The Warriors and 76ers tipped off on Easter Sunday in one of the greatest mismatches in NBA history. Prior to jump, the two teams were separated by 56 wins, three All-Stars, one recent championship and a bazillion Vine highlights (number approximate). The Dubs rolled to an easy victory behind Klay Thompson’s 40 points, Draymond Green’s 12th triple-double and Stephen Curry’s bazillionth-and-one highlight (number approximate). Golden State improved to 66-7 with the win, inching one game closer to surpassing the 1996 Chicago Bulls.
Here are 10 thoughts on the game:
1) Klay Thompson was great (again), especially in the fourth (again). The All-Star had 13 points in the fourth quarter and looked comfortable leading the offensive charge with the reserves. If Klay can continue to keep the offense humming while Steph and Dray are on the bench, the Dubs are going to be downright unbeatable come the playoffs.
2) Steph’s poor shooting from distance continued (2-9, 14-52 in last five games) with a couple of wide open misses. Facing the 9-64 Sixers at home seemed like an opportune time to give the MVP a night off, but who knows, maybe Steph demands to play in all these games. Kerr said recently that the players have earned the right to have input on playing the final games.
March 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) dunks the basketball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the 76ers 117-105. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
3) The two best players for the Sixers were Carl Landry (22 points, 8 boards) who couldn’t get burn with the Kings and Ish Smith (20 points, 10 assists) who has played for nine different teams. That should tell you all you need to know about the current state of the Sixers.
4) Harrison Barnes’ explosion is still lacking. On one shot attempt in the lane (4:26 in the fourth), HB couldn’t jump over Elton Brand’s 37-year-old arms and missed a bunny in the lane. Ankle injuries are no joke; hopefully Iguodala isn’t hampered by the same lack of explosiveness when he returns.
5) Mo Speight’s 6-for-6 shooting in the second period helped break open what had been a tight game. The tallest shooting guard in the league was good for 17 points, seven rebounds, two 3-pointers and one abusive cram on a Landry blow-by. Mo is doing late what he did early for the Warriors last season: provide consistent, efficient scoring off the bench.
6) By the way, Speight’s recent uptick in offense and defense is right up there with ’04 Erick Dampier and ’06 Tim Thomas as one of the all-time great contract pushes in recent NBA history.
7) Andrew Bogut’s between-the-legs bounce passes are an underrated fun thing about this Warriors season. (Different game, but you get the point.)
March 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the basketball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand (42) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the 76ers 117-105. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
8) Klay has been great driving into the lane in the last few games, especially off hesitation dribbles. Who would’ve thought this possible during the #klayup days.
9) Steph has missed a free throw in four consecutive games. He’s currently hitting freebies at 90.4%, perilously close to falling out of the vaunted 50/40/90 club.
10) The Warriors now need to go only 7-2 in the final nine games to reach 73 wins. In other words, a poor stretch for these Dubs.
Hey now – cut Landry some slack. Landry did good with the Warriors, signed with the Kings and suffered a knee injury in 2014. It’s seems to have taken him a while to get back to his old form. Ish Smith was with the Warriors briefly and it was not memorable.