This high profile Point Guard match up was close for the first half but the undermanned Trailblazers could not keep up with the Warriors once the 3rd quarter rolled around. Golden State clinched the Pacific division title with a 122-108 victory in Portland. The Curry-Lillard match up did live up to its billing, however, including multiple sequences where they answered each other’s baskets with increasingly impressive shots. Curry had the upper hand when it was all said and done with a 33 point 10 assist performance while Lillard went for a 29 point 7 rebound and 5 assist night. This was an impressive performance by the Warriors offense who got basically anything they wanted with LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, and Chris Kaman not playing for Portland. They recorded 37 assists and shot 60.2% from the field on their way to their first division title since 1976. Below are observations and breakdown as the game unfolded on my TV set.
1st Quarter Viewing Notes
With Aldridge, Batum, and Kaman all out due to injury Damian Lillard took charge early in this one with 12 points including 2-3 from 3 point land. Portland led 30-26 after a thrillingly fast paced first quarter which by my unofficial count only saw the shot clock go under :10 remaining 3 times in the first 6:30. It caught my eye that neither team seemed to go inside much in that first period of play.
2nd Quarter Viewing Notes
At the start of the quarter when the reserves enter the game the pace slowed considerably but the goal of the coaches remained the same: MORE 3S! Portland in particular ran a couple of nice sets with high pick and rolls around the top of the key area with back door movement to get shooters open in the corners. CJ McCollum had a really nice run in which he scored 10 of 12 Blazer points by going 3, layup, 2 point jump shot, 3. Portland is hoping he can fill the role left by Wesley Matthews come playoff time. Once Lillard and Curry returned the pace picked up dramatically and immediately. The whole time all I could think was what an awesome 2nd round playoff matchup this would be and then Lillard and Curry had a sequence that went Lillard 3, Curry 3, Curry 3, Lillard And-1 and it became 100% official: please NBA gods make a Portland vs Golden State playoff matchup happen (they are the #1 and #4 seeds currently but the West is tightly packed)! Portland took a 62-57 lead into the break.
3rd Quarter Viewing Notes
The game is slipped out of Portland’s hands a bit in a quarter in which Golden State outscored them 36-18 to take a 93-80 lead. That quarter is a perfect example of what Golden State will try to do in a tight playoff game. Kerr mixed his offense perfectly with set plays and back cuts to get his shooters open but also allows Thompson and mostly Curry to use their creativity on isolations and pick and rolls. In that quarter I saw Kerr play the mismatches that were available to him and he had no hesitation to post up Thompson on a smaller defender. I think that is Kerr’s biggest strength as a coach is his ability to adjust and find something that will work through trial and error and for that reason I do believe this team can win the title. Also Curry is just ridiculous, next time you watch a Warriors game do yourself a favor and anytime there is a fast break try and find him as early as possible, he just knows the exact spots on the floor that are going to be open for him, and he usually cans the shot too.
4th Quarter Viewing Notes
Wow Curry can do it all. Everything about the kind of problems Curry causes with the ball have been talked about a million times so I won’t rehash them here but to me it is the things he does to the defense when he doesn’t have the ball that truly shows how great he is. Anytime he is in a corner just standing without the ball it’s like he has gravity that is slightly pulling the defense toward him, they are always aware where he is. That helps Golden State’s spacing that Kerr is so good at taking advantage of. Also one particular play that jumped out at me was a steak with about 3:30 left in the 4th. He was back peddling on a 2-on-1 and then turned and jumped the passing lane at the perfect moment, this kid just has basketball instincts that are off the charts.
Final Thoughts
- The MVP race is coming down to Curry and Harden and I don’t think you can go wrong with either choice at this point. Both players mean so much to their team and both teams offenses are built around their presences on the court.
- The Warriors can win the title this year but only if Kerr is an equal or better coach in every series they play. They should be afraid of the Clippers (Doc) whom they are 2-1 against, Spurs (Pop) whom they are 1-1 against, and Bulls (Thibs) whom they are 1-1 against. I feel like Kerr’s biggest strength is making in game adjustments however he could lose a chess match to these much more experienced coaches.
- Portland won’t win a playoff game unless Aldridge is 90% himself. Lillard can’t carry the offense if the defense can force him to be one dimensional, he need Aldridge there on the pick and roll to get him loose in the lane so he can create. Plus the West is brutal and they could easily fall to a 6/7 seed if they struggle down the stretch.