Western Conference Semifinals vs. Utah
Game 1: May 2, 2017 • Oakland, California
Warriors 106, Jazz 94
Draymond’s Kind of Game
Golden State Uses Rest, Defense to Cruise to 1-0 Series Lead
Draymond Green and Steph Curry miscommunicated on a second quarter inbound that wasn’t even being defended, leading to an overthrow and the type of careless turnover that, if capitalized upon, can breathe life into the underdog but resourceful Jazz.
But Utah didn’t capitalize. Draymond Green destroyed a should-be 2-on-1 score — unofficially the 987th fastbreak he’s busted up this season — stripping a Gordon Hayward layup, then pushing it ahead for an eventual Kevin Durant dunk, as a quartet of fans in section 101 rose with signs to spell out D(efensive) P(layer) O(f the) Y(ear).
There were stars all over the court in Game 1, but no one really starred in the Warriors’ workman-like 106-94 win over the Jazz. But that’s the kind of game — and this is the kind of matchup — that so perfectly fits Green.
The Warriors were idle the seven days prior, awaiting their second round opponent after sweeping through the Blazers. There was concern about some possible early rust.
And maybe there was a bit, at least offensively. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant both airballed in the first few minutes. The Warriors didn’t score on the first few possessions. It took them more than five minutes to reach 10 points. But it took nearly four minutes for Utah to score at all.
That included a Jazz shot clock violation before a Jazz point. After bleeding the clock under five seconds, lanky center Rudy Gobert found himself about six feet from the hoop, needing to make a play against Zaza Pachulia. But as he gathered for a hook, Green pounced, double-teaming a stunned Gobert and causing him to fumble it away.
Draymond Green runs into fans during the Game 1 win over Utah. Green had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the game. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
There was a lot of that early for the Jazz. The change of defensive speed from the Clippers to the Warriors — particularly Green’s — seemed to throttle them. They missed their first five shots and turned it over three times, as Golden State crawled to a 7-0 lead.
“One of the things about Golden State is just how quick they think,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “Just mentally, they’re able to get, not just from possession to possession, but within a possession.”
The Jazz steadied a bit, adjusted and remained competitive for patches of the night. When Green left midway through the first quarter, they cut the lead to 27-21 by the start of the second.
But that’s when the Warriors planted maybe their most dominant spurt of the night. Green opened the second quarter by bolting back from a defensive assignment on the perimeter for a block of a Derrick Favors layup, already Green’s 18th block in five playoff games. It led to a David West layup on the other end.
Green fed West for a layup a minute later and then, the possession after, nailed a wing 3. The Blazers continually left Green open on the perimeter in Round 1 — a wise strategy considering the surrounding weapons and Green’s inaccuracy this season (under 33 percent). But he punished the Blazers, making 11 of his 20 3s and he again punctured a Jazz defense that deployed a similar strategy in Game 1, making two of five.
“Early on in the season, my shot didn’t feel good at all,” Green said. “Just really didn’t feel used to the ball. As the season’s gone on, I feel like I’ve got my rhythm back…Riding high on the confidence (right now).”
Steph Curry goes behind his back with Utah’s George Hill attempting to keep up. Curry had 22 points in the victory. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
Green is now 13-of-25 from deep in the postseason. He finished with 17 points on the night, including a rumbling transition dunk just after that first 3, sprinting the Warriors up 14 early in the second quarter. He was the engine of their sturdy defensive start and the spark for their offensive separation. Green was a plus-19 in his 34 minutes.
From there, the Warriors mostly cruised, as their lead fluctuated from just under 10 to around 20 and settled at a non-dramatic 12. No one stole the show offensively. Steph Curry had 22 points on 11 shots — his night highlighted by a ridiculous crossover of Jazz behemoth Rudy Gobert, spinning him in a circle before hitting a reverse layup.
“I had the best seat in the house,” Mike Brown said. “And I didn’t even pay for it.”
Kevin Durant had 17. Klay Thompson had 15. Pachulia had 10. No one on the Jazz had more than 13.
“Next game we need to come out with energy,” Kevin Durant said. “We can’t be relaxed. Relaxed teams, happy teams get beat.”
Game 2: May 4, 2017 • Oakland, California
Warriors 115, Jazz 104
Pain and Gain
Green Does it All, Shakes Off Fall in Gritty Triumph
The biggest scare in Game 2 wasn’t delivered by the Jazz, who, through two games and two losses, have shown just enough grit to keep it mildly competitive but not enough firepower to legitimately concern the Warriors.
Nope, the biggest scare was delivered by Draymond Green, who, after starring for the game’s first 40 minutes, took a hard fall and then a slipping tumble as he tried to get up, grabbing his left knee and staying down, as the arena went silent.
