This was supposed to be another easy game for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Golden State Warriors; coming in at 9-30; were without their star players Stephen Curry; Klay Thompson; and D'Angelo Russell; and were a far cry from their Championship-winning days of yore. Only Draymond Green remained amongst their star-studded line-up.
However; as the Clippers found out in this match; the Warriors may have a poor record; but they're certainly not a poor team. With Steve Kerr at the helm; whoever puts on a Warrior uniform and is assimilated into the Warrior organisation is imbued in that selfless passing game and organisation-before-self mantra that was so well embellished in their title-winning years.
And here again; the Warriors grew more and more confident with every passing shot; as Omari Spellman and Alec Burks spearheaded a surprising Warrior charge that saw the visitors leading by 10 after three quarters; prompting quizzical looks on the Clipper bench and a few boos even at Staples Center.
And then suddenly in the fourth quarter; the Clippers re-discovered themselves. Spearheaded by Kawhi Leonard; who was asserting himself in the absence of Paul George; the Clippers steeped up the gears defensively and went on an offensive affront; punctuated by a spell-binding Leonard slam as he drove to the hoop past a host of defenders. He literally carried the team on his back and refused to let them lose.
There was also an interesting point when Lou Williams hit a patented-yet-improbable corner three-pointer at the left baseline while fading out-of-bounds; with the momentum leading to him crashing into the front-row spectators. As he fumbled about trying to get up; it was none other than Warrior guard Russell who quickly came to lend a helping hand. Great to see. And Williams' obvious non-presence at the other end led to Warrior point-guard Ky Bowman soaring down unadulterated at the other end for a thunderous slam.
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