It’s a familiar and comforting sight for Warriors fans. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry sit side-by-side on the bench in the 4th quarter, towels draped on heads and eyes on the court. All season long, Durant, Curry and other Golden State stars sat out fourth quarters with huge leads, all the while preserving their energy for the month of June.
Even in the playoffs, that’s continued. Durant played in just 8 of 12 fourth quarters as the Warriors swept their way through the first three rounds, and Curry played just 47 of 144 possible 4th quarter minutes. Again, all good signs for a team that broke down and tired out at the end of the Finals last season after playing so many tight games in May.
But Thursday’s game could be tight to the end, as could every game in the Finals. With nine days off between games, Curry, Durant and anyone wearing a uniform in Oracle Arena will be physically ready to play as many minutes as necessary. But after a playoffs spent largely coasting through games and wrapping them up in three quarters or less, some mental rust could be present.
The Warriors played one game that still hung in the balance as the clock wound down this postseason, Game 1 against San Antonio. Durant and Curry led a charge back from 25 after Kawhi Leonard got hurt, and Curry hit a floater with nine seconds left to ice the game. It was the most clutch shot made by a Warrior in the playoffs this year. But it could be argued that was the only truly clutch shot even taken by a Warrior in the playoffs.
Curry converted when challenged against San Antonio, and he can on Thursday too, but the point is, he and Durant will have to fine-tune some of their late-game flow on the fly in the Finals, simply because they haven’t had the chance to practice it much until now.
LeBron and company have coasted their way here too, though not quite as smoothly. Cleveland’s had six games decided by single digits in the playoffs. The Warriors have played just two. James has also played nearly as many 4th quarter minutes as Durant and Curry have combined.
Obviously all the stars in this series have ample career experience to draw on if Game 1 is tied with 30 seconds left. But Cleveland could be a bit sharper in the mind when executing an inbounds play from the corner in the closing seconds, or when facing a backcourt trap while being intentionally fouled, for example. It’s something to consider. They’ve done it more frequently, more recently.
The Warriors can handle it. They’ve shown that. When the pressure is there, the Warriors stars won’t just melt. But this is the Finals that will seriously alter the reputations of both Curry and Durant going forward. If either wilts in the closing seconds of a game, or appears to be shirking the spotlight in any way at all, the media will buzz about it
And since neither Curry nor Durant has really played tight games with the other on the court in the playoffs yet, except against a Leonard-less Spurs team, Thursday could be the first real test of their chemistry under duress. It certainly wouldn’t be an ideal time for things to go awry, if they do, it’s understandable why.
The dynamic duo could continue what they’ve been doing and play the first three quarters so well that they aren’t needed by the end. We could see that same familiar picture at the end of Game 1, the one where Curry’s mouthguard hangs from his mouth as he sips Gatorade, sits in a chair and cheers on whatever reserve is dribbling out the clock. But if things are close, and he and Durant are both out there, it will be a new challenge for the duo. The highest of high pressure minutes in the highest of high pressure games. And there won’t be any more time for practicing those situations. They’ll have to show they’re prepared.