The Golden State Warriors edged out another tough win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4, 113-105, to take a 3-1 lead in the series. But that separation has felt anything but commanding, especially since the blown 31-point lead in Game 2.
Patrick Beverley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lou Williams and the rest of rag-tag Clippers ensemble have given the Warriors a competitive test that many didn’t expect. On the other side of the bracket, the East’s top-seeded Bucks coasted to double-digit wins to sweep the Pistons, but Golden State’s had to earn its way.
On the outside, that says two things about the 2018-19, now DeMarcus Cousins-less, Warriors. Both of which are true to some extent. First, this Clippers heat-check is exactly what the Warriors — who admittedly cruised through the regular season — needed. And second, Golden State isn’t as unbeatable as advertised.
The Clippers might have shocked the Warriors’ system into reboot
Any team going for a repeat will hit a lull, and teams heading into three-peats are in a league of their own. Frankly, Golden State’s known all along that it could give 75 percent of itself and still crush most of the league.
Think back to February when Kevin Durant, asked about Draymond Green’s ankle injury, said “I mean, he’ll be back for the playoffs. That’s the only thing we worry about here, right?” And then Klay Thompson, asked about dropping three out of four to the Rockets, said, “Guess what? We haven’t had a problem getting over the hump in the playoffs.”
The Warriors have ridden a wave of arrogance, rightfully so, straight to the first round of the NBA playoffs, and now they’ve had to work. Rookie Landry Shamet has been sharpshooting from distance, another rookie, Gilgeous-Alexander, has run rampant as a do-it-all point guard, Montrezl Harrell has been a force on the inside, Patrick Beverley has gotten into everyone’s heads, and it’s made for a hard-fought series despite a clear talent disparity.
The competition’s made Thompson fight harder for looks, Curry defend more physically, Durant establish his presence more audaciously, and down the line, the rest of the role players had to step up too. Maybe the Warriors would’ve gotten to this point in the second round of the playoffs regardless of their first-round opponent, but L.A.’s forced some early fine-tuning. And that could come to help them in round two.
The Warriors have been exposed a bit
What’s worrisome for Golden State is how many different players have been able to get going in so many ways for L.A., because everything the Clippers do, the Rockets, their likely opponent in the next round, does better.
- In Game 1, Curry went bonkers for 38 points to win handily, but so did Harrell, a quick and physical center. He scored 26 points on 15 shots, showing the shallow center-depth Golden State had even before Cousins’ injury.
- In Game 2, it was Harrell again scoring 25 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting display with Lou Williams pouring in 36 of his with 11 assists.
- Game 3 saw Ivica Zubac assume the interior role and score 18 points on 15 shots with nine offensive rebounds and Harrell finished with 15 points on 10 shots.
- Game 4 saw Gilgeous-Alexander own the paint for a career-high 25 points on 15 shots, and the Clippers take 31 threes — missing a number of open looks
The Rockets have similar role players who are 150 percent more talented. Clint Capela will crash the boards more efficiently than Harrell. P.J. Tucker and Eric Gordon will cause more problems shooting than Shamet and Williams. James Harden and Chris Paul are Gilgeous-Alexander and Beverley times infinity. That might be a problem.
Golden State’s depth issues are apparent in this series. Nobody is adequately physical enough to replace Cousins. And the Warriors are still going to give minutes to inexperienced guys like Alfonso McKinnie and a slower Shaun Livingston.
The Warriors are still the clear favorite to win yet another title. But they aren’t as dominant as they once were. Maybe this series against the Clippers forces early adjustments that clear up their holes. Or maybe L.A. just handed Houston the blueprint to actually finish the job this time.
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