Disaster struck at the end of the first half in Game 4 at Houston. Stephen Curry, while defending Trevor Ariza in the waning seconds of the second quarter, lost his footing on a wet spot on the floor and sprained his right knee in an awkward legs-split-in-odd-angles slide to the ground. The injury shelved the MVP for the remainder of the contest, but without his services, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were able to lead a 3-point-heavy offensive attack to easily dismantle the Rockets in a 27-point laugher.
Curry will be reevaluated in Oakland on Monday. The result could either be a major sigh of relief for fans of the NBA’s brightest star, or a sobering reality check that a dream season can turn into a nightmare in the blink of an eye, or in this case, the slip of a foot.
Here are 10 thoughts on the victory and the loss:
1. The Warriors’ magical season, one that saw them win 73 games after a championship run, will come down to the results of an MRI on Monday. Curry is likely done for the rest of this series, and should he miss even more time, Golden State’s odds of claiming back-to-back championships with the Clippers, Spurs, Thunder and Cavs still looming, may have come crashing down in one split-second in Houston. That’s what makes consecutive titles so hard, even if you have all the talent and coaching and experience and smarts, it still comes down to some luck. Injuries can happen in an instant and one sweaty patch on the floor can derail an entire year’s worth of effort. Here’s hoping Steph will be back … and soon.
2. It’s hard to focus on the granular points of this game when so much hinges on the outcome of that MRI, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the brilliant half of basketball the Warriors displayed sans the MVP. Without Curry to lead the offensive charge, the Warriors got back to basics, playing relentless, stifling defense on one end and running out on Rocket misses on the other. Klay was more patient in Game 4, willing to wait for catch-and-shoot opportunities instead of forcing transition threes like in Game 3. And Draymond was back to his usual Swiss Army-knife self, playing solid D, knocking down jumpers (4-of-6 threes), and finding open guys for easy scores (6 assists). Gone were the risky full-court passes and in its place was a more disciplined, patient Warriors attack. Klay and Draymond combined for 25 points and seven made threes in the decisive third quarter.
3. On the other hand, while the Warriors were running and gunning, displaying heart and resiliency after watching their MVP crumple to the floor, the Rockets looked as if they were thinking more about vacation plans than mounting a comeback. They stopped running back in transition, allowing Andre Iguodala to dunk unencumbered and Mo Speights to complete a touch down pass. The offense stood around and watched James Harden dribble the ball. And Dwight Howard picked up another technical foul while battling with Livingston. You’d think it was Houston that was down their best player instead of being the home team with a golden opportunity to tie a series and perhaps force an upset. The third quarter was basically 12 minutes of that quizzical, somber “celebration” Vine.
4. Andre Iguodala provided an unexpected offensive spark off the bench with a season-high 22 points on only 11 shots. With Steph out, the Warriors are going to need a bit more than his seven points per game average. Dre doesn’t have to all of a suddenly become Steph on offense, but if he can score like in this game, off open threes, mid-range jumpers and run outs on transition, the Dubs will be better able to weather the occasional scoring drought.
5. My expectations for Harrison Barnes on offense has come down to this: If you told me HB could get 12 points and 4 rebounds on 4-of-11 shooting every game in the rest of the playoffs, I’d take it in a heartbeat.
6. There’s a reason coaches like Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr play their entire roster: you never know when you’ll have to call on a guy. Ian Clark is about to play some key rotation minutes for the Dubs. While I still don’t trust his ball handling and passing against pressure, as long as Kerr pairs him with a primary ball handler like Iguodala or Livingston, his knack for scoring should be able to cover up some his limitations. After a stellar Game 3, Clark was good for a 5-2-2-1 line in 13 minutes.
7. Here’s your 2014-2015 NBPA Players Awards MVP!
8. Steve Kerr went with James MacAdoo over Festus and Mo as the first big off the bench. That seemed like an odd choice given Mo’s offensive explosion from the game before and Ezeli’s ability to match Howard’s athleticism. The Rockets went on a 12-2 run in Mac’s minutes to close out the half.
9. If you want to play internet doctor, here’s a video of Steph limping out of the locker room.
10. Damian Lillard can do his hometown a solid by beating the Clips a couple more times. Steph’s knee (and my heart) could use the time to heal.