NBA Week 17 Rewind: Warriors, Spurs are only human

The Key Games and Results of Week 17

Before we get to the Clippers’ remarkable (albeit short-lived) comeback against the Warriors, they really proved themselves against the Spurs. Yes, the latter didn’t have Kawhi Leonard, but seeing as the Clippers were still missing Blake Griffin, neither team was at full strength.

When it comes down to those that follow the stars, though, there’s no doubt that the Spurs come out on top in a comparison based on depth, second unit play and overall ability. That’s why they rank 2nd in the West behind the Spurs with a 46-9 record.

In the first half of Thursday’s matchup against the Clippers, though, they were simply off their game. Players were missing wide open shots, they lost the ball far too much early on, and even Cole Aldrich was effective in the paint with a trusty hook shot (finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 20 minutes). After the first two quarters, the Spurs trailed by eight after amassing a measly total of 34 points.

In the second half the Spurs improved, although they still couldn’t keep up as Paul dictated the pace and created for his teammates with 26 points in the final two periods alone (finishing with 28 points on 50 percent shooting, 12 assists and five rebounds). San Antonio kept relatively close, though, as the bench stepped up in an attempt to make up for the absence of Leonard.

Yet, as LaMarcus Aldridge shot 3-of-12, Danny Green shot 2-of-9 and Tim Duncan shot 1-of-6, the Spurs’ 42.2 percent shooting held them back before the Clippers went on a late surge to claim a strong win.

No Kawhi aside, the Spurs looked outmatched in this instance by a smaller, fast-paced Clippers team with a clinical CP3 handling anything the rest of his opponent’s defense could throw at him with ease.

This night was all about Damian Lillard and his career-high 51 points and nine three-pointers. The Warriors starters weren’t even too off-beat, as in terms of efficiency both Stephen Curry (31 points, 12-of-23 shooting, seven threes) and Klay Thompson (23 points, 8-of-16 shooting) delivered in typical Splash Brothers fashion. The problem was the Warriors’ bench, who went a mere 8-of-39 from the floor.

They led to an uncharacteristic 39.1 percent shooting night for the NBA’s best offense, meanwhile Lillard didn’t slow down for a second.

In addition to his scoring barrage that continued throughout the night with 32 points in the second half alone, Lillard added seven assists and six steals. He pushed the pace, find his shot inside and out, and Curry simply couldn’t stop him. Well, no one could stop him for that matter.

The pace was high all night, which usually favors the Warriors, especially when they go to their unstoppable lineup with Draymond Green at center. On a night of Lillard at his determined best, though, the Warriors never gained a lead of more than two points after the Blazers took over with a 42-point first quarter. It served as a reminder to the champs that no team can be overlooked when you’re on cruise control to the Finals.

As the return to NBA action after the All-Star break and trade deadline started with some enthralling matchups, the Warriors taking on the Clippers was easily a highlight of a short week 17. Their contests are always close, always heated, and fuelled by a general distaste between the players from opposing sides. While both teams were playing with depleted frontcourts (no Blake Griffin for L.A. and no Andrew Bogut or Festus Ezeli for Golden State), this game was no different to the rest of their history.

Given the Warriors and their 49-5 record, this game started as you’d expect; with the defending champions taking a quick lead and maintaining a positive margin of around 10 points for most of the first half. The Clippers stayed close thanks to the likes of Chris Paul and a switched-on Jamal Crawford, but the Warriors’ ball movement was as clinical as ever, while their depth made up for Stephen Curry’s cool night (23 points on 5-of-15 shooting).

Late in the third quarter, though, the Clippers started coming back. Crawford had one of his heat-check nights, as he pulled off wild shots all over the court with a four-point play, a 30-foot three and a wild falling scoop shot from 15 feet.

He still wasn’t enough to completely close the gap, though. The Clippers kept hanging around but the Warriors maintained a solid lead through most of the fourth. Then the last two minutes and 30 seconds happened. At this point, the Clippers were still down 16 after a ferocious Andre Iguodala put-back dunk.

That was until Pablo Prigioni came out of nowhere to spark new life into L.A. After C.J. Wilcox of all people buried two threes, Prigioni pulled off his signature move as he stole an inbounds pass before eventually knocking down a three for himself. 10 seconds later Wesley Johnson came up with a steal, pushed the ball downcourt, and Prigioni sunk another three to cut the score to 115-112.

Unbelievably, Johnson came up with another steal off an inbounds play with five seconds left and Wilcox hoisted up an ill-advised three from near half-court, rather than passing to a wide open Jeff Green with three seconds left on the clock.

The Warriors played better all night and deserved to win. Draymond Green even had a triple-double (18 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) to make up for Curry’s slow night. Yet, as the Clippers kept their persistency with Paul at the helm, the Warriors’ mental lapse at the end almost cost them. After all, they’re only human like the rest of us. Even near-perfect teams have imperfect moments.

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