He would make himself a bailout option by coming up to the high post or top of the arc and receiving a pass from Curry. The only way to beat the Nuggets' traps would be to make them pay by getting the ball to the guy they were leaving open (Bogut) and that guy (Bogut) making them pay.īogut delivered. Curry had just won the Western Conference Player of the Month award for April, and Denver was much more content taking its chances with Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee and Andrew Bogut beating them.Īfter Lee went down, the team's second-leading scorer, the strategy became even easier to understand. This strategy was as brilliant as it was obvious. The Nuggets would trap Curry just as he crossed half court, and Curry would be forced to either give the ball up or turn it over. If Barnes played like he did during his first 81 games, he'd be sitting at home right now instead of in a hotel room in San Antonio.Ĭoming into the series, Denver coach George Karl clearly made stopping Stephen Curry his first, second and third priority defensively. His ability to pull up from deep with no hesitation helped him increase his percentage from 35.9 during the season to 40.6 in the playoffs.
The rookie forward showed an aggressiveness and confidence that his game sorely lacked all season. His regular-season averages were 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds on 43.9 percent shooting. Throughout the series, Barnes averaged 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds on 45.7 percent shooting. His two-handed reverse dunk in the fourth quarter put the stamp on a game that saw the Warriors steal home-court advantage away from the Nuggets. He shot 9-of-14 for 24 points in Game 2 and added six rebounds, two assists, a steal and zero turnovers in almost 34 minutes. Instead, coach Mark Jackson inserted Jarrett Jack into the lineup, sliding rookie Harrison Barnes into the power forward slot.īarnes responded to his first career start at the 4 with his best game as a pro. The man expected to fill Lee's role at the starting 4 spot was Carl Landry. Compounding this was the fact that Kenneth Faried, Denver's ferocious power forward, was returning to the lineup after missing Game 1. Without its All-Star power forward, the team's most consistent scorer and best defensive rebounder, Golden State was likely to be dominated inside by the Nuggets. Luckily for Golden State, the following players rose to the occasion and carried the Warriors into the second round.Īll stats courtesy of .Īfter David Lee went down in the Game 1 loss, the Warriors' season seemed to have effectively ended. The Warriors won four out of five games against Denver after David Lee tore his hip flexor in Game 1.įew people expected the Warriors to knock out the Nuggets, but no one expected them to do so without normal production from Thompson and Lee and with so much carelessness from Jack. They won despite Klay Thompson's uncharacteristically poor shooting from three-point range. They did so even though Jarrett Jack committed 4.0 turnovers per game, doubling his regular-season total.
WARRIORS NUGGETS SERIES
The Warriors, of course, won this series in six games. They also beat the Warriors three out of four times during the regular season, and that was back when Golden State was above them in the standings.
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They went 38-3 at home and hadn't lost in Denver since Jan. In order for the Golden State Warriors to eliminate the higher-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round, just about everyone assumed the Warriors would need everyone to play his absolute best.Īfter all, the Nuggets finished the regular season with 57 wins, 10 more than Golden State.
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