They’d rise again soon after, as Green returned from the locker room to the bench and eventually the court, helping the Warriors finish off a Game 2 win 115-104 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead to Utah. The status of that left leg will be a topic in the hours before Game 3, but for now it seems the Warriors dodged a bullet.
And it was quite the dangerous bullet, considering how well Green is currently playing.
In Round 1, Green dominated the Blazers with his defense, blocking 17 shots in four games and terrorizing every inch of the court. But lost within his defensive dominance was some surprising sharpshooting. Green made 11 of his 20 3s against Portland.
That hot streak has now leaked over into the Utah series.
Green opened Game 2 scorching hot from deep, nailing four first quarter 3s as Utah continually left Green wide open and he continually made them pay.
“Obviously their gameplan is to have whoever’s guarding Draymond sit in the lane,” Mike Brown said. “So he’s getting wide-open threes and, knock on wood, hopefully he’ll keep shooting the ball the way he’s been shooting it throughout the playoffs and make them pay.”
Earlier in the season, Green hit five 3s in Salt Lake City and later revealed that his aggressiveness was because he’d heard a comment from Jazz coach Quin Snyder that his team wouldn’t gameplan for Green’s deep shot.
Draymond Green fights for the ball against the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert in Game 2. Green had another impressive all-around game with 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
The strategy seems wise. Green dipped from 38 percent down to below 31 percent from 3 this season, struggling to make open shots and — with Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant roaming the court — a Green 3 seems like a win for the opponent.
“I find myself particularly open in every matchup,” Green said. “That probably won’t change.”
But similar to Game 7 of the Finals last season — when Green hit six of eight 3s — his stroke has returned at the season’s most important time.
Those four 3s blasted the Warriors out to a 33-15 first quarter lead, allowing them to bob in and out of focus the rest of the night, pawing away the gritty Jazz every time they climbed near or within single digits.
The Warriors reverted to some concerning ways at times in Game 2. After only turning it over seven times in Game 1, they coughed it up 17 times in Game 2 — often carelessly and in the open court, allowing Utah some easy hoops (22 points off Golden State turnovers).
But it wasn’t just the turnovers that kept Utah in it. It was some occasionally lazy defense. To start the second half, the Warriors yawned as Joe Johnson planted a corner 3 and then, because of a defensive breakdown in transition, let Shelvin Mack walk into a wide open wing 3. Mike Brown called a timeout 44 seconds into the second half.
But the Warriors would respond to any mild threat, bolting back up on the strength of a sturdy game up and down their rotation. Kevin Durant was particularly effective, going for 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven important assists — including the game-sealer for an Andre Iguodala dunk. Durant made 13 of his 15 free throws.
Steph Curry had 23 points, Klay Thompson chipped in 14 and Iguodala, who is now a frigid 0-of-18 from 3 in the playoffs, contributed elsewhere, dunking three times and scoring 10 points.
Steph Curry’s family is a consistent presence at Warriors’ playoff games, including his brother Seth (left), a guard for the Dallas Mavericks, and his dad Dell, a former NBA sharpshooter. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
But Green, again, was the star, continuing his torrid run through the postseason. He had seven rebounds, six assists and another block, his 20th in six playoff games. But his most important attribute was his rarest: the 3-point shot.
Green finished with five 3s, tying Curry for a team-high. He now has 18 in the playoffs, which is more than Klay Thompson (16), LeBron James (15) and Kevin Love (13), among some of the league’s other sharpshooters.
“Hopefully that jumper travels,” Curry said of Green.
Green’s strong play only made that late injury scare more concerning for the Warriors. After an errant layup on a fourth quarter drive, Green tumbled down at the baseline and got a bit tangled up with Rudy Gobert. As Green tried to get up, he seemed to slip and his left leg bent strangely. Green crumbled to the floor, grabbed at his knee and stayed down for a minute, before limping to the locker room.
But after the game, he said the knee just “locked up” a bit — something he said he dealt with before. He doesn’t believe it’ll affect him in Game 3.
“I’ll be fine,” Green said. “One time I had one in college and I outrebounded Michigan two days later. Their whole team.”
Game 3: May 6, 2017 • Salt Lake City, Utah
Warriors 102, Jazz 91
Tough Get Going
Warriors Weather First Big Challenge of Playoffs, Go Up 3-0
At some point, when the competition heightens in this postseason — against Houston or San Antonio or Cleveland — you expect more consistent situations like Game 3: The Warriors, with under four minutes left, protecting a two-point lead, not marinating in another double-digit blowout.
