Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors Advance to Conference Finals, Oust Blazers with 125-121 Win

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Reuters photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry holding the ball leading club to victory over the Portland Trailblazers

The Golden State Warriors kept their end of the bargain in setting up the primetime Western Conference Finals, moving past the Portland Trailblazers in a 4-1 series win. Golden State rallied from a halftime deficit to oust the Blazers from the playoffs with a 125-121 win at Oracle Arena Wednesday night. They now await the winner of the Oklahoma City-San Antonio series, with most pundits expecting a heavyweight clash between the reigning champions and Gregg Popovich’s Spurs.

The Splash Brothers led the Warriors charge highlighted by Klay Thompson’s team-best 33 points. In his second game back from injury, the unanimous Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry chipped in 29. Oakland’s own Damian Lillard did his best to stave off elimination, scoring 28 points for Portland. His frontcourt partner C.J. McCollum added 27.

The Warriors trailed by double-digits late into the 2nd quarter, but managed to keep the Portland lead to 5 points down 63-58 at the half. Golden State outscored Portland 67-58 in the second half for the victory and another dominant series win.

All is not rosey for the Warriors though. Andrew Bogut came out of the game with an adductor injury. The Aussie center’s injury history looms as a concern as the Warriors head to the next round. Draymond Green also briefly exited the game with an injury, but returned to finish out the contest. He had 11 rebounds and 13 points for the Warriors.

For now, the Warriors will play the waiting game as they see who prevails in the other conference semifinal. The Spurs trail the Thunder 3-2, with game 6 set for Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

Stephen Curry wins MVP with unanimous vote

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

photo credit billsinsider.com: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry hold 2016 MVP Award on Wednesday

OAKLAND–In news that came as rather unsurprising, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry claimed the MVP award for the second consecutive year.

What was surprising this time around was that it was a unanimous choice — the first time it’s happened — with all 131 votes going toward Curry.

The 28-year-old averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, outperforming his 2014-2015 MVP campaign. He also led the NBA in steals with 2.1 per game.

Curry’s star has risen precipitously in recent seasons, captivating the league with a blistering shooting arsenal and adding on to his game to become an all-around force. He helped lead the Warriors to a record-breaking 73-9 regular season and his return from injury bolstered the team to a series win over the Trail Blazers to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Curry is just the third point guard to win the MVP award multiple times, joining Steve Nash and Magic Johnson. He is the first player in Warriors’ franchise history to win the award more than once.

Curry Drops 40 In Legendary Performance, Warriors Take 3-1 Lead.

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By Shawn Whelchel

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry who led the Warriors in scoring in game four over the Portland Trailblazers is jubilant to be back in the line up

For fans of the Golden State Warriors, watching star point guard Stephen Curry drop 40 points on an opponent is something that could happen on any given night. But last night’s performance from the unanimous MVP of the league carried with it the type of legendary ethos that put’s him in the conversation with the likes of Michael Jordan and other playoff legends.

Returning for the first time since spraining his MCL in Game 4 of the Houston series, Curry was at the forefront of a resurgent effort from the Golden State Warriors, as he would score an NBA-record 17 points in overtime to notch a 132-125 win, giving his squad a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Curry was only supposed to play sparingly, if that, in his first return to action. But a uncharacteristic ejection from guard Shaun Livingston thrust him back into the thick of it in the second half. Curry didn’t disappoint, going on to secure yet another personal record while stomping any notion of momentum from a scrappy Portland team in the series standings.

Golden State trailed for most of the game, taking their first lead late in the third quarter. The two team’s exchanged baskets in a close contest until a late Harrison Barnes triple forced overtime.

From there on, it was the Curry show, as the sharpshooter went to work all over the court to put his first mark on the series. After giving his team the lead with a layup with just over two minutes to go, Curry would come down the court to nail a three from the top of the key, pounding his chest while stating “I’m back” to the Portland crowd.

Portland would be unable to make up the difference, being sent to the fringe of elimination following the loss.

Damian Lillard played big for Portland again, scoring 36 points on 9-for-30 shooting, with five of his buckets coming from behind the arc. Nearly all Portland starters would end up in double-figures besides Maurice Harkless, who finished with 8 points.

The game was a scrappy showcase from both teams who seemed to refuse to quit. But it was yet another notch in Steph Curry’s legendary belt, and showed how dangerous a team the Warriors are on the court with their healthy MVP knocking down buckets.

Should Curry be fully recovered from his knee injury-and by the looks of things last night it appears he is- last night may have been a dagger in Portland’s season.

 

 

Portland take Game 3 thanks to Lillard’s 40 points

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Columnist

AP photo: Rip City Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard scores 40 on the Golden State Warriors in game three in Portland on Saturday

PORTLAND, OR — So much for the Portland Trail Blazers wilting under pressure.

