Golden State Warriors Unable To Keep Homecourt Advantage
May 10, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) sets the screen against Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) for San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) during the third quarter of game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The San Antonio Spurs managed to take back the homecourt advantage under the leadership of veteran point guard Tony Parker, who posted 32 points on 13-for-23 shooting, with 25 of those points coming in the first half.
The Golden State Warriors shot just 39.3 percent from the field, and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc. This was their worst shooting performance in the series against the Spurs, and Stephen Curry had his worst performance of the postseason, going 5-for-17 from the field, and 3-for-9 from downtown.
Why the Warriors Lost
Live by the three, die by the three. This adage has been used many times in descriptions of the Warriors post season. Only two Warriors who played for more than three minutes shot over 50 percent from the field. In the preview of the game, I wrote that the Warrior’s backcourt needed to both heat up to convincingly beat the Spurs, but the acclaimed Splash Brothers were on cold for most the game, cumulatively shooting 12-for-37 from the field, a dismal 32.4 percent. When Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson can both get hot, the results are undeniably excellent, but when they are both cold, the results were disappointing to say the least.
One more troubling statistic is that since Curry’s extended 58 minute game in Game 1, he has shot a combined 12-for-37 from the field. Before the game, I speculated that Steph’s poor performance in Game 2 would lead to a bounce-back performance in Game 3, but maybe Game 1 took a larger toll than we expected. Only time will tell.
Key Stretch
The Warriors were able to cut what was a ten point deficit in the fourth to a one point deficit with ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, but two long threes from Danny Green and Tony parker and more than a couple of unfortunate missed jumpers from the Warriors sealed their fate. In the three minutes of time after the Warriors cut the lead down to one, the Spurs went on a 6-1 run and the Dubs were unable to recover.
Notable Performances
1) Andrew Bogut
The Australian center posted an impressive double-double with 11 points, 12 boards, and shot 5-for-9 from the field. Bogut saw limited minutes (27) because of early foul trouble, but he continues to prove himself as an effective defender, scorer, and distributor.
2) Tim Duncan
The veteran forward had a dominate game, as he posted 23 points, ten boards, three assists, one steal, and two blocks. Although his shot was a little streaky (10-for-21), the 37 year old proved why he is arguably the greatest power forward to play the game.
MVP: Tony Parker
Oakland is ready to declare war on France after Tony Parker’s performance in Game 3. The 30 year old point guard had struggled making these long 2s that the Warriors defense was content to give him throughout the series, but tonight he found his shot, shooting 56.5 percent from the field. Parker had seemingly been a non-factor in the previous two games, as Klay Thompson and Draymond Green had been effective at shutting him down, but upon further notice, he was taking nearly the same shots in Games 1 and 2, the only difference in Game 3 was that they were falling down. With a little luck, Tony Parker definitely earned the MVP for Game 3.