The only thing the Golden State Warriors needed from Stephen Curry in Game 1 against the Trail Blazers was his animated celebration whenever they forced yet another Portland timeout. Although Curry is set to miss another week with the knee sprain suffered against the Rockets, Golden State had no problem blowing by Portland in the series' opening game on Sunday for a 118-106 win.
Blazers vs. Warriors 2016 final score: 3 things from Golden State’s Game 1 win without Stephen Curry
The Warriors swept through to a blowout Game 1 win, showing that they’d be fine against Portland despite missing the league MVP.
Curry will soon be named the MVP of the league, but the Warriors didn't win 73 games through him alone. On Sunday, Klay Thompson started it up for the Warriors with a huge Game 1 while Draymond Green took on the role of closer. With those two leading the way, Golden State's victory on Sunday never even came into jeopardy.
Thompson nailed the first shot of a game, a three-pointer assisted by Shaun Livingston, and never slowed down for an 18-point first quarter. The 37-17 first quarter was reminiscent of San Antonio's dominant opening frame in Game 1 against the Thunder on Saturday, and equally shocking. Although the Warriors were still clearly favored in the series, the absence of Curry was seen as an equalizer that would at least make Golden State work for its victory. Instead, they just rolled from opening tip to final buzzer.
Portland played better after the first frame, winning the second quarter, 34-28, but the 20-point deficit established in the first 12 minutes was too large. For anyone nervous what Curry’s loss might do to the Warriors, Game 1 was a friendly reminder: hey, we’re still the Warriors.
1. Green and Thompson don’t need Steph
There’s no doubt Curry’s impact makes it easier for everyone on the Warriors’ roster. The gravity of his pull-up jump shot has more pull than anyone’s in the league, and for players sharing the court with him, it just means they’ll be open a lot. But the Warriors’ other two stars, Green and Thompson, have proven repeatedly that they’re not “situation” stars -- they could do this on any team.
Thompson, too often stereotyped only as a shooter, showed his full offensive repertoire on Sunday by creating offense, frequently getting good shots out of the post and applying his excellent defense on the other end. Green, especially in the second half, recognized an increased need to score instead of just rebounding and defending, and came through. Their final lines reflect just that: Thompson had 37 points on 14-of-28 shooting with five assists, while Green went for 23 points on 14 shots with 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
2. The Blazers’ situation hasn’t worsened
Portland is in a bad situation, and that situation is playing a full-length series against a team that won 73 games during the regular season. Outside of that, Game 1 didn’t really make things too much worse.
The first quarter for the Blazers was unquestionably bad, but for a team almost fully made up of young players who have never been on a stage like this before, a slow start isn’t surprising. Portland won the second quarter, after all, and didn’t fall terribly far behind in the third quarter, either. The Trail Blazers must have come to Golden State with the goal of winning one of the two road games, and that’s still in play despite one really bad quarter leading to a Game 1 loss.
3. Andrew Bogut’s size played a big part for the Warriors
Missing Festus Ezeli, the Warriors played plenty of small ball with Green at center, but their traditional Bogut-led lineups were nearly just as effective. For as much talk as there is about Golden State's smallness, the Warriors can still outpower teams with size. Bogut is a behemoth, kept fresh and active by his limited regular season minutes, and his bulk was just too much for Mason Plumlee and Ed Davis to deal with at times throughout Sunday's game. See?
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