OAKLAND — By playing their best basketball for three quarters, the Portland Trail Blazers accidentally woke a sleeping giant Sunday at Oracle Arena.
It’s, ironic, no doubt. What else is Portland supposed to do besides play well? They were delivering body blows to the Warriors in Game 1 of the first round. The score was tied both at halftime and at the end of the third quarter. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were the two most dynamic scorers in the game, combining for 75 points.
The funny part about it? This result is exactly what Steve Kerr wanted to see.
“It was to me the perfect way to win Game 1,” Kerr said. “You get a real taste of what you’re up against. You take a really good punch from your opponent. You see how good they are, but you’re able to overcome everything and still get the win. So I like it. I like the way our guys responded in the second half.”
In fact, Kerr liked it so much, the Warriors cancelled their scheduled practice for Monday. And by no means did Golden State play flawless basketball — 16 turnovers were coupled with some jittery play. But clearly, Kerr is content.
Had they cruised to a Game 1 victory on Easter Sunday over the Trail Blazers without playing well, the Warriors would be more susceptible for a letdown later in the series back in Portland. But now off the get-go, Kerr’s team is physically and mentally aware of the threat the Blazers pose. It’ll help them keep their guard up. Yes, my argument is that the Warriors will benefit more from clashing with Portland rather than blowing them out.
The scare from Portland was slight, but it’s actually nothing new from a Warriors-Blazers playoff series series. The round of the playoffs is different, but the result is the same: Portland is talented enough to startle the Warriors. Golden State will force some shots, will play a little of their element, but then they’ll lock in defensively and harass the Trail Blazers.
Green in particular is who the Trail Blazers were talking about after the game. Lillard and McCollum both agreed Green’s trash talking adds an entirely different element to the game. With the score gridlocked at 88 apiece headed into the fourth quarter, Green led a 15-2 run with a veteran-laden lineup — Steph Curry and Kevin Durant watched the riot from the bench. The Warriors forced six turnovers in the fourth. Golden State started aggressively trapping on the pick and roll, creating problems for Portland.
“(Kerr) said to me, ‘The defensive intensity of this lineup could change the game for us,’” Green said afterwards. “We had 88 points at the end of the third quarter, but the problem was they had 88 points. We knew we had to come out and get stops if we were ever going to pull away in that game.”
Further, Lillard recognizes Portland doesn’t have a chance because they don’t have anyone to match Draymond. Not just his play — his energy.
“Having a guy like that on the floor, I think it raises the level of the game,” Lillard said. “Because I don’t even talk trash, and he was saying so much out there that I had a whole lot to say tonight. I think that’s good for the game. I think the league has softened up a lot, and it’s not like that. So you’ve got to have a rough like him out there. I think it’s necessary. I think their team depends on him to be that dog out there and be that person.”
The most surprising part of the postseason opener wasn’t Lillard and McCollum throwing fire from the sky. It was Golden State’s two unlikely heroes who provided the victorious lift off the bench.
The Blazers had scoring answers for Curry and Durant. They couldn’t counter attack Ian Clark and JaVale McGee. The unlikely power pair off the bench made significant contributions in the second, third and fourth quarters. Clark stirred up a 5-0 run shortly before halftime, burying a 3 and finishing a left-handed steal off the backboard. McGee’s soaring defense propelled an 8-0 run in the third quarter. Clark was back at it again
“We’ve got to do it by committee sometimes,” Curry said, “and we did that.”
Green made one other excellent point postgame: Portland is not your typical No. 8 seed. They are playing like a completely different team than they were at the beginning of the season. So theoretically to the Warriors, they are getting a much tougher test in round one than what they faced two years ago with New Orleans and last year with a flawed Houston team.
“We know it’s not your typical 1-8 (matchup), where you don’t have to play your best to win the games,” Green said. “We have to put great effort out there to win the game.”
One down, 15 to go for the Golden State Warriors, who dusted themselves off after three average quarters on Sunday to bury the Trail Blazers when it mattered most.
And because of how it all transpired, this might be the closest a talented Portland team threatens in round one.