There’s been no shortage of magic at Oracle Arena this season.
37-point quarters, blowout wins, game-winners, highlight dunks, screeching crossovers, polarizing treys but most importantly, 38 wins. On Monday night, the Warriors – as has been the case for weeks – had little to play for outside of improving their already historic record and sending the Memphis Grizzlies into a fate unknown.
-== 7 Reasons Why Stephen Curry is the NBA MVP ==-
Clearly Klay Thompson didn’t get the message.
His 37-point, 13-for-13 outburst against the Sacramento Kings in January helped earn Thompson his first All-Star berth, one of which resulted in an all-Warrior backcourt at Madison Square Garden. Thompson has become his own entity, and a similar barrage in the second quarter on Monday proved it again.
Known early to be a chucker with little defensive prowess, Thompson’s game has evolved into one of a scoring dynamo with the defensive awareness to guard anyone. His improvements have coincided with his team’s increased successes, and Monday night showed again why he stands by himself as an NBA talent and not a complement to another’s.
“The best part to me is I didn’t take probably more than seven dribbles that first half,” Thompson said. “I came into this game wanting to be really effective when we got the ball and utilized some of the best-passing big men in the league in [Andrew] Bogut and Draymond [Green] and everybody. That’s what opened it up for me early.”
Like his performance in January, Thompson wasn’t shy about his fondness for the three-point shot. This time, he was a measly 6-for-7 from deep and even dished out two turnovers. Not quite the implausible quarter in January, but one to make Curry’s MVP campaign, playoff seeding or the San Antonio Spurs a hot topic at the arena.
Thompson had been nursing a cold streak as of late, shooting 38 percent in April and looking every bit the befuddling player he was in his early years. Thompson was never in the reloading cannon mold of Dion Waiters or Russell Westbrook, but he wasn’t taking the best shots available. Like Curry, Thompson’s shot selection is becoming a non-issue, but leave it to head coach Steve Kerr to nitpick.
“I was disappointed actually,” said Kerr.” “I told the guys because they were so frantically trying to get the ball to Klay that it was the perfect time for somebody else to get a layup, but it was a frenzy to get the ball to Klay and we turned the ball over three or four times. Instead of being up 30 at the half, we were up 22.”
The problems of a 66-15 team.
Kerr’s reaction might’ve had a different tone had his team not gotten outscored 48-18 in the final stanza, a quarter that almost cost the Warriors the game. As Kerr does frequently when the game is in hand – 18 times to be exact — he decided to sit Curry for the last 12 minutes. The Grizzlies did all their damage with the Warriors’ bench on the court, which was an interesting tactic from Kerr to help improve Curry’s MVP campaign.
The MVP candidate isn’t worried about any type of fatigue as the playoffs near, however.
“I feel great,” Curry said following the game. “I think we’ve handled it pretty well. Obviously sitting out a lot of fourth quarters throughout the course of the season helps, but at the end of the day everybody is going to be fresh. Adrenaline rushes and enjoying the moment of the playoffs.”
With one game left in the regular season, the fourth quarter on Monday was nothing that will carry on into the playoffs. Kerr won’t suddenly adopt the hockey substitutions that made his predecessor infamous. It’s unlikely playoff games get that out of hand, but Kerr now has an excuse to keep his starters just a bit longer now.
Besides health, the final game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night is nothing more than an organized scrimmage. Their historic regular season is nearly over, but the bouts that await will prove to be their toughest tests yet. In a crowded Western Conference with their first round opponent still a mystery, the Warriors will be waiting for whatever comes next.
It’s worked pretty well for them so far.