Curry, Durant put exclamation points on a dominant Warriors first half (Video)
A Kevin Durant jam and Stephen Curry buzzer-beater were the perfect exclamation points to the dominant Warriors first half
The Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Of course, that was a year ago and those jokes are old at this point. And on Monday night as the Warriors and Cavaliers squared off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, they built a first half lead that there’s no way they were going to be able to lose.
Behind a strong all-around effort from the stacked Warriors roster, Golden State put up 78 points in two quarters on the defending NBA champs. They couldn’t be stopped. However, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant really hammered home just how forceful this team was in the first half.
After the Warriors disrupted the Cavaliers’ passing lanes, Durant broke down on the break on the left side of the floor. When he got the ball, there were two Cleveland defenders back to try and keep him at bay. The effort was all for naught, though, as KD simply used his stride and length to blow right by them and slam home an emphatic jam:
As if that wasn’t adding insult to injury enough, the Warriors kept piling it on. The Warriors got a big stop on the defensive end and then got out on the break again with only seconds remaining. Curry led the break, but then almost turned the ball over as his pass was batted away. Instead, Durant grabbed the loose ball, Steph flashed to the right wing to take Durant’s pass and then nailed a triple at the buzzer:
Putting 80 up on one of the best teams in the NBA in a single half is impressive in itself. However, it’s just plain bully-ball when you get to 78 on plays like this to finish the second quarter.
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There have certainly been some growing pains throughout this Warriors season as this team still learns to gel. When you see them at their peak (like on Monday night) though, it truly looks like there’s not another team in the NBA that can even come close to hanging with them.