A belated recap of a beloved game...
What a difference a finish makes. For more than three quarters, this game was a haunting reminder of Warrior flaws. Curry passed poorly; Monta was sloppy and got dominated by a bigger guard; Nellie dumbly kept his foot on the smallball pedal during the traditional third-quarter nightmare. Twelve minutes later, the Warriors have scored their first victory over a plus-.500 team since 2009 and Oracle is a-rockin' like Baron and Jessica Alba were still in the building.
If Curry keeps scoring like that, it won't matter one whit if he sometimes struggles to make plays for other guys. If Monta keeps showing that grit, he'll be able to survive the Joe Johnsons of the world. And if Nellie is willing to extend his creativity in both directions -- for instance, if he's willing to play two centers alongside one another when size is of utmost importance -- he won't be the outright detriment he's so often been lately. None of the Warriors' problems have magically disappeared. This was just one game. But what a game.
Curry has deservedly gotten a ton of praise for his performance, but three guys deserve special mention: Biedrins, Hunter and CJ. The two big men played like two big men, and CJ did some flawless complementary work, once again showing off his newfound flair for driving into coverage.
Tomorrow night brings the Sixers, and a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since Randolph went down. Let's hope some of this mojo carries over... with this team, it's never a given.
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