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THE SCORE OF THE BOX
OAKLAND – The Warriors' first goal this season was reached on Sunday, as any attempt to stop them from winning a fifth consecutive NBA finals had to go through Oracle Arena.
Their 131-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers gave the West Conference's best record for the fourth time in five seasons, making it the No. 1 seed in the West.
The sold out crowd (19,596) was fit for the last game of the regular season as the Warriors will play Oracle, strong all the way through and with no less than five standing ovations during the match.
Here are three take-aways in a game in which the Warriors have sometimes played in the playoffs:
Pick up the D
The Warriors were clearly unhappy to take a mere seven point lead (62-55) in the locker room at half-time. Perhaps the allowance of 55 points has been a source of irritation.
They came out for the second half looking greedy and angry. With Draymond Green leading with three flights, the defense forced six turnovers while putting the Clippers in a vice.
The Warriors totaled five interceptions and two blocks in the quarter, limiting the LA to 18 points on 7 out of 19 shots, while outperforming the Clippers 15 to 8.
The Warriors have had a brilliant third quarter in recent seasons and this may have been as good as any other. If they bring that level of execution – at both ends – in the playoffs, another parade will run through Oakland in June.
[WATCH: Curry hits 3-pointer from BART station]
The big men yin and yang
The DeMarcus Cousins made a difficult start, scoring 0-0 out of 8 and qualifying for three fouls in 13 minutes in the first half. He forced some shots and his third foul is a dubious call, sending him to the bench with 6:49 remaining in the half and the Warriors led 42-41.
It was not necessarily a bad thing, as Andrew Bogut replaced the Cousins in the middle of the matches. He played six minutes in which the Warriors beat LA 21-13.
Bogut's numbers during that time were overwhelming, but his defense was very effective. He grabbed three rebounds, got a steal and fired a shot from Montrezl Harrell in the paint. Bogut also had three fouls.
The Cousins-Bogut team duo is becoming more imposing and offers coach Steve Kerr an interesting option against legitimate centers: Cousins for offense, Bogut to strengthen the defense.
Nothing easy, Clippers
When the Warriors made three turnovers in the first four minutes, giving LA five points, it turned out that it could be one of those nights when they were meant to be charitable and keep their opponent in the game.
Not so.
The Warriors only engaged four turnovers over the next 32 minutes – and none in the near-perfect third quarter – when they pushed the defense to very hot levels – and dominated the 42-18 Clippers for block the match.
Turnovers are a recurring problem as coaching staff are more concerned than players, who admit that they are more at risk from lower opponents. After a botched start, they refocused, simplified and prospered.
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