Boy, what a tragic game. On a Friday night in Oakland, the San Antonio Spurs came away with a HUGE win over the Warriors, and I couldn't be more disappointed.
Going into this game, there was a ton of intrigue. Would the Warriors actually take a 2-1 lead over the heralded, legendary Spurs of San Antonio, a 2 seed to our lowly 6th? Would our heroes in blue and yellow protect their homecourt, the best in the league, and treat their rabid and ravenous fanbase with another glorious victory? Or would the ageless Tim Duncan lead his squad into Oakland and take back homecourt advantage for the favored team? Would the Warriors keep playing like a team that might, just might, be — at worst — evenly matched with the Spurs, and at best, just plain better? Or would Coach Popovich solve the incendiary actions of the Splash Brothers and prove to a world of born-again Spurs-doubters that they're still one of the top teams playing on hardwood?
And wow, did we get some answers tonight. The Spurs showed us that they are, in fact, still the favorites to win this series. I mean, they just looked determined, maybe even desperate tonight, scoring at will from wherever Tony Parker found an opening, while showing that defensively, they are capable of putting together a gameplan that can stop Curry and force others — such as Jarrett Jack — to beat them. Let's be honest, they downright played harder than the Dubs — it was a sorrowful event, to be sure.
One of the big keys to tonight's game was Stephen Curry — he was absolutely poopoo caca. He had a relatively poor game, for his new playoff standard, on Wednesday in San Antonio, and he followed that up with a goddamn ankle sprain! His long-range shot was shaky for the entirety of the night, and that proved to be a big deal for the Warriors — they were counting on a big performance by Curry to carry them home that onslaught of what the hell was I thinking with this MadLibs template? That bit didn't make any sense. The Spurs were surprisingly successful putting Danny Green on Curry all night long, and that was critical to the outcome, to be sure.
Another key player for the Warriors tonight was Andrew Bogut. He did a customarily and predicatable job of rebounding, and playing lockdown interior D, not to mention eh, that's pretty much it and I said that's it, dammit! He also listen, MadLib template — stop making me relive this game through fleeting memories of something I just want to forget in the I think these last two blanks were written as a setup for a dirty joke, and it's hard for me to conjure one at the moment. This was a pivotal game in that it makes tomorrow's matinee offering, a Mother's Day affair, essentially a must-win; I don't want to see the Warriors trying to fight back from a 3-1 deficit, I just don't. That's how ulcers are born. Show everyone that you like your moms better than the Spurs like their, fellas! And we really shouldn't overlook the much more useful recap of this game by Poor Man's Commish, as that was just really insightful stuff, from a much different perspetive from my sore-losery, bad-taste-in-my-mouth slumped position.
Meanwhile, for the Spurs, what really surprised me was how muh more focused and refined they were tonight. If everyone but Ginobili hadn't shot the ball so well, this would have been a whole different ballgame. Instead, something else transpired (h/t Jim Barnett!): and my god was it just disappointing — I was hoping that the Warriors' offense had solved the Spurs' defense, and that assured statement cannot be made any longer. Could you ever have guessed, in your wildest dreams, that Steph, meanwhile on the other end of the court, would be shut down by Green, and that omg he'd twist his ankle yet again, right now, as we're so close to shocking the NBA landscape? Incredible. I'm stunned.
I get emotional about the Dubs, and let me tell you: right now I'm feeling all kinds of mixed emotions. It makes me so sad to see our guys look troubled and inaccurate on offense, and somewhat helpless on defense, and yet, in the 4th quarter, still make it a winnable game, leading to a lot less confidence than I had in this team 24 hours ago, but still hope that, even when they're seemingly at their worst, they can still make a run at this thing and making me shed drunken tears of astonished joy when they beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The one moment in tonight's game that really got me was when Steph hit that first three in the 1st quarter — that sequence was pivotal in how it affected my early expectations of how the game would go, which were unceremoniously shattered soon thereafter.
There were some plays by Jarrett Jack tonight that were super frustrating, as always. He definitely made some good contributions, and I still don't think we always give him the credit he deserves, but, like — remember that time where he started driving into the teeth of the defense, and you're expecting him to kick it out, but instead the play just fizzles and results in a bad shot? Ah well, take the good with the bad. (Note that this paragraph has had no blanks filled.)
And look at that mopey bastard Andris Biedrins. No minutes for him again, thank goodness. (Again, no bold text needed.)
The stat of the night was definitely and simply the FG% disparity. This really showed that "it's a make or miss league", as some genius once said. God really? I'm adding a blank for a stat of the night, while expecting myself to potentially fill it in at 11:30PM on a Friday night? I don't like numbers on a good day! Ah well, let's see what happens. [Edit: blanks filled in this morning. Still couldn't bring myself to perform better on the stat portion of this recap. There are no math teachers in my past that are surprised by this lack of effort.]
Ok, let's get to tonight's Warrior Wonder. The winner tonight, of course, is...
Tonight, this guy battled. He got the job done. It was a process, but at the end of the day, he walks away with a Warrior Wonder and well-deserved. I couldn't be more proud.
Well, that'll do it for tonight. What a game. And how big is Sunday's matinee contest looming now? It sure feels like whoever takes home the Mother's Day victory is going to win this series and move on to the Western Conference Finals. Tonight's game really set up that pivotal game 4, and I can't wait to see if the Warriors are able to hold their heads up high, even up the series, and head back to San Antonio with full confidence that Friday was just one, bad game — this thing ain't over.