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A Golden State Warriors’ Sweep and More Takeaways

By Greg Chin

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After last night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Golden State Warriors swept their first-round series 4-0 and will have an extended break before heading into the next round. The Warriors won comfortably, establishing a lead for most of the game, before creating some separation in the second quarter.

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The series has been an interesting battle between the two teams, as the Pelicans have given the Warriors fits of trouble in bursts. Anthony Davis’ athleticism, size, and talent has been problematic for the Warriors, but the Warriors had Draymond Green to rely on for some defensive cover against Davis.

Last night’s game was perhaps the best game played by the Warriors so far, with major contributions from Stephen Curry (39 points), Draymond Green (22 points), and Klay Thompson (25 points). The Warriors were better than the Pelicans in every statistical category, and even outrebounded them despite the Pelicans’ distinct size advantage.

Apr 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is defended by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Here are some takeaways from last night’s game:

  1. Curry has been simply magnificent in this series, averaging 33.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds. His shooting averages have dipped due to the significant increase in shot attempts (16.8 field goal attempts in the regular season, 23.8 attempts this series), but he has been unstoppable in the playoffs so far.
  2. Against the Pelicans, the Warriors were +77 when Green was on the floor, compared to -45 when he wasn’t. He has averaged 41.5 minutes per game this series, simply due to the fact that the Warriors don’t have anyone else to handle Davis aside from Green. Stephen Curry may have been the Warriors’ player of the series, but Green’s contributions in nullifying Anthony Davis cannot be overlooked.
  3. The bench continues to be a bit of head-scratcher. They combined for 15 points in this game, and only played a total of 65 minutes, compared to the starters’ 173 minutes. Andre Iguodala shot 3-of-8 for eight points, while Leandro Barbosa was 3-of-5 for six points. Hopefully coach Steve Kerr can sort out the bench before the next round begins.
  4. Prepare yourselves for the eventual “rust vs. rest” debates before the Warriors play their next round opponents (most likely to be the Memphis Grizzlies).
  5. The Warriors have an uncanny ability to completely shut down their opponents on the offensive end – we saw that when the Warriors established leads in Game One, Two and Four, and it was used in the 20-point comeback in Game Three.
  6. The last time the Warriors swept a series in the playoffs was in 1975 when they beat the Washington Bullets for the NBA title. For all you superstitious folk out there, this is a great sign.

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