Warriors are at their best with their backs against the wall
The Golden State Warriors play their best basketball under pressure, when they have their backs up against the wall.
It’s not often that a team that won 73 regular season games and boasts the 2x league MVP is considered the “underdog,” but it happens when you lose to a team with two top-five players.
The Golden State Warriors fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. blowing a double digit lead at home for just their third loss this season (regular and playoffs) inside the friendy confines of Oracle Arena. It was shocking, to say the least. Stephen Curry struggled to shoot the ball, Draymond Green had to play out of his element, and Klay Thompson was forcing ill-advised shots. OKC out-rebounded them and, in the second half, out-hustled them too.
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, there was panic. The old adage goes that a playoff series doesn’t start until the home team loses and they lost their home court advantage right away. The odds changed as the stakes simultaneously rose. The Thunder now had the upper hand, proving that they could beat the two toughest home teams in the league at their place. It was a game in which neither Kevin Durant nor Russell Westbrook shot the ball particularly well and they still came away with the victory. OKC’s confidence was sky-high as the Warriors had a lot of evaluating to do.
But that’s the beauty of this team—they thrive on pressure. Ahead of Game 2, Green said that it was fun being in a position that they hadn’t been in before. It was the first time since Steve Kerr took over that the Warriors lost the first game of a playoff series. During warmups. Curry could be seen pretending that he was golfing with the basketball, followed by playing catcher and calling someone out on strikes. With the biggest game of the season ahead of them, the MVP was loose.
The Warriors came out in Game 2 and played their brand of basketball. They moved the ball and they defended at a high level. Green returned to form, hitting open defenders and making smart decisions. And in the third quarter, instead of Westbrook exploding, it was the league’s best point guard. Curry took over, hitting shot after shot, staring down Serge Ibaka and the OKC bench in the process.
These Warriors, as presently constructed, have had their backs against the wall before. They fell behind 2-1 to both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They lost an overtime thriller in the NBA Finals at home to a next-level LeBron James. The world was starting to doubt their validity as a 67 win team with the MVP.
They bounced back just like they did in Game 2 against the Thunder. The Warriors sometimes dig themselves a hole. one riddled with sloppy play and complacency. It seems as if they’re too good for their own good. And on the rare occasions that they do falter, they bounce back in a major way.
With the series tied going back to OKC, the Warriors aren’t necessarily the underdogs, but they also aren’t in the driver’s seat yet. But that loss opened their eyes, it unleashed their inner competitor. They made the right adjustments and played with high energy. Moving forward, there will continue to be those that doubt Golden State and that’s how they like it.
They play best when no one believes in them and they have their backs up against the wall.