In what will go down as one of the most bizarre games of this years playoff race, the Golden State Warriors overcame a 25 point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 113-111 in the final minutes. What seemed to be over at halftime actually ended up being a great game once Kahwi Leonard rolled his ankle twice and left the game for good. On pace for a 50 point game, Leonard left the game after only 24 minutes of play and 26 points. He seemed fine for the entire first half even after rolling his ankle the first time. Coming down off a three point jumper he rolled his ankle and left for the locker room. This destroyed any semblance of cohesivity with the San Antonio Spurs for the rest of the game. With 7:54 left in the third quarter, Leonard shot his two free throws which put the Spurs up 23 points and left the game for the final time.
Enter Jonathan Simmons. Now what you have to remember about this guy is that he once paid $150 to try out for the Austin Toros (D-League NBA Team) and before giving basketball a second shot was a barber. While he has received high praise for his abilities on the court, he is no Kawhi Leonard and the Warriors figured out how to abuse the weak link in the Spurs game plan from there on out. The real story in this game in my opinion is the fact that Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant carried the Warriors to a win in the end. Curry had 40 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Durant posted up 34 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block while the rest of the team didn’t even come close to matching those stats (except in rebounding of course).
What worries me the most for the Warriors is whether or not this style of basketball will be able to whole up in this series as injuries have plagued the NBA Playoffs thus far. Will the Warriors be able to stay healthy, compete with the likes of Aldridge, Gasol, Ginobili, Mills, Green and others. I have a feeling if the Spurs continue to stay with a bigger line up they are going to increasingly cause issues for the Warriors. I still say the Warriors win in 5 or 6 games.