Saturday NBA Roundup: Warriors Clinch Home-Court Advantage Throughout Playoffs
If it wasn't already official, it is now: The Golden State Warriors represent the new gold standard for Western Conference excellence.
With a 123-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks Saturday evening, Golden State clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Warriors have now won a league-best 12 games in a row, nine of which came by double digits.
At this point, losing out won't even prevent the Warriors from getting passed by the Atlanta Hawks for top honors, as the San Francisco Chronicle's Rusty Simmons explained:
The Warriors have dominated at an unprecedented rate all season long, notching a league-best 34 wins against teams at or above .500. They've also made Oracle Arena an impenetrable fortress of solitude, winning 35 of 37 home games to date.
That number should improve, too, with four of the Warriors' six remaining games coming in the Bay Area.
And you better believe there's more where that came from.
While the record is indicative of mind-boggling statistical success, it's hard to overstate just how easily the Warriors have imposed their will on the competition.
"It’s been a special year, obviously," head coach Steve Kerr said, according to CSN Bay Area's Monte Pool. "The guys have been fantastic all season long, with their commitment to each other and to the work. And it’s been so much fun. It’s great to kind of rack up these milestones as we go."
According to NBA.com, Golden State ranks tops in rim protection, defensive efficiency, field-goal percentage, three-point conversion rate, bench field-goal percentage, assists per game and offensive efficiency.
Kerr also snagged a numerical feat of his own Saturday night, according to GSWStats on Twitter:
"Statistically, the Warriors are the best team we’ve seen since the 1995-96 Bulls and the best team in the league by a wide margin," NBA.com's John Schuhmann wrote. "At this point, it’s fair to ask if, in predicting the NBA championship, you would pick the Warriors or the field."
Moving forward, Golden State doesn't need to concern itself with striking out old NBA records and writing new ones. Instead, the Warriors simply need to focus on staying healthy and preparing for a lengthy postseason stay.
As the regular season has demonstrated, few Western Conference teams can keep up with the Warriors. They swept a four-game season series with the Houston Rockets in extravagant fashion, downed the Clippers 3-1, did the same against the Oklahoma City Thunder and took all four games against Dallas.
A 1-1 split with Memphis (for the time being) looks like one of the few blemishes, but the Warriors were without defensive anchor Andrew Bogut for their Dec. 16 tilt.
Then there are the San Antonio Spurs, the object of Golden State's tactical emulation, according to Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley:
"In other words, every player on the floor is an offensive threat. As tempting as it is to sell out on stopping the Splash Brothers, doing so leaves defenses vulnerable to Harrison Barnes' corner triples, Marreese Speights' elbow jumpers, Leandro Barbosa's off-ball cuts, Shaun Livingston's post-ups, pinpoint passes from any number of bigs—the list goes on and on.
"
If there's one team ready and qualified to tarnish Golden State's pristine image, it's the defending champion.
The Spurs have already slayed the Warriors once at full strength this season—albeit back in November—and have the championship pedigree necessary to crack Golden State's code.
With the Spurs surging behind a post-All-Star record of 16-7 and their big guns firing on all cylinders, a titanic matchup is in order to settle whether the rising prodigies can school the seasoned masters.
A preview is slated for Sunday evening (7 p.m. ET on NBA TV), but if we're lucky, Golden State will be provided a chance to assert its dominance in the postseason against the league's most esteemed franchise.
Around the Association
Smart's Heroics Push Boston into the No. 8 Seed
The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors traded haymakers throughout their overtime skirmish Saturday, and it was rookie Marcus Smart who dealt the final blow.
DeMar DeRozan unleashed a monumental scoring barrage, dropping 38 points and a game-tying drive at the end of regulation. But it was one bucket too few; Boston's balanced attack kept it in the game and gave Smart a chance to play hero with a putback at the overtime horn.
Evan Turner's 10 assists helped set up six different Celtics in double figures, including Isaiah Thomas (25 points) and Tyler Zeller (20 points).
DeRozan wasn't the only Raptor who fought valiantly in defeat. Tyler Hansbrough was unusually effective on offense, scoring 18 in a spot start for Amir Johnson, who was nursing a bum ankle. Lou Williams poured in 27 off the bench, and his step-back triple in the closing seconds of overtime nearly won it for Toronto.
Boston's win nudges it back into the playoff picture, as it occupies the No. 8 spot—for now.
- Contributed by Daniel O'Brien
Miami Implodes, Watches Playoff Hopes Dwindle
As it turns out, a 15-point lead with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter wasn't a big enough cushion for the Miami Heat against the Detroit Pistons.
Despite entering the fourth quarter up nine points, Miami was outscored 27-17 in the final frame and failed to slam the door shut, leading to a 99-98 defeat.
The Heat have lost three straight and will be up against the wall on the second night of a back-to-back Sunday evening against the Indiana Pacers, as Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick noted:
Playing on a gimpy knee, Dwyane Wade scored a team-high 24 points (11-of-18 shooting) while Goran Dragic added 21 points and seven assists.
