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Warriors’ huge comeback over Blazers puts them up 2-0

By Carlos Murillo

May 3, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) celebrates against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) celebrates against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Once again, no MVP, no problem.

The Golden State Warriors used a huge 28-8 in the fourth quarter to mount a comeback and defeat the Portland Trailblazers 110-99. The Warriors now lead the series 2-0 as it heads back to Portland.

This was much more competitive than Game 1 when everything went right for Golden State who built and maintained a huge lead for most of the game behind Klay Thompson‘s 37 points. He seemingly picked up where he left off in Game 1 as he scored the first basket for the Warriors, a three-pointer.

But that was about as good as the first period got for the Warriors. Portland increased their defensive intensity from Game 1, grabbing and getting into Golden State, making it extremely difficult for them to get any space. Thompson and co. couldn’t get any space to operate offensively. The Warriors trailed by 13 at the end of the first, giving up 34 points to the Blazers, 10 of which were converted by Al-Farouq Aminu,

The Warriors continued to struggle to find their offense. Outside of Andre Iguodala who was able to get to his spots and knock down a few shots, the Warriors were just throwing up brick after brick. Marreese Speights was getting every look he wanted, but he just couldn’t get anything to stay down.

Everytime the Warriors built some momentum, the Blazers countered and silenced the Oracle Arena crowd. A few electrifying dunks from Harrison Barnes and a nifty Iguodala layup contributed to Golden State’s 14-2 run. Terry Stotts took a timeout and then the Blazers hit back-to-back threes.

Thompson struggled to get going and he was clearly getting frustrated with the officiating. The Warriors were getting called for some moving screens and Portland was getting away with grabbing at his jersey and holding him. He got called for a foul then picked up a technical foul arguing the call right after.

The Warriors were fighting an uphill battle nearly the whole game and it seemingly changed when Steve Kerr made a huge in-game adjustment. Instead of playing Anderson Varejao more minutes, he opted to put in Festus Ezeli instead. The big man completely changed the game, slowing down Damian Lillard and Mason Plumlee. In 12 minutes, he tallied 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block, finishing at +13 for the night.

The third quarter ended after Lillard hit a cold-blooded buzzer beating three that, for the time being, kept Golden State at an arm’s length away. The fourth, though, was all about the defending champs. Draymond Green proved that he really is a top 10 player in the league, settling in defensively and running the Warriors’ quick offense.

Everything came together nicely for the Warriors in the fourth as they capped off a huge comeback. Golden State was able to keep the dynamic Lillard in check in the final period while getting good looks all over the floor.

The Warriors will fly to Portland and take on the Blazers in Game 3 on Saturday, hopefully with Stephen Curry returning to action.

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