The Golden State Warriors always bounce back from their losses this season, especially when Stephen Curry puts an awful shooting night behind him and moves on right ahead with setting records that no one but him are going to come close to.
The Warriors put their sixth loss of the season behind them and beat the Orlando Magic 119-113 in a game that wasn’t as close, but once again, some leniency and complacency almost came back to bite the Warriors in the end. This time however, they had enough of a cushion and enough fortitude to respond right away after Victor Oladipo made it a two point game with 1:13 left. Klay Thompson hit a three pointer and that was the knockout blow that took the Magic out of the game.
But this was another Stephen Curry night. He scored 41 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while hitting 7 three pointers, becoming the first player in NBA history to make 300 three pointers in one season, and we still have 20 games to go, while Curry makes 5.1 of them per game. It’s his second 40-point game in the last 10 days, and he’s averaging 30.7 points a night despite averaging only 34 minutes per game, resulting in the highest PER in the history of the NBA.
More history? The Warriors won their 45th consecutive game at home, a streak that stretches back to last season. This is also something no team has ever done. Is there actually a way to beat the Warriors? They can lose, but is there a systematic, planned thing to do in order to beat them? In one game? In a series? So far it’s been random. Bad nights coupled with rare nights from their opponents. But to every challenge they’ve had this season they’ve risen and conquered, usually in a dominant way. It seems that when they’re focused, there’s not a whole lot to do.
So maybe listen to Gilbert Arenas? He said that having two players constantly on Curry with a hand in his face is going to do the trick, or at least make it more difficult for Curry. But can you actually double team against the Warriors? Maybe on full court presses? And what about the Draymond Green passing issue? Along with Curry, he’s the most important player this team has. Is getting to him mentally, or keeping him out of the loop, capable of making the machine break down?
Until someone works something out, the Warriors seem to be on the start of another win streak. Their next five games are at home against teams with mostly a losing record, with only six road games left for them this season. Breaking the 72-10 regular season record has never been closer, and unless something really weird happens in the next five weeks, it’s hard seeing the Warriors botching this.