OAKLAND - For much of the season, the Warriors' complacency has led to massive letdowns. Game 2 of the Western Conference finals almost provided Golden State's latest contribution to the trend, but the Warriors came back to beat the Portland Trail Blazers in a 114-111 win Thursday night at Oracle Arena.
Despite facing a 15-point halftime deficit, Golden State rallied in the fourth quarter, capped by a strong defensive stand in the final seconds by Andre Iguodala that gave the Warriors a two-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series.
That lead should give the Warriors some comfort as they head to Portland for Games 3 and 4 this weekend.
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For now, here are the takeaways from an entertaining Game 2.
Warriors take the fourth quarter: After coasting for much of the night Golden State, finished the game on a 14-3 run that was keyed by the defensive exploits of Draymond Green. He passed, blocked and shot the Warriors back into a game the team had no business winning.
It's fitting Green was crucial down the stretch. After Kevin Durant went out with a calf injury in Game 5 of the NBA playoff second-round series with the Houston Rockets, Green averaged 12 points, 10.6 rebounds and 7.6 rebounds entering Thursday evening.
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“If we compete can’t nobody can beat us, and even sometimes when we don’t compete people still can’t beat us," Green told reporters during a routine regular-season media scrum two months ago.
He proved those words to be true once again Thursday.
Splash Brothers arrive: The opposition is usually in trouble when just one of either Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry has a high-scoring game. Both showed up for Golden State on Thursday.
Thompson scored 13 of his 24 points in the third quarter -- helping the Warriors overcome a 15-point deficit -- while Curry finished with a game-high 37.
With Kevin Durant out for at least the rest of the series, the scoring burden will fall on these two, which will certainly prompt a sense of nostalgia from Warriors fans. But if they can continue their binge from Game 2, Golden State should be in good shape.
Complacency rears its ugly head: Lack of focus has hindered Golden State since the season began eight months ago. It manifested once again in the second quarter Thursday, as the Warriors were outscored 34-21.
Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who the Warriors kept scoreless through the first 12 minutes, scored 10 points in the second frame. That included three moonshots from 3-point range, helping the Blazers to a 65-50 lead into halftime.
While the Warriors dominated the rest of the way, their second-quarter performance was indicative of their lackadasical-at-times midnset that appeared throughout the season. They can beat just about anyone in the league when they're engaged, but when they aren't, they can be beaten down the line.
