Warriors live up to their name in tough road win over Pacers
IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER, BABY!
Adversity is the soil from which greatness is born. I write these words to you after witnessing a shorthanded Golden State Warriors tell the league they’re not done lording over the top of the standings in a gutsy come-from-behind win on the road against the Indiana Pacers.
Malcolm Brogdon had lost Andrew Wiggins on a wily dribble move in the paint, Rookie of the Year on Rookie of the Year crime. But the greatest defender of all time Draymond Green cut off his path, hopping to wipe out any easy shot at the basket. But that’s precisely what the veteran guard Brogdon wanted, as he deftly whipped a pass around Green to the hungry giant Domantas Sabonis for a point blank layup. Pacers 100, Warriors 95. 1:33 remained in the game.
Brogdon sprinted away from the chaos he had just caused on the weary Warriors defense and shot a knowing look over at a quieted Golden State bench. The raucous Indy crowd was whooping and hollering over that basketball wizardy, Sabonis scoring his game-high 30th point. Sabonis had a monster game, adding 11 rebounds with his 12-of-17 shooting from the field. No wonder my friends in Dub Nation kept concocting trade scenarios for him!
Wiggins slammed the ball against the court in quiet frustration. Green gave an exasperated sigh and his head drooped as he mustered the strength to finish the game. Per the allegedly highly-accurate Lawler’s Law, the game was pretty much over. First team to score 100 is gonna win the game.
Thankfully, the Warriors have Stephen Curry. He hunted Sabonis out of a screen and took his heart from long distance.
That put Curry one three pointer away from tying Ray Allen’s all-time record. But more importantly, it put the Warriors down two points from tying the game up against these courageous Pacers battling it out in front of their passionate fans.
That’s when Myles Turner, the other Pacers big that Warriors fans feverishly spammed in trade machine scenarios, decided it was time to end the game with a 26-foot pullup three-pointer.
Curry came back down the other way around a screen and Turner veered into his path. He then got wiped out by Curry’s crafty small-man tactics.
The Pacers called a full timeout. Brogdon tried to hit the game winner on Wiggins Island. Big mistake.
That left the Warriors with a chance to win the game. Curry went for a dagger three to seal the contest and tie the all-time record but missed. Thankfully, the Warriors had a big man on the floor who knows how to win championships: Kevon Looney.
That was the final bucket of the game as Gary Payton II completely wrecked the Pacers’ final half-court possession. Final score: Warriors 102, Pacers 100. The Dubs overcame a late deficit on the road, and hella injuries, and Lawler’s Law. They did it with a dash of Curry sauce, and a heaping of hellacious defense.
The mark of champions is how they bounce back from adversity. Took a tough loss to Philly the other night? Don’t make it a two-game losing streak. Down late on the road against Indiana? Clamp them up. But now there’s another obstacle headed their way.
Will the Warriors have enough juice left in them to win in Madison Square Garden only hours after landing in New York? And will Curry have the willpower to take Ray Allen’s record in the most famous coliseum in the world? Plenty of adversity there; let’s see what the champs do with it.
Warriors live up to their name in tough road win over Pacers
When i grow up i wanna have Draymond’s IQ
Ps. I’m almost 40 years old 😅
27 games into the season is just about one third of the way there. So how are the Warriors doing in some key stats?
Traditional
3rd in points per game
3rd in rebounds per game
1st in assists per game
2nd in steals per game
3rd in field goal %
4th in 3p made
5th in 3p%
1st in +/-
Advanced
4th in Offensive Rating
1st in Defensive Rating
1st in Net Rating
1st in Ast%
10th in Ast/TO ratio
1st in Ast Ratio
10th in OReb%
1st in DReb%
2nd in Reb%
2nd in eFG%
2nd in TS%
1st in Player Impact Estimate (PIE)
Defense
2nd in Opponents eFG%
5th in Opponents Tov%
1st in Opponents Oreb%
2nd in Opponents 2nd chance points
7th in Opponents fast break points
2nd in Opponents points in the paint
The Warriors remain at or near the top of a plethora of important stats on both sides of the ball, even after a recent stretch of games in which they have not been as explosive on the offensive end. Their defense has been stellar all year. Out of the teams in serious contention this season, they remain the most balanced and most versatile. They have enviable depth and are getting contributions from different guys every night. This does not look like a team that needs to make a big or flashy move in order to remain in contention. And through all this, Klay as well as Wiseman have yet to see the floor. I don't understand people who fear other teams because this team's name is the one opposing fans fear when they look at the calendar.
All stats are from NBA.com.