Damian Lillard poured in a career-high 40 points added 10 assists, igniting Portland to a 120-108 victory Saturday night in Game 3 of the their Western Conference semifinal series.

With the win, Portland becomes just the second team to beat Golden State twice this season while trimming the Warriors’ lead, 2-1 in their best-of-7 series.

“I was really happy about the way we played tonight,” Lillard, who shot 14-of-27 from the field, including 8-0f-13 on 3s, said postgame. “We were the more aggressive team down the stretch.”

The Trail Blazers led 58-46 at halftime, and even saw their lead balloon to as much as 2o points in the fourth quarter.

Al Farouq-Aminu added 23 points and 10 rebounds while starting the game shooting 7-of-7 before finishing 8-of-9 from the floor. Aminu was even deadly from behind the three-point line, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc.

C.J. McCollum, who started off the game 1-of-7, finished the game with 22 points on 8-0f-18 shooting.

Draymond Green scored a career-high 37 points, including 8-of-12 on 3s (also a career-high for any game). Green drained five 3s en route to a 19 point third quarter, but took responsibility for Golden State’s loss.

“That team [Portland], they had doubt. I could tell they had doubt,” said Green. “And we didn’t take advantage of it…And that’s on me.”

Golden State’s defense looked erratic at best at times.

As a team, Portland shot the lights out the ball from deep, converting 17-of-30 on 3s. The Trail Blazers shot 46-percent from the floor (40-of-86).

But the heartbeat of the Warriors has already gone on record that Golden State will make the necessary adjustments to win Game 4.

“We’ll be better there [defensively],” Green added. “I’ll be better. We’ll win.”

Klay Thompson scored 18 of his 35 points in the first quarter. Thompson was blistering hot in the first quarter, making 7-of-12 shots, including 4-of-5 on 3s. It was the second time this series that Thompson scored 18 points in the opening period, accomplishing the feet in Game 1.

There is the possibility of Stephen Curry  suiting up for Game 4 on Monday in Portland. The MVP played two-on-two Saturday before Game 3 and participated in additional drills, but no word has been given regarding Curry’s availability.

Golden State could use Curry’s scoring, especially tonight.

Outside of the huge performances from Green and Thompson, and Leandro Barbosa’s 10 points off the bench, Golden State didn’t have any other players in double-figures.

Harrison Barnes (2-of-8) and Andre Iguodala (0-for-5) combined for 8 points, while Shaun Livingston finished with just 2 points.

 

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: It should be no surprise that Green and Thompson can run things while Curry is out

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photo by abc7news.com in San Francisco: Draymond Green at press conference

On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor no one should be surprised that Draymond Green and Klay Thompson have done so well for Golden State while Stephen Curry is out with a leg injury. These players are both all stars and Thompson has been an all star for two seasons in a row. Green made his first appearance and he was certainly deserving last season with both of them making the all star team in the 2014-15 season just based on how Green played in the first half.

It’s a little weird that people are so surprised by how well their playing. These guys are all stars why should anyone be surprised? It’s one of those situations because Curry isn’t on the floor and the spotlight isn’t on him the spotlight has to fall on somebody and the fact of the matter is it’s been great basketball is emulating from Thompson and Green right now.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcast each week right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors come back for Game 2 win over Blazers

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

AP photo: The Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson missed 13 of 20 but hit five three pointers and finished the game with 27 points on Tuesday night

For the longest time, it seemed like the Golden State Warriors’ chances of taking a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals over the Blazers was in jeopardy.

But then, the fourth quarter happened, and the Warriors came roaring back for a 110-99 win on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors outscored the Blazers 34-12 in the fourth, turning an 11-point deficit into an 11-point victory. Klay Thompson’s 3-pointer midway through the fourth tied the game 91-91, and then another three gave the Warriors their first lead of the night at 94-93. From there, the Warriors pulled away with suffocating defense and a rhythm on offense that they didn’t have for much of the first half.

Thompson led the way with 27 points, though he struggled from 3-point range, shooting just 5-of-14. Draymond Green added 17 points and 14 rebounds. Festus Ezeli played key minutes in the fourth, scoring eight quick points and providing great energy to help spur the turnaround.

Early on, the Warriors found themselves in some trouble, as the Blazers jumped out to a 13-point lead after one and a 59-51 advantage at halftime.

The Warriors made several runs to cut into the deficit, but the Blazers, led by 25 points from Damian Lillard and 22 points from CJ McCollum, responded to every push by Golden State.

That is, until the final one. The Warriors cruised in the fourth for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which shifts to Portland on Saturday.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Curry likely return in game three could spell a sweep of Blazers

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Listen to David’s Warriors podcast below as he talks about the Warriors who held a good healthy lead on the Portland Trailblazers in game one up until the end. The Warriors were up by some 20 points by the end of the first quarter. A lot of that was because the Warriors Klay Thompson dropped 14 at the end of that first quarter. Thompson was getting three pointers everywhere on the floor.

