Warriors vs. Clippers: Key Takeaways from Golden State Grudge Match
This season has been full of a number of statement wins by the Golden State Warriors, who time and time again have proved themselves as the best that the NBA has to offer. But a win against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night stands out as a perfect example of what the Warriors are capable of when at their best.
Down by six heading into the fourth quarter, the Warriors dominated the final period en route to a 110-106 win against the Clippers. Even with a huge performance from Blake Griffin—40 points and 12 rebounds—Los Angeles didn't have enough to overcome big performances from each of the Splash Brothers.
With the season winding down and teams starting to look toward the playoffs, here are a few takeaways from Tuesday night's grudge match between the Warriors and Clippers.
Steph Curry can't be stopped
It is a widely accepted fact that Clippers point guard Chris Paul is one of the game's most consistent defenders. It is rare for an opponent to have an advantage one-on-one against CP3 on any given night.
But Stephen Curry isn't your average player.
Matched up with CP3, Curry went for 27 points and four assists to help lead Golden State to the victory. It wasn't just in the box score where the MVP candidate dominated, though, as Curry made Paul look silly with his signature dribbling skills in the second quarter.
The moment stood out not just because Curry made another defender look silly—the point guard has been a highlight reel all season—but also because of whom it was against. People aren't used to seeing Paul destroyed in such a manner, and it was a real eye-opening moment for those uninitiated into the cult of Curry.
The MVP race is tighter than it has been in years, and there is a pretty good chance that Curry doesn't walk away with the league's biggest individual award, but for now, we can all just enjoy the magic that the point guard is producing on a nightly basis.
As Michael Scotto of The Associated Press reported, reigning MVP Kevin Durant said that he thinks Curry is one of the 10 best players in the league, and he knows a thing or two about quality basketball:
The Warriors are the favorites in the West
The Warriors being frontrunners in their conference may not be news to most, but after beating the Clippers as the cherry on top of a March in which the Warriors went 16-2, it is time that everybody accepts the facts.
Golden State is the best team in the NBA, and it is going to take something miraculous to eliminate it from the playoffs. Players like Curry and Klay Thompson have stolen the spotlight, but it is the balance that the Warriors bring to the court that makes them truly dangerous moving forward.
Even role players like Andrew Bogut and Marreese Speights are capable of huge plays that impact the flow of the game.
As of Wednesday morning, the Warriors are 10.5 games up on the second-place Memphis Grizzlies and are starting to pull away from the Atlanta Hawks in the race for the best record in the league.
It's not like Golden State has been dominating an easy schedule, either. Big wins against the Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Grizzlies are all statement victories for head coach Steve Kerr's squad. A 30-point win against the Washington Wizards stands out as total domination of a fellow playoff team.
Whoever ends up emerging from the Western Conference as the No. 8 seed has an uphill battle against the Warriors, who should be considered the favorites to take home the title this summer.
Blake Griffin is back
The growth of DeAndre Jordan into a 20-20 monster did its job in hiding the fact that Clippers superstar Blake Griffin had missed nearly a month of play and wasn't quite living up to expectations in the two weeks since his return.
But Tuesday against the Warriors, Griffin was back to being the player we had seen developing over the past few seasons, and it was glorious.
Although the Clippers didn't get the win, none of the fault could be placed on Griffin. A season-high 40 points to go along with 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals nearly stole the show from the unstoppable Warriors.
At his best, Griffin is one of the most entertaining players in the league. Whether it be with psyche-destroying dunks or hard-fought double-doubles, the power forward has become the face of the Clippers franchise in recent seasons.
Even when it isn't intentional, Griffin is finding ways to add to his already impressive highlight reel, like with this dunk against the Warriors.
If Jordan can continue to produce at a high level with Griffin back in the lineup—the center has averaged just 10.7 points since his frontcourt partner's return—the Clippers could be a real threat in the West.
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