Reggie Jackson topped all players with 29 points and 11 assists, including the game-winning layup with five seconds remaining:
The Eastern Conference playoff race may be hideous in some regards, but it's certainly not lacking for intrigue.
Atlanta Wants That Lottery Pick
Friendly reminder: The Atlanta Hawks retain the right to swap first-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets this season thanks to a stipulation in the 2012 Joe Johnson blockbuster trade.
As a result, Atlanta is on a mission to destroy the Nets every chance it gets, with every accumulating loss providing the Hawks a glimmer of hope that they'll be able to draft in the lottery come June.
According to Hawks.com's KL Chouinard, head coach Mike Budenholzer acknowledged as much prior to tipoff:
With the Nets fighting to obtain one of the East's final playoff spots, Atlanta obliterated them, 131-99, to tie a franchise record with 57 wins. Al Horford led the way, scoring 20 points on a tidy 10-of-13 shooting. DeMarre Carroll matched that total, adding eight rebounds and five dimes for good measure.
As a team, the Hawks shot 59.8 percent from the field and 51.5 percent from three, but they did lose Paul Millsap to a shoulder injury that prevented him from returning to action.
The Nets' six-game winning streak came to an end with the loss, and although they momentarily held onto the No. 7 seed, the road ahead looks awfully bumpy.
Not only does Brooklyn have to do battle with the Portland Trail Blazers Monday, but it will also be back in action against the Hawks Wednesday before hosting the Washington Wizards Friday. In fact, five of the Nets' final six opponents will wind up being postseason qualifiers.
Washington Races Past Memphis
John Wall and the Washington Wizards traveled to Memphis on the second night of a back-to-back, but they managed to out-hustle the Memphis Grizzlies for a 92-83 victory.
Washington finally started to resemble a feared playoff-caliber squad following a woeful March, with Wall leading the way to the tune of 18 points and 14 assists.
Washington's open-floor dominance decided the game, as it trounced Memphis, 25-6, in fast-break scoring to capture a third straight win.
According to CBS Sports' Matt Moore, Washington locked up a top-five seed with the win:
"The Wizards have clinched no-worse-than-fifth in the playoffs.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 5, 2015"
Injuries and cold shooting (1-of-15 from three) damaged Memphis' chances all night long. Tony Allen's hamstring kept him in street clothes, while back issues hampered Zach Randolph and Jeff Green throughout the game.
The loss temporarily dropped Memphis to third in the West, and head coach Dave Joerger's club is now gazing up at the second-seeded Rockets.
- Contributed by Daniel O'Brien
Jeff Green's Vying for Dunk of the Year Honors
On occasion, Jeff Green has been known to drop the hammer.
Wizards big man Kevin Seraphin learned that the hard way Saturday night.
A few things here.
First, look at where Green takes off from. He's not even close to the restricted area.
Second, look at the shame that overcomes Seraphin when he realizes jumping with the 6'9'' swingman was the biggest mistake of his life.
And lastly, Tony Allen's reaction forever.
Green (nine points) was forced from the game with back spasms in the third quarter, but he got his most important work out of the way early.
Clippers Strike Early, Cruise Past Nuggets
After jumping out to a staggering 24-6 lead, the Los Angeles Clippers never relinquished control and drubbed the injury-depleted Denver Nuggets, 107-92.
All five Clippers starters scored in double figures, paced by J.J. Redick's 24. Chris Paul enjoyed his usual dual-threat feast, chipping in 23 points and nine dimes in Los Angeles' road victory.
The Nuggets were hurting without two of their key catalysts. Point guard Ty Lawson was a late scratch with a forearm injury, and Danilo Gallinari got a night off to rest. Consequently, they shot a putrid 37.6 percent from the floor. The loss is Denver's fourth in a row and eighth in its last 10—easily its worst stretch since Melvin Hunt took over as the Nuggets' interim head coach.
Although Denver out-rebounded Los Angeles collectively, DeAndre Jordan remained the alpha dog in the middle. He hauled in 22 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, and swatted three shots. It was Jordan's league-leading 12th 20-rebound performance of the season.
The win moves the Clippers into sole possession of fifth place ahead of the Spurs. And even though they trail the Northwest Division champion Portland Trail Blazers in the standings, the Clippers can host a first-round playoff series between the two if they maintain a superior record.
- Contributed by Daniel O'Brien
New Orleans Can't Keep Pace with Portland
With a chance to make up ground on the idle Thunder, the New Orleans Pelicans couldn't slip past the Portland Trail Blazers, 99-90.
After getting outscored 28-19 in the third quarter, Portland secured a six-point edge in the fourth to put things away for good.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 21 points (7-of-18 shooting) and 12 rebounds, while Damian Lillard contributed 19 points and four assists.
Anthony Davis tallied 19 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals, but it wasn’t enough to mask offensive inefficiencies that plagued New Orleans during the second and fourth frames.
With the loss, the Pelicans are now a full game behind the Thunder, which have back-to-back contests against the Rockets and Spurs on deck.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans are off until Tuesday, when they’ll host the Warriors before traveling to FedEx Forum for a showdown with the Grizzlies.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
