Last night’s game between the Warriors and Lakers was more formality than contest. Nothing was going to stop the Warriors freight train, certainly not the 2-11 Lakers who offered little resistance in getting rolled over. Golden State improved their record to 16-0 and made some NBA history along the way.
 
Here are 10 thoughts from the game:

1) Contrast in offensive philosophies: Draymond Green hits a three to begin the game. Kobe Bryant follows with a long two that clanks. Four minutes later Kobe forces another long miss. Klay gets the ball and passes up a difficult layup for a wide open Harrison Barnes corner three splash. The results were nice, but the process is one of the many reasons why these two ball clubs are on opposite ends of the standings.

Draymond Green2) I don’t know whether Byron Scott is being facetious or serious, but he supplies the best fodder for basketball nerds to make jokes. Between quarters, when asked how his team was performing he said, “so so. We’re just getting beat on the little things right now.” The Warriors were up 30-11 at the time feasting on lobs, layups and wide open threes. That might be getting beat by more than “the little things.”

3) Do you remember how at the end of Terminator 2, as you watched poor Arnold getting lowered in the vat of fire, you felt a little sad even though the movie had been awesome and you knew Arnold wouldn’t actually die since he had never been human to begin with? That’s how I felt watching Kobe Bryant last night. Kobe used to be a basketball deity. In 64 career games versus the Dubs, the Mamba Man averaged 28, 5, and 5 (per basketball-reference.com). He used to carve up the Warriors. Antawn Jamison, Larry Hughes, Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis, it didn’t matter who the Warriors “franchise player” of the moment was, Kobe was always three levels better. Watching him go 1-14 for 4 points with multiple air balls made me wish someone would invent a time machine and bring the old Kobe back — even at the expense of the Warriors. At least then we wouldn’t have to watch an NBA legend’s career burn out like this.

4) I don’t know how the D’Angelo Russell pick will pan out, but I barely noticed him on the court (8 points, 2 assists). I watched a Knicks-Rockets game where Kristaps Porzingis was clearly the best player on the court despite Harden and Melo’s presence. Jahlil Okafor is averaging 18 and 8. Justise Winslow has the 13th highest plus/minus in the league. And we just saw Mudiay show real NBA skills leading the Nuggets. Hopefully the second pick in the draft gets it going in spite of all the bust talk.

5) With 36 seconds left in the third, Curry sees Russell playing off him so he lets the ball roll up into the front court on an inbounds before picking it up, saving a few seconds on the clock. He dribbles three times, puts the rookie guard in the spin cycle, and drops home a swooping layup. Can’t tell if this was “playing until the final whistle” or just being mean. The bucket made it a 32 point game.

6) Just a note: The longest win streak in NBA history is 33 games by the ’71-72 Lakers. Just under that are the Heat’s 27 game streak and the Rockets 22 gamer. I think the Dubs are going to have a game on their hands Friday against the frisky Suns (4th best point differential in the West).

Warriors Barbosa7) The 2015-2016 season will not be free of a Barbosa dunk!

8) Pat Riley said the Splash Brothers “are the two most dynamic players in the backcourt, that I have ever seen, since Jerry West and Gail Goodrich.” Hey, Pat: shhhhhhh. The Ws don’t need praise, they need more doubters. They feed off that.

9) On a recent Raptor telecast, a Toronto announcer said something to the tune of, “had Chris Paul’s layup not gone in, the Spurs would have won the championship.” Thanks, Toronto announcer!

10) Poor Jordan Clarkson. I think he still has his hand in the air waiting for Kobe to pass him the ball.