Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 4 vs. Blazers
1. Healthy Warriors Are Still Title Favorites
With the Cavaliers setting playoff records for three-pointers and the Spurs locked in a high-octane slugfest against OKC, it’s been easy to forget what the Warriors look like at full strength. It’s been even easier to wonder if Curry would be able to get healthy enough for them to return there.
But if Game 4 was any indication, Curry and the Warriors are still on a mission. At full strength, there’s little anyone can do about the Dubs crossing the final names off their list a la Arya Stark.
Of course, not everyone on the Warriors was at their best Monday night. Livingston was ejected with a -17 plus/minus in 12 minutes, Andrew Bogut fouled out, Festus Ezeli didn’t earn enough minutes, Steve Kerr’s rotations were sloppy and Harrison Barnes struggled on 4-of-10 shooting.
But when it mattered most, the Warriors were at their best. Curry dominated as we’ve seen the MVP do so many times. Green solidified his case as a superstar. Klay Thompson overcame a shaky start to finish with 23 points while also providing stellar, lockdown defense on Damian Lillard in the clutch.
Hell, even Barnes redeemed himself with a game-tying three-pointer late in the fourth quarter that sent it to overtime on a beautiful bit of misdirection from Kerr out of a timeout:
Marreese Speights added 11 points in nine minutes, Ezeli played well in limited time and despite only scoring seven points, Andre Iguodala was a +19 in his 38 minutes of action off the bench.
Even better news, the “Death Lineup” is still alive and well:
The Curry-Klay-Iggy-Barnes-Dray lineup had a +85.4 net rating in five minutes tonight (186.3 O RATING!!). So unfair.
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) May 10, 2016
The Blazers aren’t a great team, but they are a significantly tough opponent to play on the road, especially with the distraction of the league MVP’s return to worry about. Despite all that rust, the Warriors pulled out a gutsy win against a talented backcourt playing with the full support of its home crowd.
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In Curry’s return to action in Game 4, the Golden State Warriors reminded everyone that with once the MVP’s rust is fully shaken off, this team should still be the favorite to win the 2016 NBA title.