There were shots that Thompson was taking that were Steph Curry range that were ridiculous. He got some shots that were off balance and he had some really nice drives that were scored from everywhere on the floor. The Blazers had no answer for him. Draymond Green was doing equally great with 23 points.

Listen to David for the rest of the Warriors podcast and each week during the playoffs at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Roll Past Blazers to Tip Off Western Conference Semifinals

Published on by bentleonard18Leave a comment

By Ben Leonard

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AP photo: Golden State’s Klay Thompson reacts after splashing down a three pointer towards the end of the first quarter on Sunday’s game

No Steph Curry? For now, it looks to be no problem for the Golden State Warriors, who rolled to a dominant 118-106 win Sunday over the Portland Trail Blazers to open the Western Conference semifinals.

Klay Thompson filled Curry’s scoring void for Golden State, dropping 37 points while shooting 7 of 14 from behind the arc, leading the team in both marks. Draymond Green also shouldered a large amount of the load with an outstanding all-around performance, picking up a triple double, scoring 23 points while pulling down 13 boards and dishing out 11 assists.

Ever since Curry departed with a knee injury on the last play of the second half in Game Four of the first round, Golden State hasn’t missed a beat, outscoring their opponents by a 297-225 margin.

Golden State jumped out to a hot start at home, taking a commanding 37-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, silencing doubters with a thunderous roar at Oracle Arena. After that, the Warriors coasted on for the rest of the game. In typical Golden State fashion, they never lost control of the game — the outcome wasn’t in doubt at any time.

Portland blew out the Warriors 137-105 in February at the Rose Garden to hand them just the fifth loss of their season, but the last three contests haven’t gone so well for the Blazers, dropping them by margins of 16, 25, and 16, respectively (all at Oracle Arena).

The two West Coast teams will duke it out again on Tuesday night at Oracle, before heading to Portland for Games Three and Four.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Curry or no Curry the Warriors were going to take out Houston in the first round

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nbcsports.com photo: Former Houston Rockets general manager Kevin McHale

The Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor you might remember last season the Houston Rockets were paying the Warriors last season for the Western Conference title and the Rockets gave the Warriors a real battle. Last year the Rockets won over 50 games this year the Rockets finished at 41-41. Their head coach last year Kevin McHale was fired and was replaced. The story of their season.

The real story is dysfunction this season, the Rockets were awful and the Warriors were really able to take advantage of them. The Rockets coming into this last round were not going to be a challenge to the Warriors. Whether Stephen Curry was in the line up or not there was no way the Rockets were going to win this first round.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcast each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com click below to hear more

 

 

 

Warriors send Rockets packing in dominating fashion

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit CBS 46 Atlanta

Well, Steph Curry did not play and yet the Warriors showed why they made history for the best record in NBA history. Normally, a team without their star player has a lot to worry about. The Warriors showed no problems minus the reigning MVP and proved why they are the team to beat besides the fact their last year’s champs. Golden State annihilated the Houston Rockets in a 114-81 victory at Oracle Arena.

Let’s be honest, there’s not much to say about this game. The game went exactly as most would have figured given that the Warriors routed Houston in game four and not to mention they’re the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors played great, the Rockets played atrociously, which is a recipe for disaster. The Warriors played with great togetherness and to nobody’s surprise, they shot out of this world. Golden State made it look easy as they finished with a 54.9 shooting percentage while Houston could not find a way to score with a 32.6 shooting percentage. Golden State played solid defense as they forced 18 turnovers for 25 points.

James Harden was the only Rockets’ player to show any offensive life finishing with 35 points. Besides Harden, Michael Beasley was the only other Houston player to finish the game in double figures.

Klay Thompson did his best to fill Curry’s shoes and finished with 27 points. Thompson knocked down seven buckets from behind the arc on 11 shots and finished 10 of 14 from the field overall. Draymond Green was tremendous overall as usual and totaled 15 points, grabbed nine boards and dropped eight dimes.

Shaun Livingston had a good game on offense as well and scored 16 points on seven of eight shooting. The Warriors looked just as good as they always are and bounced the Rockets out of the playoffs.

Throughout the game, Curry showed incredible excitement from the bench and supported his teammates like no other. And this is why the Warriors are so dangerous, they have some of the greatest team chemistry I have witnessed in my lifetime.

The Warriors won the series and only allowed the Rockets to win one game, which came down to the wire.

Golden State will either face the Los Angeles Clippers who are without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin or the Portland Trailblazers. Portland won game five in their series to go up 3-2 and it appears like they will be Golden State’s semifinal opponent.

Whoever the Warriors play, fans are hopeful that Curry can make his way back into the playoffs. But, with the way Golden State played tonight, let Curry take as much time as he needs to get ready for the Western Conference Finals. I am knocking on wood though, so the whole Bay Area doesn’t freak out on me and say I jinxed them.