The Warriors just acquired the tattooed ghost of Matt Barnes to help pick up some of the scoring slack, but to think that Barnes is a suitable sub for Durant is extremely irrational. Those memories still haunt Warriors fans.
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The Spurs made it 50 victories for a record 18th straight campaign, rallying past the Sacramento Kings 114-104 on Wednesday.
Since Kevin Durant went down, the Warriors have lost three out of five games, and seen their offense grind to a halt and their lead over the Spurs drop to 1.5 games. Andre Iguodala and S. Curry have added 24 Points each as the highest in the last game against Hawks, while Thompson is the second Starter who scored 13 against Hawks. It missed, leading to Curry garnering a 2:0 turnover-to-made shot ratio and a plus-minus rating of -12 for the quarter.
The Warriors came back with five points, but the Celts then pulled off a possession that lasted a minute and eight seconds. Then there was the sequence in which Boston, the 27th-ranked team in the league in rebound percentage, outhustled the Warriors for consecutive offensive rebounds while playing a bit of keep-away that ensured the Warriors would not rally back into the game.
In a back-and-forth game, the Warriors twice seemed to steady themselves with quarter-closing statements.
It’s not just that the Celtics beat the Golden State Warriors earlier this week, it’s how they beat them: with stifling defense down the stretch.
Curry had 23 points, and Thompson 25 as the Warriors’ 10-game home winning streak was snapped – almost a year after Boston ended a 54-game home win streak for the Warriors.
It’s easy to diagnose the problem. The Celtics have great chemistry, and Isaiah Thomas himself will tell you they can make it work.
Considering this reaction and Curry’s usually jovial on-court personality, most assumed Brown was asking for it. But it doesn’t excuse the James Michael McAdoo insertion and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green’s absence in crunchtime. While trying to steal a few minutes rest for Thompson and Green, Kerr loaded up the line-up with all of his other potential three-point threats. The Warriors are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings and the under is 21-7 in the last 28 meetings.
This trio of All-Defensive Team-caliber defenders make creating a shot a formidable burden for Golden State’s dynamic duo, consistently staying in their grill while forcing them into a plethora of uncomfortable positions. Bradley zoomed around the court making plays. It’s harder when you’re short on pieces.
“I know every guy in that locker room wants to play”, Curry said.
Programming note: Warriors-Celtics coverage starts tonight at 6:30pm with Warriors Pregame Live on CSN Bay Area, and streaming live right here.
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With these two franchises being the past two National Basketball Association champions, the National Basketball Association appears to be in the worst state it has ever been in.
