Reactions: Warriors 103, Clippers 113

Golden State Warriors

103

113

Los Angeles Clippers

	David Lee, PF 28 MIN \| 8-13 FG \| 2-4 FT \| 10 REB \| 4 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 1 TO \| 18 PTS \| +1 It’s really not Lee’s fault that he can’t handle DeAndre Jordan in the post. Jordan is the bigger, more athletic big man and Lee is playing out of position. With that said, Lee (and the team) held court against Jordan in Game 4 when they essentially took him out of the game with their smaller, 4-out lineups. That was not the case in Game 5, when Jordan was back to catching lobs and jumping the highest to the tone of 18 rebounds. Lee got his standard double-double, but it was an empty one. The Warriors didn’t get the victory and Lee’s points were every bit as ugly as you can get. Now, any points are good points, but these weren’t the points that Lee likes to get. They were ugly points, points that were accounted for only after numerous attempts at post-ups or various other offensive sets that weren’t working. If Lee decided to shoot his jumper at all that would be incredibly beneficial to the team and the offensive spacing, but that doesn’t seem like an option now. Lee’s production was sorely needed on a night when Curry was incredibly off, but it wasn’t enough.
	Andre Iguodala, SF 42 MIN \| 7-15 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 8 REB \| 8 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 18 PTS \| -12 Iguodala stayed looking like the Andre of old on Wednesday, being slightly more aggressive on the offense end (though still not as aggressive as he did in the past), pushing it on fastbreak opportunities and running the offense with poise. He (quietly) nearly had a triple-double and only had two turnovers in 42 minutes. The Warriors offensive problem lie in not getting Curry in the right spots in the ability to have any consistent scoring in the low-post. Their best offense on Tuesday night were eiter off broken plays or early in the halfcourt before the Clippers could get set. If anything, Andre could attempt to drive by JJ Redick, who has been guarding him for a good amount of the series.
	Draymond Green, SF 27 MIN \| 3-8 FG \| 4-4 FT \| 11 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 10 PTS \| -5 The Warriors go as far as Draymond Green takes them. Alright, I’m only kidding (maybe). Green got called for two quick fouls not even two minutes into the game. Green’s absence paved the way for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to feast inside, combining for 43 points, 25 rebounds, 5 assists and only 3 turnovers. With Andrew Bogut sidelined, Green is needed inside. Bottom line. Lee has been dominated by Griffin this series and Jordan is too athletic for both Lee and Jermaine O’Neal to handle. Lee’s inability (or unwillingness) to hit the jump shot shrinks the floor, and with Green not out there to do the dirty work inside the Warriors are in huge trouble. The other downside to Green’s foul trouble: more minutes for Mo Speights, who has had a fine series up to this point but can’t be counted on for long stretches. Harrison Barnes was much more regular season Barnes than playoff Barnes, and the bench accounted for 19 measly points (Jamal Crawford had 19 points alone). This showed on Tuesday, and Green must stay in the game for this team to win. I don’t expect another bad game from Green this series, however long it ends up going.
	Stephen Curry, PG 44 MIN \| 5-10 FG \| 3-3 FT \| 3 REB \| 4 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 8 TO \| 17 PTS \| -5 Curry had more turnovers than made field goals, which pretty much sums up the night for the point-guard. The Clippers were blocking passing lanes, doubling every chance they could get and Chris Paul played sound defense throughout. Give the Clippers credit for doing what got them a 2-1 series lead just two games ago. Curry’s game was frustrating, mostly for his turnovers that has been a season long problem. They were deflating and even more detrimental to the team than his lack of shots taken. The fact the Warriors were even in the game with Curry only taking six shots into the 4Q was remarkable and a testament to their defense and the contributions of both Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson (the bench did nothing). Curry opted to pass to teammates instead of being aggressive with quick shots out of pick-and-rolls or when he found any sort of room out on the perimeter. Curry took zero shots inside the restricted area, which tells you the Clippers clogged the lane and had their way with him all night. It’s almost impossible for Curry to have another game of this porous magnitude again, but if he doesn’t become more selfish and his coach doesn’t put him in the best situations to take his shots and plays for his teammates, the Warriors season will end on Thursday.
	Klay Thompson, SG 45 MIN \| 9-17 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 5 REB \| 4 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 21 PTS \| -12 Thompson provided another quality game on both ends, as it was simply a matter of his teammates not contributing enough on either end to compliment his steady play. With the Clippers frontcourt dominating and the Warriors bench non-existent, the onus was put on Thompson and the starters to keep up. The Warriors did a great job despite the turnovers and free throw disparity, but there are no moral victories in the playoffs. The Warriors could’ve taken a commanding 3-2 series lead heading back into the best crowd in the league. Instead, they head back to Oracle hoping that’s not the final time they step foot on an NBA floor until next season. Thompson, once again guarding Paul, held him to 35% shooting with three of his shots being threes. Thompson was in foul trouble throughout, which limits his aggressiveness and frankly puts him at a disadvantage every time down the floor having to guard the incredibly active, floptastic Paul. The most consistent Warrior in these playoffs, Thompson has worked hard on both ends and delivered. Joe Lacob previously stated that they will re-sign Thompson at all costs, and he’s proving his worth on a nightly basis. He’s proven to be a quality two-way shooting guard in this league and will be the backcourt partner to Curry for years to come. For now, Thompson has to keep his head up high, pick his spots and continue his steady play on the defensive end. He’s been impressive.

