The clash between the NBA’s two top teams went as no one expected in week 14, as the Golden State Warriors took their dominance to an even greater level.
We’re only just past the halfway point of the 2015-16 NBA season and last week was by no means an indication of the San Antonio Spurs’ potential. That being said, week 14 was the first time in weeks they haven’t looked like a completely dominant and controlling force. The absence of Tim Duncan aside, their startling 120-90 loss to the Golden State Warriors and 117-103 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers put a damper on the latter part of January.
Then, another unthinkable shock nearly occurred: the Warriors barely beat the Philadelphia 76ers last week. They scraped past, 108-105, thanks to a three-pointer from Harrison Barnes with 0.2 seconds left. They should have won easily, but hurt themselves with a mere two free throw attempts and 23 turnovers, which goes to show that all great teams have off nights.
Randomness aside, the Warriors still made a statement last week. We’ll get onto their win against the Spurs in more detail shortly, but even if Tim Duncan somehow halved the deficit, Golden State would still have made it look easy that night.
Again, it’s only one game and it’s important not to overreact, yet it still gave us a sign of how good they can be at their best — especially against their toughest competitor so far.
We also saw the Cavaliers step up from their recent underwhelming play, when they got their first statement win under new head coach Tyronn Lue.
Simply put, week 14 was one of the best we’ve had this season, so let’s get straight to it.
If you’re new to the Rewind series, here are the segments featured:
- The key games and results of the week
- Who’s heating up?
- Who’s struggling?
- The best highlights of the week
- A weekly rookie watch
- Under-the-radar players to look out for
Let’s begin.
Next: The Key Games and Results of Week 14