00:45.1:
Monty Williams emerges from the timeout with the super switchy lineup of Brow, Pondexter, Holiday, Evans, and Cunningham.
-The Pelicans’ malleable lineup blows up Kerr’s play, resulting in a missed finger-roll from Klay, missed put-back by Draymond, missed wide open three by Barnes, and 2 free-throws for Livingston who is fouled on a put-back. Livingston (a 71.4% FT shooter) hits 1 of 2.
The missed corner three from Barnes was the most surprisingly part of all of this. This season he shot
58.5% on right corner threes, and this one was in rhyme and wide open.
The camera cuts to Seth Curry who is chewing his finger nails. Is there any sports family more endearing the Currys? Seriously, they deserve an ESPY award or something.
00:21.3 (down 3)
-Draymond almost recovers Livingston’s miss on the 2nd free throw, but can’t quite save it. On the other end the Warriors foul Jrue Holiday (85.5% FT shooter), who hits both free throws.
To almost save Livingston’s missed free-throw Draymond absolutely beasted Anthony Davis. Draymond would end the series with a gargantuan +77 overall plus-minus. Incredible.
00:17.4 (down 5):
-Speights checks into the game for Livingston for this vital play. After setting back screens for Speights and Klay, Curry receives a pass from Draymond. Curry pump-fakes Holiday, and bottoms a three-pointer.
The return of Speights seemed highly questionable at the time. Speights had a disastrous 3rd quarter, in which he was literately blocked 5 times. Yet, Kerr still had faith in him. Long live Mo Buckets.
00:11.8 (down 2):
-On the ensuring inbounds play the Warriors foul Anthony Davis; unfortunately, the foul is called a second late costing the Warriors valuable time. As “MVP” chants rain from the rafters Davis, an 80.5% free throw shooter, only makes 1 of 2.
Credit to Mo Buckets for flailing his arms on the Warriors bench while Davis shot his 1st free throw – the defensive technique of distraction surely taught to him by basketball genius and Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams.
The moment we’ll never forget. But first, the camera quickly cuts to Dell Curry who seems to be sporting the same hair streak as Dennis Schröder of the Atlanta Hawks. Or is Schröder encroaching on Dell’s swag? Since we’ve got a whole week off to ponder this, back to the action! This is what transpired next…
-New Orleans returns with their super switchy lineup. Draymond is trusted with inbounding the ball, but must inbound it over the 6’11” wingspan of Dante Cunningham. Kerr’s play begins with Klay on the near side block, and Speights, Barnes, and Curry staggered in that order on the opposite side. Curry sprints off screens by Barnes and Speights but doesn’t shake Pondexter who simply trails him on the screens. Curry catches Draymond’s pass with incredible momentum driving him to the baseline.
-Pause: If New Orleans wanted to foul (as Monty Williams would claim after the game), this is the time. Yet, there appears to be a lack of urgency. Monty Williams is calmly sitting down not making any motions to foul. Over the next 7 seconds the Pelicans won’t make a real attempt to intentionally foul. If Williams told them to foul he surely did it during the timeout, but I still find the lack of initiative odd.
-Curry up-fakes, dribbles right, and heaves a three. Fortunately he misses, for his foot was on the line. Performing his greatest impersonation of Chris Bosh during the 2013 Finals, Speights (a brilliant substitution by Kerr!) sprints from the opposite elbow to the near side block, and corals the rebound. Who was supposed to box out Speights? Anthony Davis.
-Speights calmly takes one dribble, flips the ball to Curry, and sets a natural screen on Curry’s defender, Pondexter. I typically don’t associate Mo Buckets with words like poised and composed, 
but wow was he those things during this play.
-Curry launches a corner three over the two-man flying close-out of Anthony Davis and Tyreke Evans. This season Curry shot (an absurd) 63.2% on left-corner threes, but this wasn’t an ordinary three. Not only did Curry shoot the three over a man with a 9’0” standing reach (Davis), but he got clobbered by Davis after the shot (the NBA would later release an officiating report confirming that a foul should have been called). And oh by the way, multiple camera angles showed Curry’s eyes closed on his release.
-CURRY HITS THE THREE!
A recap of the announcing calls/celebrations this three induced…
- Bob Fitzgerald: “Speights to Steph in the corner, goooooooood!”
- Tim Roye: “Curry in the corner shoots, on the way, got it!”
- TNT’s Steve Smith: “Nothing wrong with that shot by Steph Curry.” Expert analysis right there!
- Warriors Celebrations: Speights goes with the underhand Bogut like flex. Draymond throws both hands in the air. Barnes hits ’em with the double fist up to the sky. Even Klay, who can approach Kawhi Leonard levels of non-emotion, did a mini-jump one handed fist-pump.
- Dell and Seth Curry perform their own version of the “hold me back” celebration so many NBA benches consider their signature.
- Curry to KNBR after the game on being fouled by Davis: “Drew Brees was sitting courtside underneath their basket, and I don’t know if he’s been sacked like that one.“
Here’s my favorite video of the shot…
00:02.8 (TIED UP)
-Klay, Draymond, and Barnes combine to force Tyreke Evans into a tough shot, and he misses the possible game winner.
We just witnessed the 2nd largest comeback in the history of the playoffs.
00:00 Warriors 108, Pelicans 108
Overtime would feature clutch threes by Curry and Barnes, more inept coaching from Monty Williams (who with 20 seconds left cost the Pelicans 10 valuable seconds by not realizing they had to foul), a preposterous off-the-ball foul call on Klay which resulted in a Pelicans free throw and the ball, and Bogut effectively ending the Pelicans’ season by stopping Davis on a shot that could have tied the game.
Game Over, Warriors win by 4
I’ll never forgot those final 6 minutes of regulation, and I know you (Dub Nation) will never forget either. I just spent more than 2,200 words attempting to relive the experience, yet I’m still not totally sure how that comeback happened. What I do know is that this Warriors team is genuinely special. Rest up Warriors fans, it’s only going to get tougher, more exciting, and more rewarding from here.
I’d also like to thank Quincy Pondexter for his 3rd quarter technical foul. I guess that 1 point did matter after all.
Credit to Sam Esfandiari’s Twitter account, where I first witnessed this priceless photo.
AD gives a cursory, left-arm-only “boxout” on Mo. With his height and length, Davis has probably gotten away with lacking rebounding fundamentals his entire life and doesn’t put a body on Mo, who just runs right past him. Pretty weak for a top-5 player on the biggest play of his young career. (and GREAT hands by Mo)
When Curry’s first shot went up, Pondexter was ball-watching and completely lost contact with Curry. When Mo got the rebound, Pondexter amazingly hesitated for a second and then turned to cover Curry, but Curry had already run to the corner and is no longer standing there. Pondexter must have dirtied his diaper when he realized he had no idea where Curry was.
I did get some enjoyment out of seeing the crowd celebrating and ready to party when this comeback began, having no idea that their beloved team was about to have a collapse of historic proportions. Does that make me a bad person?