The Golden State Warriors’ 118-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals could easily be placed in the “Really Not That Close” catagory. After all, the Dubs took a 20-point lead into the second quarter and never led by fewer than nine points the rest of the way.
Klay Thompson was brilliant, hitting seven 3-pointers for the third straight playoff game (an NBA record). He was also effective in getting to the basket, which allowed him to finish with 37 points. Draymond Green might have been even better, notching his third career playoff triple-double (including 23 points) and playing stifling defense all over the floor. Andrew Bogut, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala and even Harrison Barnes (10 points, 12 boards) made major contributions.
Yet, Game 1 can be seen through a lens that is not as rosy for the defending champions.
The Warriors were sitting around waiting for the Blazers, and hadn’t played since Wednesday night. That game against Houston was at home, so they hadn’t been on a plane since the previous Sunday night after Game 4 versus the Rockets. The Blazers, on the other hand, played Monday night at home, flew to L.A. to play the Clippers on Wednesday night, flew back to Portland to play on Friday night, and then flew to Oakland for a Sunday 12:30 tip, about 38 hours after Game 6 ended against the Clippers.
It’s no wonder that they Blazers got their doors blown off in the first quarter.
What is amazing to me, though, is that a young team like that was able to collect itself and steady the ship in the second quarter. Portland’s bench played extremely well in the second, cutting into its massive deficit against the Warriors’ vaunted reserves.
What was particularly impressive was how the Blazers repeatedly responded to Golden State’s assortment of jabs. They first cut the 20-point deficit to 11; then the Warriors got it back to 16; the Blazers reduced that margin to 10 with about four minutes to go in the first half; and then the teams traded baskets for a while, with the Warriors getting a 2-pointer from Thompson after a three-quarter-court pass from Green with 2 seconds to go to create a 14-point margin (65-51) at the half.
The third quarter didn’t go well for Portland, as its starting backcourt struggled to score. The Warriors used defensive rebounds as a launching point for a devastating transition game. With four minutes to go in the quarter the lead stood at 26, and the party was in full swing in Oracle Arena.
Someone forgot to tell the Blazers.
Portland made five of its last six shots of the quarter, and with the help of a few free throws, cut the deficit to 20 entering the fourth before losing by only 12.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the game was in doubt for the Warriors with a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, I’m just saying that when Brian Roberts, Allen Crabbe and Ed Davis can seemingly score at will, something needs shoring up for Golden State. It’s extremely unlikely that Damian Lillard (8-for-26) and C.J. McCollum (5-for-17) will struggle as mightily in future games, and if they score more while the Portland bench has similar success relative to Game 1, the Warriors could have a problem on their hands.
As it was, the Blazers scored 33 points on the Warriors in the fourth quarter, and Thompson, Green and Iguodala were on the floor for much of it. Green and Thompson each played 37 minutes in Game 1, and you had to be thinking after the first quarter that they wouldn’t have to push that hard.
In summary, I think this is another game where both teams got what they needed, but not what they wanted. The Warriors needed to win, which they did, without a huge amount of stress, but they allowed the Blazers to consistently make runs, giving the young team confidence which should help the No. 5 seed as the series goes on. To that extent, Golden State didn’t quite attain what it wanted.
The Blazers, on the other hand, wanted to win, but they didn’t really need to. They still have a chance to get a game in Oakland, and they’ll have 52 hours between games (and no plane flights) rather than 38. They needed to show they belonged on the floor with the champs, and after the first 12 minutes, they accomplished that.
In Game 2, however, the Blazers’ agenda completely changes.
This is no longer about showing they belong, it’s about winning. The underdog absolutely has to win Game 2 to have a chance in this series. The Trail Blazers need to win one in Oakland, and it’s extremely likely that Game 2 will be the last one in Oracle without a Steph Curry appearance. Game 5 is a week from Wednesday, and all signs point to Curry being available for the Warriors. A loss in Game 2 means the Blazers must go home to fight for their lives, needing to be letter-perfect just to survive. A win means they will go home with a chance to take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series.
Another benefit of a Game 2 victory for Portland is that it would place a not-so-subtle form of pressure on the Warriors to get Curry back in action. It’s easy to keep him out as long as the wins pile up. Right now the Warriors seem to be targeting Game 3 or 4 for a return, but if he’s not ready to do that, Portland can make hay in the meantime.
NBA Twitter spent a lot of time during the first quarter of Game 1 drawing comparisons to the OKC-SAS series game 1 from Saturday night. I don’t think the analogy works at all, The Thunder are a veteran bunch who know the Spurs very well, and their lack of readiness for the most important game of their season was shocking. The Blazers are a young team nobody expected to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season, let alone the second round, and they were playing on short rest to boot. I felt even during that first quarter that they would have a chance to right their ship and make some noise in the series, and nothing which happened over the final three quarters gave me any reason to adjust my view.
All in all, I thought it was a very impressive first game for both teams, but I think Portland gained more with its loss than the Warriors did with their win.
I can’t wait for Tuesday night.
