Stopping the Golden State Warriors is a little like putting a sweater on an octopus. You’re always going to have a couple of tentacles unaccounted for.
Last night it was Shaun Livingston who refused to go where the Houston Rockets wanted him to. He scored 16 first-half points, more than he had ever scored in a half in his career, and every single one was desperately needed by a Warrior team that found itself trailing by that same number in the second quarter.
Wait, maybe it was Draymond Green, who came within two assists of a triple-double and held his own against Dwight Howard in the low post? Or Harrison Barnes, who scored half of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and was +14 for the game?
Oh, yeah, maybe it was Steph Curry, who scored 34 points, had six rebounds and five assists. Almost forgot about that guy.
With the Warriors, it’s almost always Curry, but trying to guess who the other “box-score fillers” are going to be can be a challenge. Just in the 11 playoff games they’ve played thus far, Golden State has had meaningful contributions from 11 players. With Marreese Speights out due to injury, Steve Kerr has been reduced to using 10, but all have had their moments.
You could imagine what Kevin McHale’s “to-do” list looked like Tuesday afternoon before the game:
1) Get off to a good start, take the crowd out of the game. ☑ (check)
2) Have James Harden get everyone else involved early. ☑
2b) When Harden is done getting everyone else involved, have him hit a few closely contested shots and finish around 30 points. ☑
3) Move the ball — get like 25 assists or so. ☑
4) If we give up an early lead, don’t give up. ☑
5) Get solid contributions from Trevor Ariza and Josh Smith ☑
6) Get a solid contribution from Dwight Howard. (WHOOPS!)
I don’t mean to make light of the Howard situation. What was originally called a “bruised knee” looked a lot more serious than that when I saw the injury on multiple replays. That was the kind of play you see in football that can end a season for an offensive lineman. Howard returned to the game, but was ineffective, and was on the floor while the Warriors made a 14-2 run in the late second quarter to make it a ballgame again. It’s hard not to look at Tuesday night’s game and think that the only chance the Rockets have in this series will be to use a healthy Howard to force the Warriors out of the small lineup they used in Game 1.
Still, you’d have to think that if McHale knew he would be able to check five of those six items off at the end of the night, he’d feel pretty good about his chances. Instead, he not only lost, but his team trailed by 11 with two minutes to go. The Warriors still need to work on their “closing out games” thing, but they got the ball into Curry’s hands twice when it mattered most.
I still think Houston can make this a series, but I recognize that the balance and depth of the Golden State squad creates a huge challenge, and McHale and his staff need to come up with a creative way to win some games.
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A few other notes from Game 1:
I mentioned in my pre-series column that I felt the Rockets had a secret weapon in Pablo Prigioni. He really impressed me in the Clippers series, and while I haven’t seen that much of him (that’s why he’s a secret!), one thing you notice right away is his motor. Tuesday, he was one of only two Rockets with a positive +/- number, and he was +10!
Think about that for a second. His team loses by just four points, and one guy is +10, Ariza was +1, and every other player on the roster is in the minus. Now, he turned 38 this week, but it seems like the Rockets might want to give Prigioni a little more than the 15 minutes he got last night.
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The Warriors’ recent trend of falling behind early in games may be disconcerting to their fans, but the players seem completely okay with it. Their confidence that everything is going to work out fine is palpable, and I believe it starts with a fantastic coaching staff; moves through Curry to Green, Iguadala and Bogut; and it continues from there to the rest of the players. Still, Game 1 is the sixth time in 11 playoff games in which they’ve trailed by at least 13 points, and they are 4-2 in those games. It bears keeping an eye on, I think.
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I was impressed last night with the way Klay Thompson stopped shooting jumpers and started to drive and either finish or dish. He has been stubborn with his shot in the past, and it was good to see him try to find another way to contribute.
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Did you happen to see Draymond Green sitting comfortably on the ESPN SportsCenter desk during the post-game show? He looked supremely comfortable, and showed that he definitely has a future in that line of work once he’s done playing. Shaq, Kenny and Charles are lucky they just renewed those TNT contracts, but Green could be ready to jump in there in ten years.
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I can’t help myself — I’ve got to weigh in on the latest NBA drama, “Preschoolers at the Podium.”
I get that everyone was amused and charmed by little Riley Curry last night, but I have to say I agree more with Brian Windhorst on this than I disagree. I even agree with Skip Bayless, which is absolutely a cause for alarm. That’s a work space for people, and no matter how cute a kid is, or how many people think she’s cute, there are people trying to do their jobs. Anyone who saw that “interview” knows that Curry was distracted throughout, and did not give the same answers he might have under normal circumstances.
Is that the end of the world? No, not if this is the only time it happens, but it can’t become a “thing.” Nobody needs to make a rule, though. I’m sure the Warriors have asked him by now to fly solo on the podium in the future, and I think that’s a good thing.
I have this to say to the many media people who have taken this opportunity to complain about postgame press conferences in general. If you don’t get anything good from them, ask better questions. If you just ask players and coached to “talk about” something, then you’re going to get a vague comment that won’t do you any good.
