SAN FRANCISCO– Like many of the Golden State Warriors' games throughout this up-and-down season, their inability to close in the clutch decided their 118-111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Down 107-105 in the final two minutes of the game, Cavs' star James Harden picked apart Golden State's defense by taking advantage of the Warriors aggressively double-teaming him.
With the Dubs' defense over-rotating to double him, Harden found Max Strus wide-open on the perimeter twice to bury two 3-point daggers, killing the Warriors' chance of an upset. After the game, coach Steve Kerr explained what led to Strus's open looks and how Harden's prowess forced their hand.
“The first one, it looked like we over-rotated to start the play,” Kerr explained.
“They got the ball behind us, and then we were scrambling. And the second one [Brandin Podziemski] came over to double Harden, and he just came over a half second too soon. That left one second on the clock, and so, Cleveland did a great job of spreading the floor.”
“The last one was my fault,” Podziemski said, taking responsibility for the breakdown. “It said three on the [shot] clock, so I thought, if I go, [Harden] won't have enough time on the shot clock to pick it up and throw it.”
Kerr said the Warriors' defensive game plan wasn't necessarily to double Harden at all costs, to stay with him in front of him. But even if they didn't double, Harden showed why they feared him in the 1-on-1 when he broke Santos down for a floater to seal the deal.
“Obviously, Harden put so much stress on your defense, and his ability to score, get downhill, get to the rim, you have to react. You have to help. And they've got shooting to support him.”
Excitement for Stephen Curry's return
The Warriors' loss to Cleveland marks their 41st of the season, clinching their first season since 2019-20 where they won't finish better than .500. It also all but confirms that they'll be stuck in the 10th seed, meaning they'll have to win two road play-in games to make it to the playoffs.
But while the Dubs' season feels nearly lost, their hope for Steph Curry's return is not. Curry went through another scrimmage, ahead of the Cavs game, and responded well to the speed. Kerr said pre-game that Curry “looks like Steph Curry,” which bodes well for his targeted return this Sunday.
And it also bodes well for the spirits of this team. The vibes have been pretty down in the dumps with all the injuries this season, which include two season-enders to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody. With Curry nearing a return, the team is happy to get back their joyous, all-encompassing superstar.
“You cannot measure it, brother,” Santos said of the team's excitement for Curry's return on the horizon. “We very, very, have to have him back. For me, he's the greatest of all time… Just the fact that he's on the court opens up a lot of space for everybody else to play. So that's going to be great to have him back for us.”
The Warriors are not expecting it to take long to re-acclimate to the greatest shooter of all time, as they hope the positives they've developed in his absence can give them a push when combined with Curry's prowess.
“Him coming back makes everyone's job easier,” Podziemski said. “The gravity he obtains from other teams is like none other in the NBA. I think a lot of us are going to get a lot more clean looks because of that.”
