Golden State Warriors: Top 5 Performances of 2012-13
By Gerard Lobo
Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) goes up for a shot as New York Knicks power forward Kenyon Martin (3) defends during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
The 2012-13 was an exciting and possibly franchise turning year for the Golden State Warriors. It was filled willed with excellent performances from a number of players. == The following are the top 5:
5) Stephen Curry (47 points, nine assists, nine three-pointers) Versus Los Angeles Lakers (4/12/13)
As an encore to his 54 points at Madison Square Garden, Curry brought his “All-Star Snub Tour” to Staples Center. As the season was closing and the Lakers were working to make the playoffs and the Warriors were jockeying for playoff position, this game held importance and was played with a playoff intensity. Curry drained nine three’s on his way to 47 points.
Due to some “poor” officiating, the Lakers held a 50-16 free throw advantage and pulled out a two-point victory. This did not take away from an incredible shooting display as well as some great distributing from Curry.
Feb 22, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) fouls Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) on the shot during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeats the San Antonio Spurs 107-101 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
4) David Lee (25 points, 22 rebounds) Versus San Antonio Spurs (2/22/13)
Since the late 1990s, the Warriors seem to always find a way to lose to the Spurs. In a year of exercising old ghosts for the Warriors, David Lee contributed a 20-point, 20-rebound game despite the T-shirt Jerseys to lead the Warriors past the Spurs, and showing them this team does not have the same fear of the Spurs as previous Warrior teams.
3) Stephen Curry (54 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals) Versus New York Knicks (2/27/13)
After being snubbed for the All-Star team, Curry took the New York stage and put up a shooting performance for the ages. It was remanent of my old days playing “Double Dribble” on the old NES. You ran to a hotspot and jacked up a three-pointer and knew it was going in. Despite the loss, Curry drained 11 three-pointers, and filled the rest of the stat line, finishing with a fantasy owner’s dream.
2) Andrew Bogut (14 points, 21 rebounds, three steals, four blocks) Versus Denver Nuggets (5/2/13, Game 6)
It is said the hardest game to win in the NBA is a game to eliminate an opponent from the playoffs. The Warriors did not miss their chance in Game 6 against the Nuggets.
Andrew Bogut put on his strongest performance as a Warrior, dominating the paint. He protected the rim, gobbled up rebounds and chipped in on offense to help complete the upset of the third-seeded Nuggets.
1) Stephen Curry (31 points- 22 in third quarter, seven assists) Versus Denver Nuggets (4/28/13, Game 4)
The third quarter in Game 4 of the Warriors’ series against Denver may be the quarter that turned the franchise from a borderline playoff team to a contender.
After stealing Game 1 in Denver and squeezing out a tight Game 3, the Warriors had to win Game 4 to be able to seal the series at home. They jumped out to a halftime lead, but the third quarter started out troublesome, with the Nuggets bringing the game to a 44-44 tie. Then, Curry went NBA JAM fire mode. He scored 22 points in the third, and the Warriors put the Nuggets away.