Ultimate prize is what counts

The Golden State Warriors set a new NBA record with 73 wins this regular season but it’ll be just a footnote in the history books if the Dubs don’t clinch the ultimate prize at the end of the playoffs because the championship is all that matters.

Take the San Antonio Spurs’ case. The Spurs finished the regular season with a franchise best 67-15 mark and tied the all-time home record of 40-1. For a while, it looked like coach Gregg Popovich could do no wrong, that the tandem of LaMarcus Aldridge and Tim Duncan was the best thing to happen down the Riverwalk since the David Robinson era. But nobody’s talking about San Antonio anymore, not after losing to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals despite a homecourt advantage.

So far, Golden State has been impressive in the playoffs, mowing down Houston and Portland via identical 4-1 romps with Steph Curry seeing action in only four of 10 games. Coach Steve Kerr managed to generate quality minutes from every Warrior while the back-to-back MVP recovered from injury. But the good news for Warrior fans is Curry played in Golden State’s last two games against the Trail Blazers, his first back-to-back appearance in the playoffs.

Curry played in Games 1 and 4 of the Houston series then Games 4 and 5 against Portland. First, he sprained his right ankle and sat out Games 2 and 3 against the Rockets. Then, he sprained his right knee in Game 4 against Houston and missed the second half after scoring only six points. But Curry was spectacular in his comeback, scoring an NBA record 17 points in overtime as the Dubs defeated the Blazers, 132-125, in Game 4. Curry finished with 40 points off the bench. In Game 5, he was back as a starter and fired 29 points as the Warriors clinched, 125-121.

The Warriors face a dangerous opponent in the Western Conference finals. Oklahoma City was third in the West ladder with a 55-27 record behind Golden State and San Antonio. The Thunder disposed of Dallas, 4-1, in the first round of the playoffs then upset the Spurs, 4-2. In the regular season, OKC led the league in rebounding (48.6) and offensive boards (13.1) and ranked No. 2 in offense (110.2 points) and No. 3 in field goal percentage (.476). San Antonio was No. 1 in defense (giving up 92.9 points) but couldn’t hold off the Thunder in the playoffs. OKC averaged 104 points in four wins over the Spurs and two came in San Antonio. The Spurs lost only once at home in the entire regular season so bowing twice to OKC in the playoffs was a shocker.

The Thunder’s problem is depth. OKC has four players averaging at least 32 minutes in the playoffs – Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka. Durant is logging 39.7 minutes and Westbrook, 36.4. Together, they’re averaging a combined 52.9 points. Others in the lineup are Dion Waiters, defensive specialist Andre Roberson, Enes Kanter of Turkey and Anthony Morrow. Coach Billy Donovan’s short rotation may not work against a deep team like the Warriors.

Golden State has 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes and only three are logging at least 30 – Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes. Curry is averaging 27.8 minutes but his exposure should increase as his health improves. Kerr’s other weapons are Andrew Bogut, sixth man Andre Igoudala, Shaun Livingston, “Mo Buckets” Speights, Festus Ezeli, Brandon Rush and Brazilians Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao.

In the regular season, the Warriors were way ahead of the pack in different statistical departments. They were No. 1 in offense (114.9), assists (28.9), three-point percentage (.416) and field goal percentage (.487). What makes Golden State’s match-up against OKC exciting is they’re both offense-minded. It’ll be a shootout at the Western corral for sure.

Donovan’s presence deep in the playoffs is a mild surprise particularly as it’s his first season in the NBA. Donovan, 50, was the University of Florida coach for 19 seasons before jumping to OKC last year. He took the Gators to a pair of NCAA titles and one of his players was Speights. In 2007, Donovan initially came to terms to coach the Orlando Magic but later changed his mind to stay with the Gators.

Donovan’s asset is the ability to relate with his players. “It’s not about me coming in here and them hearing my voice,” he said after joining the Thunder. “It’s about me coming and trying to develop a close relationship with them where there is trust built up and where they feel like I’m genuinely and sincerely trying to help them grow and develop.” In describing his system, Donovan said the anchor is unselfishness. “If you have a shot and someone’s got a better one, move the ball,” he said. “It’s creating multiple actions on different sides of the floor, keeping it spaced and the ball continuing to move. We need to be a disciplined team on offense.”

Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated said while Durant and Westbrook are two of the top five players in the league, “they’ll have to simultaneously deliver the best series of their lives to outshine Curry and Thompson.” Ballard said OKC “has looked good with bigger lineups featuring Kanter and Adams ,.. and can tinker with formulas, tabbing Roberson for his defense, Morrow for his shooting and Waiters for a combination of both but all those players carry risk … the Thunder will likely rely most on Roberson to blanket the perimeter but he can’t shoot reliably and the Warriors could give him the Tony Allen treatment, sagging off him and clogging the paint to impede Westbrook and Durant.” If the Warriors are healthy and Golden State plays to form, OKC will be lucky to last six games with the Dubs.