Box Score
Blog Buddy: Welcome To Loud City
It is a little hard to get a hold on just what this team is. Solid games against the Bulls and Nuggets showed that at or near full strength that these Warriors don’t have to roll over. Still, neither Chicago nor Denver play the part of road warriors this season. Denver has been especially bad when they leave the rarified air of Colorado. And two, uh "sub-par" performances against the Suns were enough to place significant doubt in any fan’s mind that this team was ready to compete.
This game was different. Oklahoma City came to town in first place in the Northwest Division with a winning record on the road. With a dynamic scoring duo of future MVP Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder have arrived as a serious threat to beat anyone on any given night.
But not tonight. It was GSoM night. This year, that means wins.
The Warriors competed from the outset, trading leads 8 times through the middle of the third quarter, never losing touch. When the Thunder twice managed to knot up the score, David Lee answered with a bucket. This was our night. For all of us.
No, this team is far from perfect, but that aura of certain defeat, where the losses are a foregone conclusion seems to be slipping away.
Warriors Wonder: While Monta had a fine game and Steph’s 13 assists without turning the ball over once could also merit the award, on this night, all praise due goes to David Lee. Our Warriors won because we controlled possessions, dominating the boards and turnover margin. Lee’s glass-cleaning set the tone. Given another foul plagued short outing by Andris Biedrins and the ever more apparent reality that Ekpe Udoh’s "lean backwards" rebound technique compares poorly to Radmanovic’s rebounding abilities and will be competitive only when matched up with Andrea Bargnani , Lee’s dominance on the glass
Perspective: While the upcoming back to back against the Hornets and Jazz are anything but "gimmees", taking both would allow this year’s squad to head to the All-Star break already matching last year’s season win total.