NBA Week 22 Rewind: 73 wins looks likely for Warriors now

The Key Games and Results of Week 22

The Hornets entered their matchup against the Spurs as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, shooting up the Eastern Conference rankings after winning 17 of their previous 23 games. Strong leadership from head coach Steve Clifford, a balanced offensive attack and organized, high-effort defense has made them one of the top dark horses with sound play at both ends of the floor.

However, with an ice-cold seven points in the first 12 minutes, the Hornets had the worst quarter of any team this season. It did no more than give the Spurs a 28-7 lead entering the second period, making the game look like an easy blowout for San Antonio as they came in fresh off a win over none other than the Warriors.

The Hornets and Linsanity wouldn’t be counted out that fast, though. As their offense heated up, their defense found some composure and the Spurs’ efficiency (both shooting and maintaining the ball dropped), the Hornets mounted a gradual and startling comeback.

They claimed the second quarter 29-23, still leaving spectators with no real expectation that the biggest comeback to defeat the Spurs in the entire Tim Duncan era would be on the way. How wrong they would be to think otherwise, though.

In the third, Linsanity arrived in full force, dropping 10 points in the quarter alone as the Hornets rallied with their typical energy to win the period 31-21. Lin got hot and started playing with real aggression, making his shots from range, burying off-balance jumpers inside the arc, and attacking the rim with confidence. Through the fourth quarter, he kept it going as the Hornets held back the Spurs’ offense again, winning the final period 24-16 as they edged into the lead.

After the Spurs had some uncharacteristic mistakes, allowing 18 points off their 16 turnovers and failing to come up with key scores late, Courtney Lee stole their final inbounds play with 0.4 seconds left like a falling cornerback to end the game. And with that, the Hornets actually pulled off the biggest comeback since Tim Duncan arrived in 1997.

Of course, this game is an indication of how the Spurs are human no matter how many years they roll along, and that a tough win over the Warriors likely wore them out. Nevertheless, this game also proved just how good the Hornets can be and how they should make any team in the playoffs nervous.

With Andrew Bogut in action and the consequent return to their typical starting lineup, the Warriors took care of the Clippers in the fashion that NBA fans have grown accustomed to. After a slow start as their shooters warmed up, no doubt shaking off the similar shackles that had held Stephen Curry to 10-of-35 shooting in the two previous games, Golden State’s roaring Oracle Arena increased in volume as the night went on.

With DeAndre Jordan’s commanding presence in the paint, deterring shots left and right and grabbing nine rebounds in the first quarter alone, the Clippers were able to take a 28-23 lead after the first quarter. Chris Paul couldn’t find his shot, but created well for others, orchestrating his way through the Warriors’ defense in a battle against the show-stopping MVP who’s taken his place as the top point guard in the NBA.

The Warriors struggled inside against Jordan’s ability to cut off drives to the lane and remained close for most of the first half, with the Clippers’ bench even hanging on surprisingly well in a fashion that they rarely have as of late.

Jeff Green added nine first quarter points, Austin Rivers found a little success with floaters and drives (finishing the game with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting), and Jamal Crawford hit a couple of the wild off-dribble shots he started making long before Curry started giving the world a masterclass.

At the half, the Warriors came back and entered the break up 51-49.

The Clippers kept hanging around, though, following some dry spells from the Warriors and capitalizing off Jordan’s aerial presence in pick-and-rolls as he finished the night with 19 points and 20 rebounds. As Curry kept firing en route to 33 points, he and his fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson sparked their team into the lead. Thompson fired back-to-back threes mid way through the third quarter to push the lead back to double digits, and never missed a beat all night as he tallied 32 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three.

Paul buried a jumping, three-point floater at the third quarter buzzer, cutting the lead to 81-72 in favor of the champs, and besides a 7-0 run from the Clippers in the fourth, the Warriors remained in control. Thompson buried seven straight points half way through the quarter, the Clippers’ switching defense couldn’t keep up with attacks to the basket or the heating up Splash Brothers, and the Warriors’ keep the pace to claim the fourth 33-26.

The Clippers kept Golden State focussed, but they couldn’t match the relentless tempo of the champs as they were forced to go small, having no Blake Griffin to diversify an attack that relied far too heavily on perimeter shots as the game wound to a close.

This game was a blip, but one that seems far less surprising when a contender like the Cavaliers are at the losing end instead of the Warriors or Spurs. Of course, even the reigning champions got beaten by a team like the lowly Lakers. Everyone gets tired, everyone has cold shooting nights, and you simply can’t win them all.

However, as the Cavs fell to the Nets, it was the lacklustre effort and desire of every player besides LeBron James that’s worrying.

LeBron accounted for 30 of their 95 points and saved an otherwise poor team field goal percentage as he went 13-of-16 from the floor. No matter what he could do to desperately try and set the tone, though, others would not follow. As Kyrie Irving bombed his way to a 6-of-22 shooting night, Kevin Love shot 5-of-14, and the bench went cold (combining for 26 points on 9-of-22 shooting), the team’s energy waned and they failed to switch on offensively or work hard defensively.

The Cavs relied far too heavily on the three to get themselves back into the game as well, going 10-of-38 from beyond the arc. The only promising spell once the game had got underway for the team was winning the third period 34-21, but that merely paved the way for a dismal showing in the fourth quarter.

Over the final 12 minutes, the Cavs blew the game even further, losing the period 24-12 to a Nets team that boast a not-so-mighty 21-51 record. As the Cavs were down by nine points with two minutes left, having missed their last 10 shots, they proceeded to add just one meaningless basket from Jordan McRae just a few seconds before the final buzzer as their hopeless comeback effort ended.

While it may add to the troubled aura in Cleveland, you can’t really blame LeBron’s reasons for complacent comments about the team’s play when their lack of chemistry and energy, not to mention their defeatist attitude on the court at times, makes their hopes for a championship far less promising.

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