In Jannelle Moore’s latest edition of her weekly column, “Town’s Finest,” she breaks down her thoughts on the Golden State Warriors’ 6-game road trip.
The Golden State Warriors are perfectly imperfect.
Kevin Durant raised $40 million dollars worth of hell and the ire of the refs, getting ejected twice. Shaun Livingston was ejected and suspended for his altercation with referee Courtney Kirkland.
But the Dubs won both of those games.
Against the Lakers, Stephen Curry struggled from the field and racked up his share of turnovers while he played through the pain of a hand/finger contusion.
Dubs won in overtime thanks to Curry’s 13 point run.
Curry then sprained his right ankle and missed the final two games of this trip. Patrick McCaw and Zaza Pachulia also missed the final two games, while Draymond Green missed one.
None of these complications mattered because the Warriors became the 11th team in NBA history to post a 6-0 road trip after their 102-98 victory against the Detroit Pistons Friday night.
Ironically, the Dubs needed a stretch like what they endured on this road trip. In multiple games, the Warriors looked disengaged, undisciplined, and skated by on their talent. The adversity during this road trip forced the Warriors to focus, adjust, and execute on both sides of the ball.
Subsequently, this road trip also reminded us of the strength, depth and resiliency of this team and provided it’s share of top performances and moments so let’s get into them.
KEVIN DURANT: 35 POINTS/11 REBOUNDS /10 ASSITS VS. HORNETS
After Stephen Curry went down with a right ankle sprain at the end of the Pelicans game, all eyes were on Kevin Durant to put the team on his back. Against the Hornets, that’s exactly what he did.
He shredded Charlotte’s defense for a triple-double. Durant’s defining moment in the game came in the third-quarter where he cooked Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Dwight Howard with a crossover-eurostep combo.
Seconds later, on defense, Durant contested a Howard shot and ripped one of his 11 rebounds for the night. He pushed the ball ahead and found JaVale McGee cutting to the basket for the assist.
In addition to this sequence, Durant had his share of highlights demonstrating his dominance on both ends of the floor. During Curry’s absence, the Warriors may not need for Durant to take so many shots (he had 28 attempts in the Hornets game), but it’s fun to see him go deep into his “bag of tricks.”
STEPHEN CURRY: 28 POINTS/5 REBOUNDS/7 ASSISTS VS LAKERS
What made Steph’s performance against the Lakers stand out is the fact that he turned a horrible game into a great one. He proved his toughness and resiliency by playing through the pain of a hand/ring finger contusion.
During regulation, the pain and the padding on Curry’s shooting hand altered his shot and control of the ball. The pain had him shooting airballs rapidly turning over the ball. During the fourth quarter and overtime periods, Curry adjusted the use of his affected hand and lit the Lakers up for 13 points in overtime to clinch the game.
Much is made about Curry’s durability and toughness but he proved his ability to endure and adjust during this game. Curry even proved his durability when he sprained his ankle against the New Orleans Pelicans in the X-Rays and MRI. Both tests showed no damage on the surgically repaired ankle. Reportedly, Warriors team doctors will re-evaluated Curry in two weeks.
DRAYMOND GREEN: 6 BLOCKS/3 STEALS VS PISTONS
Green returned to the line up after nursing a sore shoulder in Charlotte, and he was all over the place on defense against the Pistons. You can argue that this game was the best defensive game Green’s played all year.
Green blocked two 3-point attempts and contested 19 shots to go along with three steals. In addition to Green’s defensive prowess, he also dropped 13 dimes against the Pistons to go with his two points, six rebounds, three steals and six blocks!
JIM BARNETT: THE CHAIN VS PELICANS, HORNETS AND PISTONS
It’s been 43 years since Barnett played for the Warriors but he is still part of the fabric of the team. Serving as a color commentator for over 30 years, Barnett remains a well known figure in the organization and in the Bay Area. Now, thanks to JaVale McGee, Barnett is now a figure that the Warriors and all of Dub Nation can rally behind.
Before tip off against the Pelicans, McGee wore a gold chain during warm ups. Since players can’t wear jewelry during the game, he gave it to Barnett and subsequently Barnett wore it over his shirt and tie during the Pelicans game.
Barnett tried to return it to McGee, but McGee wouldn’t take it back. So, Barnett wore that chain against the Hornets and the Pistons. Just like Klay Thompson‘s toaster last year, JB and the chain could very well be a thing. Since Jim donned the chain:
-Stephen Curry escaped severe injury.
-The Warriors won their three remaining games on the road trip.
Next: The Surf City Summary: Everything about the Santa Cruz Warriors
The Warriors play the Portland Trailblazers at Oracle on Monday, so don’t be surprised if you see the chain during the pre game broadcast.