by George Devine, Sr.
After scoring a close upset in the first game of the Western Conference playoffs, the Warriors lost by a whopping margin of 138-98 to the Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Coach Mark Jackson had told his team they were not there for a split, but to win two games; it didn’t turn out that way.
Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry both came into the contest with an average of 24 ppg. Griffin exceeded that mark with a total of 35, whereas Curry scored only his typical 24, with 20 of them coming in the third. That would not have been a problem for Golden State had their other high scorers come through; they didn’t. Klay Thompson scored only 7, and committed 4 fouls. It was foul trouble, in fact, that crippled the W’s as it had undone the Clippers in the previous game. And just as the visitors had excelled on defense in the first game, tonight was the home team’s turn to do so.
Los Angeles scored 27 of their points on 26 Golden State turnovers, compared to 13 for the Clippers. The Warriors were 81.5% from the free throw line — normally respectable in the NBA — but the Clips were 91.4%. On three-pointers the Dubs were 21.1% to the Clippers’ 48%; on field goals generally the margin in favor of L.A. was 56.6%-47.4%.
Chris Paul scored 10 points, and added 10 valuable assists for Los Angeles. The Clippers could not be stopped after a 14-4 run at the top of the evening, and were ahead by at least 25 through the second, third and fourth periods. Had this been a CYO game, the “Mercy Rule” would likely have been invoked early on.
The next game in the series will be at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Thursday, April 24.
Notes: According to the San Francisco Chronicle/SF Gate.com, The proposed Warriors’ arena site on the San Francisco waterfront south of the Bay Bridge has been scuttled in favor of a new location in Mission Bay. The new parcel was reportedly purchased from Salesforce.com and the team hopes to have the arena in service for the 2018-19 season.
The change in plans avoids what could have been a costly and contentious ballot fight over the previous site, which raised the hackles of some San Francisco voters. Opponents of the Embarcadero location objected to the height of the proposed building and its effects on traffic, parking and views.