Quote of the game:

“He knows he has to be better. The other night, he executed and was aggressive. Tonight, I thought he tried to thread the needle a little too much at times. … I feel good about Steph Curry and what he’s going to do as we move forward.” — Mark Jackson

Looking ahead: The Warriors season is on the line Thursday night back at Oracle Arena. If the Warriors extend their season, Game 7 is set for Saturday (TBD).

Your empty Stephen Curry shot chart of the night:

The jig:

Stephen Curry Looks At Scoreboard pic.twitter.com/e9pTW1PJEs

— 3030 (@jose3030) April 30, 2014

Your Blake Griffin slam of the night:

http://youtu.be/_IPbwV9uwcA

Your fight of the night:

Vine of the night:

I miss this guy:

Your moment of the day (and longer):

Tweets of the night:

Donald Sterling already think he slick pic.twitter.com/VeaOV7yES7 — JOHN BARR (@REALJOHNBARR) April 30, 2014

Jax says he has best shooting backcourt in history of basketball. Call his bluff – and ask him why they took fewer shots than his frontcourt — Fast Break (@GSWFastBreak) April 30, 2014

Winning in playoffs is about making adjustments. Rivers locked down Curry again. Warriors season now hangs on whether Jax can free him. — Fast Break (@GSWFastBreak) April 30, 2014

