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In one of the most impressive playoff wins so far, the Clippers went to Oracle Arena on Wednesday night to avoid eliminations by beating the Warriors 129-121. Leading state 3-2. Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Pure pride
First and foremost, it is in this that consists of the victory of the Clippers. Pride. 3-1 of a series that no one in the world expects from what they win, it would have been so easy for them to lie down in the fifth match and start booking their summer vacation. It was clear from the jump that they did not intend to leave so quietly. The Clippers scored 71 points in the first half. They attacked everywhere. The Warriors flat took this game for granted and the Clippers jumped on them and never backed down, even when the Warriors resumed their belated pace.
Once again, in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors came back tied and even took a quick lead and the crowd was swaying, it would have been an easy time for the Clippers to say, "OK, we have put together a good fight, but now we are going away. "But they just kept on scrapping. Kept beating. Keep playing defense with everything that they had. And they won. Really amazing.
2. That's to rest
Perhaps more detrimental than losing the game, the Warriors have lost at least two days of valuable rest. The first game of the second round, regardless of the winner of the series, is scheduled Sunday against the Rockets, who completed their series against Utah Wednesday night. So while Houston relaxes, the Warriors will have to play what will certainly be a tough match on Friday. If they win, they'll just have a day off before having to rally for the Rockets rested. If the Clippers manage to win Friday and extend this series to a seventh game, the first game of the second round will take place on Tuesday. It would be a day less than a full week in Houston, while the Warriors would come out of a long run with a day off to get ready.
We've already talked about how the Rockets have fallen into seed number 4 and that, therefore, the Warriors get into an earlier round, it's good for them, because James Harden and his company will be even cooler. The Warriors who do not close this series with the Clippers out of five now double this potential advantage for Houston, which will surely be 100% and significantly more rested for the first game.
3. How sweet it is
Sweet Lou Williams, dude. Can this guy have buckets or what? Everyone in the building knowing that he was looking for his shot, he still found 33 points and 10 assists. This four point game when the Warriors had reduced the gap to a goal was the biggest blow of the night.
It's iced. The Warriors tied the game at 116 with 3:29 to play Kevin Durant's vicious dunk. It was as if the warriors would finally fight against control. Lou had other projects. From that moment, Williams scored the Clippers' last nine points, including this four-point game. Ball game.
4. No waiting time for Doc
We will not talk about it, but I thought Doc Rivers, leaving the Clippers to play for the last eight minutes while only one time out was awesome. That kept the pace of the Clippers, and even if the energy was fighting them for a long time, it was still energy, and it kept them from getting bogged down and feeling the pressure of the Warriors' thrust . They just kept playing.
With just over eight minutes, the Clippers had a 10-point lead. They then went aimless for the next three minutes and changed, while the Warriors completed a dunk alley-oop, a Draymond lay-up in transition, and a three-point Curry play. Doc finally called a break of 4:44, but it was rather a break from fatigue. This did not happen after one of the Warriors' big plays when the mob exploded, as is generally the case with downtime on the road; It's happened after Montrezl Harrell manufactured one of the sickest blocks you've ever seen.
Less than a minute later, with all the momentum gained from Golden State, Klay Thompson drilled a 3-pointer and Kevin Durant, who finished with 45 points, tied the match with the aforementioned vicious dunk. The crowd went crazy. Still no timeout. Two minutes later, Durant threw another monster jam to ignite the crowd and give the Warriors a one-point lead. All escaped, right? False. Again, Doc does not call a timeout and that's when Lou Williams responded with a four-point game.
I tell you, Doc, let the Clippers continue to play through these huge reapers Warriors was great. The pressure never settled on the Clippers and the pace was maintained. Doc simplified things: keep playing basketball, do not think about losing that lead, and his team responded.
5. The defense of warriors is a problem
When I spoke to Steve Kerr during the regular season, I asked him if he was concerned that the Warriors had been a mid-pack defense throughout the regular season, and his He thought that they could just switch the switch in the playoffs. He pointed out that the Warriors were also a medium-sized defensive team in the regular season last year. They then activated it. They were the first ranked defense and won the title. "But I was very scared that we would not be able to light it," he said.
You have to wonder if some of the same fear is starting to regress in this year, because the Warriors' defense has not failed to fade. They conceded 85 points in the second half to the Clippers by exploding this lead of 31 points in the second game, then 71 points in the first half Wednesday.
"The playoffs are all about defense, and we just did not defend ourselves, we did not fight," Kerr said after the match. "We gave up 129 points and they shot 54% at home, and we seemed to take it for granted that everything would be fine."
They were not doing well, and now they have lost a road because of their difficulties compared to an eighth seeded player. Even if they come out of this series, one has to wonder what they will remember from Lou Williams' kitchen. The Warriors are, for want of a better term, a kind of arrogant defensive team as they do not feel obliged to use schemes to silence people. We've seen the Jazz do all sorts of crazy things trying to slow James Harden to the point of literally playing behind him, but the Warriors do not do things like that. They left their good defenders to face big goalscorers. They are not afraid to go from big men to smaller guards and let them try to defend themselves. Williams is a beast and Harden is an even bigger beast. If the Warriors rank 12th among the 16 teams in the playoffs after five games with the Clippers, what will the Rockets do to them?
6. Do warriors really need to worry?
If the Warriors had just laid an egg in the fifth game, though frustrating, you'd still have the excuse that they would not get up and would not be able to imagine that they'd be wrong. 39, would hear well in the sixth match. But the Warriors played very well. At least offensively. Durant had the 45 points. They collected 31 assists against just eight turnovers. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined 46 points on 8 out of 16 shots from three. The Clippers have just beaten them. At home. For the second time in this series.
It is not out of the question that the Clippers can now return to their field of attack and win the sixth match. less than 50%, you can beat them anytime whenever and wherever. So, yes, I would say warriors have to worry a little bit. Even having to play seven games in this series would be a bad sign.
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