Warriors show they are a ‘championship team’ with a four-game sweep of the Blazers
It may seem like a small window of time but a lot can happen in just six minutes. Just ask the Golden State Warriors, who in the first six minutes of Game 4 against the Portland Trail Blazers, essentially closed out the series in grandiose fashion.
Instantly taking the Blazers out of the game, the Warriors started off blazing hot from the field, scoring the first 14 points of the game and quickly building a double-digit lead. Golden State was just dominating on both ends of the floor, scoring with relative ease and precision on offense and then locking the Blazers up on defense.
Portland didn’t score their first points of the game, a 3-pointer by Evan Turner, until the 8:21 mark of the first. That’s right, the Blazers went scoreless for nearly four minutes a playoff elimination game. Portland only passed the double-digit threshold with 3:51 left in the first.
That’s just how locked in Golden State was.
The Warriors knew a win would end the series and give them a good amount of time before they would have to face their next opponent in the second-round. Motivated by that goal, the Warriors emphatically achieved it in the first quarter, tying a playoff record with 45 points in the opening frame. And at the end of one, the Warriors were up 45-22.
“There was a sense of urgency,” Stephen Curry said. “Obviously the opportunity to close a series out and there was a nice energy to us before the game, kind of loose, but focused. It showed in the first six minutes that we could, hopefully, establish ourselves and continue the momentum that we built in the series. Our defensive intensity and focus was the reason we got it done tonight. In the first [quarter] we didn’t let them score for a while and we turned our defense into offense. It was a fun way to play and close out the series.”
Keeping up that intensity for the rest of the game, the Warriors cruised to a 128-103 victory and in the process, swept the Blazers in the first-round. Curry finished the game with 37 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Klay Thompson chipped in 18 points. Kevin Durant, playing in his first game back from a calf injury that caused him to miss Games 2 and 3, scored 10 points in 20 minutes. Draymond Green continued his excellent, versatile play by finishing with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
Now the Warriors have the luxury of likely a week off as they await the winner of the Clippers-Jazz series. The time off should do wonders for the Warriors. Shaun Livingston and Matt Barnes missed the last few games due to various injuries and the time off will allow them to be ready for the second round. The same can be said for Durant as well, as he can use the time off to get to a hundred percent.
“I’ve been in this situation before as a head coach and certain teams, certain guys you worry about having this much time off,” acting Warriors coach Mike Brown said. “But I truly think it’s good for this group. So for us to be able to come in here this weekend and close the series out in four games knowing that the other series is at 2-2, I think can be beneficial for our group going forward.”
Durant getting back to a hundred percent will be quite vital for Golden State’s postseason success. The Warriors are so deep and talented that they were essentially able to beat the Blazers without him. But against more elite teams in the West, the Warriors need Durant. That’s why even though Durant didn’t need to play in Game 4, the actual game experience alone should be beneficial to his play later on in the playoffs.
“I think we need his presence as we go through the playoffs, for him to get a rhythm, get his feet under him,” Curry said about Durant. “He’s kind of been in and out of the lineup the last month and a half, so I know it’s big for him to get out there and show some energy for us and feel good about his body.”
The wait for the second-round, will also be beneficial for Brown, who had to assume head coaching duties due to Steve Kerr suffering side effects from his 2015 back surgery. Kerr is still around the team — he was at Monday’s shootaround in the morning and watched Game 4 in the visitors locker room — but he is unable to coach from the bench and his status for the rest of the postseason is currently unknown.
While Kerr willstill play a coaching role (albeit a small one) however, Brown is currently in charge. The time off should allow Brown a chance to use practices to build on the foundation Kerr has created in Golden State and make his own personal imprint on it as well.
With Kerr being out, Brown does have some large shoes to fill, however the Warriors are such a talented, well coached and disciplined team, that he should be just fine. Plus Brown has been a head coach in the league a few times and has had reached high levels of success before. Even though Brown may have to quickly transition himself to a new position, the Warriors are still the favorites to come out of the West. That’s at least how Blazers coach Terry Stotts sees it.
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“I think they’re better than they were last year,” Stotts said. “I think they’re playing with a purpose considering what happened last year. So they’re formidable and it’s going to take a great series for anybody to beat them.”
Or as Blazers star Damian Lillard succinctly put it, “They’re a championship team.”