The Warriors still have a long way to go

The Warriors won Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, but they need to do a lot more to come away with a victory in Game 6.

In the first must-win game of the Steve Kerr era, the Golden State Warriors pulled through, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Warriors still trail 3-2 as the series shifts back to OKC where the defending champs were just obliterated two games in a row. They looked broken on the road, far from the team that won 73 games in the regular season. Stephen Curry didn’t look like a 2x MVP, completely getting outplayed by the intense Russell Westbrook.

The Warriors returned home with the season on the line. They were desperate, finally playing with the sense of urgency that they needed to start the series with. As a spectator, it was exhausting to watch. Golden State looked like they were ready to break out into one of their patented runs, but OKC absorbed and countered every single time.

The Warriors didn’t look like their usual self, but they were a lot closer than they have been. They had flashes. The first play of the game was quintessentially Golden State. And by quintessentially, I mean like the last 24 months. It was a beautiful drive and kick, with passing all around that resulted in an open Harrison Barnes three pointer in the corner. There were moments where the Warriors were able to pick up the pace and play some beautiful basketball.

But for every great play, the silly mistakes were still there, all the way up to the final buzzer. The Warriors dodged a few bullets in the last few minutes of the game as they continued to turn the ball over, giving Kevin Durant free looks at shots he normally makes.

The Warriors fed off the home crowd as Steph Curry turned to them and declared “we ain’t going home.” And he was right. They survived. But can they do it again?

If they replicate their Game 5 effort, the Warriors will be watching the Thunder take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Their performance was good enough to win a home game against a team with three opportunities to close out a series. It was much better than they had played in the previous two games, but it still won’t be enough to secure a road win.

In the third quarter of Game 5, the Warriors lost control for a stretch of time. Draymond Green was called for a foul on a Durant three then promptly picked up a technical foul to go with it. From there, things started to unravel for Golden State as their offense fell apart while Durant and the Thunder started to heat up. They eventually regained control of the game, but playing erratically without poise like that in OKC will prove to be fatal.

It’s not just the players as Steve Kerr also needs to step it up. All season long he’s rested his players for the postseason and now that they’re here, he looks afraid to play them. The Warriors were able to get away with playing a full bench unit and Barnes to start the fourth quarter in what could have been their last game of the season. It worked out, but there’s no reason his rotation should be so big. Anderson Varejao should not see the court. As much as I love Leandro Barbosa, I’ll take some more Steph Curry and Klay Thompson minutes over him.

But the playoffs come down to stars. LeBron James has his team in the Finals for the sixth straight season. The Warriors’ have a superstar in his own right. They’re a team that will only go as far as he will take them. It starts and ends with the MVP. In their final regular season meeting, Curry scored 46 points, hit 12 three-pointers, and sunk a game-winner at the buzzer from beyond 30 feet. It was a superhuman performance that allowed the Warriors to narrowly pull out a win.

Curry hasn’t consistently looked like the best player in the world in these playoffs as he’s dealt with a variety of injuries. He’s still getting strength in his knee and finding his rhythm. In Game 5, he looked a little more explosive as he drove the ball and finished at the rim after beating his man off the dribble. Curry still hasn’t found his outside shot, especially the step backs off the bounce. The Warriors cannot win in a hostile environment without Curry’s momentum-shifting threes over mismatches.

Warriors fans shouldn’t celebrate yet. Their team still hasn’t proven they can win in OKC. There’s no room for error right now so everything needs to be perfect. Green and the team have to remained poised and collected throughout the whole 48 minutes. The difference between the Warriors winning in Chesapeake Energy Arena earlier in the season and losing was Curry. He needs to return to alien form once again if the Warriors want to keep their season alive.

The Warriors are not playing their best basketball and haven’t for a while now. But that doesn’t mean they can’t match OKC’s energy and effort. They need to dive for every loose ball, fight for every rebound, and leave it all on the floor. Legacies will be on the line and they need to play like it.

Perhaps Golden State can build on their Game 5 victory, but they do need to make more happen if they want to play on Warriors Ground again this season.