What we learned in Warriors' thrilling comeback win vs. Heat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
When it was announced that Draymond Green would not play in Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat, it meant that a hard matchup just got even harder for the Warriors.
It looked difficult for Golden State -- trailing by 19 points at one point. But, the Warriors managed to come back and win 120-112.
It wasn't a pretty game. It was anything but.
The Warriors committed 15 turnovers -- most of which weren't caused by themselves -- and struggled to get the ball in the hoop.
Of course, credit has to be given where it's due. The fact that the Warriors took the game into overtime is impressive. The fact that they won is even more impressive. There wasn't a rhythm to their game all night, and while it was a single-digit game for most of the second half, it didn't feel like it.
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There is still a lot for the Warriors to improve on, but a win is a win. And for the first time this season, the Warriors are three games above .500.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' riveting comeback win:
The Warriors have some positives to take away, but not a ton
When regulation ended and the game was officially heading into overtime, the Warriors had to be pleased.
On a night without Green, and when Curry had an off night, they still managed to take the Heat into overtime -- and win.
No, this Miami team is not the same that made it to the NBA Finals last season, and no, this game wasn't pretty, but it says something that the Warriors managed to fight their way back into the game without their two best players.
As mentioned at the top of these takeaways, there was a lot of ugly in this game. And the Warriors were the perpetrators of most of it. There's a lot of cleaning up that needs to happen. Still, the fact Golden State erased a 19-point deficit to come out with an improbable win shouldn't go unnoticed.
Steph showed up when it mattered most
Green's presence on the court makes the game easier for Curry. There's a direct correlation between some of Curry's most explosive scoring games and when Green is doing his best play-making.
So when Green was scratched from the game, it makes sense that Curry wasn't as hot. But, that has never stopped Curry before. And it shouldn't have against the Heat.
With the lack of size against Bam Adebayo, the Warriors needed Curry to go off from beyond the 3-point line, and just in general. But Curry went just 2-of-15 from three in regulation.
He wasn't just missing the shots he'd get from Green, he missed wide-open ones as well.
But somehow, Curry still finished with 23 points. He hit three 3-pointers in overtime when it mattered most, and I guess that's all the Warriors really needed.
No answer for Bam Adebayo
Just minutes before tipoff, the Warriors announced that Draymond Green would miss the game due to right ankle soreness.
This meant that the small-ball Warriors would be even smaller. The Warriors have been pretty successful with their small-ball lineups the last two weeks. Even when they lost games, most of the time they seemed to gel on the court more so than before.
But against the Heat -- which has one of the top centers in the league -- a small lineup was not what they wanted.
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The Warriors had no answer for Adebayo, who scored what felt like anything he wanted, and blocked two shots as well.
He bullied his way into the paint, and at times it felt like he wasn't even feeling the defender guarding them because of his size.
We'll never know if Green's presence would have negated the impact Adebayo had Wednesday. But it doesn't matter. He had his way with everyone, and the Warriors had no size to combat him with.
