You missed Wednesday night’s NBA action because you were busy watching videos then making your favorite foods seen on television shows and movies — like the ratatouille from Ratatouille — and we can respect that. Here’s what you missed around the NBA while you were cooking.
1) Warriors end doubt about who will finish with top seed in West, make playoff statement by coming from 22-down to beat Spurs. The Golden State Warriors, with a healthy Kevin Durant (as we saw the middle of this season) is the most talented team in the NBA, and it will be difficult for any team to beat them in a seven-game series.
Wednesday night we had to ask: Are the Golden State Warriors without Kevin Durant still the most talented and best team in the NBA?
The answer the last two nights has been yes. First, the Warriors beat the Rockets and hold James Harden in relative check. Then the next night the Warriors come from 22 down to beat the Spurs in San Antonio, dominating the game’s final three quarters. That ninth-straight win all but assured the Warriors the top seed in the West. It also was a statement from Golden State — nobody is better than us right now... and by the way, we get to add Kevin Durant
It also was a statement from Golden State — nobody is better than us right now... and by the way, we get to add Kevin Durant back to the mix in a couple of weeks.
It didn’t look like the Warriors were going to make a statement early in this game.
we can't post the highlights as quickly as they're happening. https://t.co/l0MzGFcaKu
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 30, 2017
However, in the NBA a massive first-quarter lead is almost never safe against a good team that can shoot the three. Those leads get blown all the time. And by the second quarter, the Stephen Curry (29 points for the game) and Klay Thompson (23 points) shooting exhibition was on. By the third quarter, the Warriors were in the lead and looking to take command.
.@StephenCurry30 puts the exclamation point on 8-0 run to start the 3Q. #SPLASH 💦 pic.twitter.com/krvYNpCfTB
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 30, 2017
The guy who plunged the daggers into San Antonio was former Spur David West, who was fantastic in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points.
Yes, Golden State looked like the team to beat heading into the playoffs last year, and all they did was have a chance to win it all in the final minutes of Game 7 of the Finals (Cleveland closed that out better). Those Warriors were a very good team — and this year’s version may be better. The ultimate test of that is ahead. But the statement they are the team to beat has been made loud and clear the last two nights.
2) Every time you don’t think Russell Westbrook can do more... he set an NBA record with a 57-point triple-double in Thunder comeback win. I don’t know if Russell Westbrook is going to win the NBA MVP award — I get the sense a lot of voters are swayed by the numbers/efficiency/wins James Harden is putting up — but I know I can’t stop watching him.
Wednesday night was another show — and I don’t just mean the 57 points, the 13 rebounds, and the 11 assists, becoming the first player ever in the NBA with a 57-point triple double. I mean leading a team back from a 21-point third quarter deficit, then hitting the game-tying three to force overtime when everyone in the building knew he would take it but he pulled up from 30 off the dribble and drained it anyway. I mean the rim-rattling dunks, but also the seven points in overtime to secure the win. I mean the smart passes when the entire Orlando defense seemed to collapse on him. Westbrook did it all.
I keep hearing about how Westbrook is chasing stats. Maybe somewhat. However, what I see is a guy chasing wins and knowing the only way the Thunder get those is if he is nothing short of brilliant — the Warriors have a .815 winning percentage when Westbrook gets a triple-double and .333 when he doesn’t. The Thunder need him to play this way, they are a bad team when he is off the court. When he is on it, you can’t take your eyes off him.
3) Milwaukee shows why it will be a tough out in playoffs, beats Boston and knocks Celtics back into a tie with Cavaliers. The single best moment on Wednesday night was when Giannis Antetokounmpo and Isaiah Thomas had to face off for a jump ball.
Greek Freak vs. Isaiah Thomas jump ball went about how you'd expect... pic.twitter.com/VKnbjqHzUg
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 30, 2017
It may be a little bit on the nose, but that was a good metaphor for this game — Milwaukee is a big, long team loaded with athletes and on this night Boston could not overcome them. Thomas has a strong game with 32 points and kept things close — Marcus Smart missed a three to tie at the end — but the Bucks had better balance and depth (the Greek Freak had 22, Khris Middleton added 19).
I’d still pick the Celtics in a seven-game series (although the Bucks look to be the Raptors’ first-round problem) but let this game serve as a reminder that the Bucks will not go quietly into that good night. Also, you may want to avoid jump balls with them.