Follow @JRAM_91

	David Lee, PF 28 MIN \| 8-13 FG \| 2-4 FT \| 10 REB \| 4 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 1 TO \| 18 PTS \| +1 It’s really not Lee’s fault that he can’t handle DeAndre Jordan in the post. Jordan is the bigger, more athletic big man and Lee is playing out of position. With that said, Lee (and the team) held court against Jordan in Game 4 when they essentially took him out of the game with their smaller, 4-out lineups. That was not the case in Game 5, when Jordan was back to catching lobs and jumping the highest to the tone of 18 rebounds. Lee got his standard double-double, but it was an empty one. The Warriors didn’t get the victory and Lee’s points were every bit as ugly as you can get. Now, any points are good points, but these weren’t the points that Lee likes to get. They were ugly points, points that were accounted for only after numerous attempts at post-ups or various other offensive sets that weren’t working. If Lee decided to shoot his jumper at all that would be incredibly beneficial to the team and the offensive spacing, but that doesn’t seem like an option now. Lee’s production was sorely needed on a night when Curry was incredibly off, but it wasn’t enough.
	Andre Iguodala, SF 42 MIN \| 7-15 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 8 REB \| 8 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 18 PTS \| -12 Iguodala stayed looking like the Andre of old on Wednesday, being slightly more aggressive on the offense end (though still not as aggressive as he did in the past), pushing it on fastbreak opportunities and running the offense with poise. He (quietly) nearly had a triple-double and only had two turnovers in 42 minutes. The Warriors offensive problem lie in not getting Curry in the right spots in the ability to have any consistent scoring in the low-post. Their best offense on Tuesday night were eiter off broken plays or early in the halfcourt before the Clippers could get set. If anything, Andre could attempt to drive by JJ Redick, who has been guarding him for a good amount of the series.
	Draymond Green, SF 27 MIN \| 3-8 FG \| 4-4 FT \| 11 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 10 PTS \| -5 The Warriors go as far as Draymond Green takes them. Alright, I’m only kidding (maybe). Green got called for two quick fouls not even two minutes into the game. Green’s absence paved the way for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to feast inside, combining for 43 points, 25 rebounds, 5 assists and only 3 turnovers. With Andrew Bogut sidelined, Green is needed inside. Bottom line. Lee has been dominated by Griffin this series and Jordan is too athletic for both Lee and Jermaine O’Neal to handle. Lee’s inability (or unwillingness) to hit the jump shot shrinks the floor, and with Green not out there to do the dirty work inside the Warriors are in huge trouble. The other downside to Green’s foul trouble: more minutes for Mo Speights, who has had a fine series up to this point but can’t be counted on for long stretches. Harrison Barnes was much more regular season Barnes than playoff Barnes, and the bench accounted for 19 measly points (Jamal Crawford had 19 points alone). This showed on Tuesday, and Green must stay in the game for this team to win. I don’t expect another bad game from Green this series, however long it ends up going.
	Stephen Curry, PG 44 MIN \| 5-10 FG \| 3-3 FT \| 3 REB \| 4 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 8 TO \| 17 PTS \| -5 Curry had more turnovers than made field goals, which pretty much sums up the night for the point-guard. The Clippers were blocking passing lanes, doubling every chance they could get and Chris Paul played sound defense throughout. Give the Clippers credit for doing what got them a 2-1 series lead just two games ago. Curry’s game was frustrating, mostly for his turnovers that has been a season long problem. They were deflating and even more detrimental to the team than his lack of shots taken. The fact the Warriors were even in the game with Curry only taking six shots into the 4Q was remarkable and a testament to their defense and the contributions of both Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson (the bench did nothing). Curry opted to pass to teammates instead of being aggressive with quick shots out of pick-and-rolls or when he found any sort of room out on the perimeter. Curry took zero shots inside the restricted area, which tells you the Clippers clogged the lane and had their way with him all night. It’s almost impossible for Curry to have another game of this porous magnitude again, but if he doesn’t become more selfish and his coach doesn’t put him in the best situations to take his shots and plays for his teammates, the Warriors season will end on Thursday.
	Klay Thompson, SG 45 MIN \| 9-17 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 5 REB \| 4 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 21 PTS \| -12 Thompson provided another quality game on both ends, as it was simply a matter of his teammates not contributing enough on either end to compliment his steady play. With the Clippers frontcourt dominating and the Warriors bench non-existent, the onus was put on Thompson and the starters to keep up. The Warriors did a great job despite the turnovers and free throw disparity, but there are no moral victories in the playoffs. The Warriors could’ve taken a commanding 3-2 series lead heading back into the best crowd in the league. Instead, they head back to Oracle hoping that’s not the final time they step foot on an NBA floor until next season. Thompson, once again guarding Paul, held him to 35% shooting with three of his shots being threes. Thompson was in foul trouble throughout, which limits his aggressiveness and frankly puts him at a disadvantage every time down the floor having to guard the incredibly active, floptastic Paul. The most consistent Warrior in these playoffs, Thompson has worked hard on both ends and delivered. Joe Lacob previously stated that they will re-sign Thompson at all costs, and he’s proving his worth on a nightly basis. He’s proven to be a quality two-way shooting guard in this league and will be the backcourt partner to Curry for years to come. For now, Thompson has to keep his head up high, pick his spots and continue his steady play on the defensive end. He’s been impressive.