until the Utah Jazz-Los Angeles Clippers series is decided.
No, Portland wasn’t a real threat, and the road gets tougher, obviously. But the remaining teams in their way will be watching film of a relentless and varied attack on both ends of the floor. They will have a visual of what the Warriors’ clicking looks like, and see the hopelessness on the face of Portland.
The blitz started at 11:14 with a Durant 3-pointer. Then a Thompson layup. Then a Green 3. Blazers coach Terry Stotts called a timeout at 10:34 to settle his troops. But when play resumed, a Green blocked led to a Thompson 3 followed by a Durant dunk. It was 14-0 before the arena was full.
After Evan Turner broke the ice for Portland with a three, the Warriors ran off eight straight points — a Curry 3, a three-point play by Zaza Pachulia, and a thunderous dunk from Durant — to take a 22-3 lead. It took 5 minutes, 12 seconds.
It was like a dam broke inside the Moda Center. Like a young Mike Tyson going for the knockout as soon as the opening bell dings. And the lasting images of this performance was sheer dominance. A 3-pointer by Curry that he didn’t bother watching splash the net. A JaVale McGee alley-oop from Draymond Green that tested Brown’s poker face. A crossover and tomahawk dunk from Durant.
At the end of the first quarter, the Warriors had 45 points on 25 shots. They made 8 of 11 from 3-point range and led by as much as 28. They could have scored 50 in the quarter if not for a 7-for-12 effort from the free throw line.
Damian Lillard, the only Blazers who seemed to want the series to continue, scored 16 points in the second quarter. He willed the Blazers back to respectability. But the third quarter, whatever suspense remained was terminated.
The Warriors put up 37 in the third quarter. Curry worked his magic in his favorite period to scored 16 points and extend the Warriors’ lead as high as 33.
After getting a run for their money most of the series, the Warriors’ backcourt tandem vanquished the Blazers’ stud duo. Lillard and C.J. McCollum were challenging the Splash Brothers’ throne as best backcourt in the league and looked like a worthy challenger while averaging 54 points combined in the first three games. Curry and Thompson averaged just shy of 46 points combined.
But in Game 4, Curry had 37 points — to go with eight assists and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. He nearly outscored the Blazers backcourt by himself. Lillard had 34 but McCollum finished with just six points on 2-for12 shooting. Thompson’s 18 points was just icing.
As it turned out, so was Green’s 21 points. And Durant’s 10. And Pachulia’s 11. The Warriors had 106 by the end of the third quarter.
They haven’t been all together for long, as even when Durant returned the Warriors rested a key player here and there. And if you count Kerr, they might not be all together for the rest of this playoff run.
But Game 4 was a glimpse into the possibilities. It was a peak into what might come as the playoffs continue. And it was quite the display.