After failing to lead for even a second out in Oakland, the Jazz returned home and pushed the Warriors into a pressurized crunch-time situation — 86-84 Golden State, 3:56 left, a practice test for what’s likely to come.
The Warriors passed, outscoring the Jazz by nine in the final four minutes to sprint away with a 102-91 win, jump up 3-0 in the series and put themselves one final step from a second straight sweep and another week of rest.
Cold most of the night, Steph Curry jumpstarted the closing spurt. After a drive and kickback pass to Andre Iguodala, Curry weaved around a Draymond Green down screen and, when Rodney Hood failed to recognize and help in time, Curry jetted off Green’s shoulder, caught and planted a wing 3 to put the Warriors up 89-84.
“Never lose your aggressiveness,” Curry said.
On the next possession, Kevin Durant — scorching hot most of the night — went a simpler route to shove his dagger. All night, the Warriors attacked Rudy Gobert in the pick-and-roll with Durant. Gobert likes to protect the rim, so he sags back on screens. That’s unwise on one of these nights from Durant, where the 7-footer is rising and splashing jumper after jumper (he went 12-of-18 outside the paint).
So Durant coiled off the screen and immediately rose from the wing, as Gobert stood a few too many feet away — a 7-foot-1 but unable to even contest as Durant rainbowed through his fourth 3. It put the Warriors up 92-84 — a 6-0 run by the Warriors’ two former MVPs in 34 seconds to provide the necessary separation.
Kevin Durant takes a shot over Utah’s Rudy Gobert in the Game 3 victory. Durant had 38 points and 13 rebounds in the win. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
“They made some unbelieveable shots that were timely,” Quin Snyder said. “That’s why they are who they are. They set a great screen and Steph broke open…KD is seven feet tall. He rose up and he’s playing like who he is. You could search for answers and often the answer is right in front of our bench. Those are two great players.”
Suddenly up eight with three minutes left, the Warriors only needed a couple backbreakers to seal it. Durant provided them.
After a strong Game 1 to open the playoffs against Portland, he has been quiet the last couple weeks, missing two games against the Blazers with a twinged calf and then slowly working his way back, slumping mostly into the offensive background, by Durant’s usual standards.
Not in Game 3. With Curry struggling (despite the hot finish, he still closed 6-of-20 shooting) and Klay Thompson remaining way off (1-of-9 shooting), Durant shouldered the offensive load. He was aggressive in the first quarter, taking 10 shots and scoring 13 points.
After a slow start to the second quarter with Durant on the bench, which included Utah taking its first lead of the series 10 quarters into it, Durant returned and the Warriors went OKC-like iso ball with him in the mid-post.
Three times, they delivered it to him 15 feet from the hoop and then cleared out. Three straight times, he outmuscled the smaller Gordon Hayward to his spot and then drilled an unblockable fadeaway over Hawyard’s outstretched arms. At one point, Durant had 27 points and no other Warrior had more than seven.
In the closing minutes, Durant was more fired up than usual. After chirping at a courtside fan, who among other things was screaming about Durant’s “legacy,” Durant zipped to one of his favorite spots — 15 feet out, near the elbow — and sunk another 15-footer, putting the Warriors up 11 with 2:09 left. After the jumper, he turned and hooted at the courtside fan, who shrugged in frustration.
Golden State big man David West battles Rudy Gobert for the rebound. The Warriors had a 57-51 edge on the glass in the win. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
Thirty seconds later, Gobert delivered a hard shove to Durant as he was posting up. Infuriated — as Durant was a couple minutes earlier when he yelled at the Jazz mascot to “get off the court” toward the end of a timeout — Durant sprinted at Gobert, shoved him and then yelled at him. After review, Durant was called for a flagrant foul and a technical.
“Just basketball,” Durant said. “That’s why they call our league soft. Because we call flagrants for stuff like that.”
In the aftermath, acting coach Mike Brown sprinted on the court to separate Durant and told him: “Hey, we got one more game.”
But 90 seconds still remained in Game 3. And to seal it, Durant delivered one final backbreaker, tossing in a banked 22-footer to give him 38 points on 15-of-26 shooting.
This season, the Warriors struggled at times down the stretch of close games. That included the Durant trip in Cleveland on Christmas and the memorable Durant isolation mishap during a late, emotional collapse against the Grizzlies.
Because of regular blowouts, there hasn’t been a ton of time since for Durant and the Warriors to shore up late-game concerns. In Game 3, the Jazz provided it and Durant and the Warriors took it, icing the game with a 16-7 run that puts them on the brink of the Western Conference finals.
Game 4: May 8, 2017 • Salt Lake City, Utah
Warriors 121, Jazz 95
Swept Away
Golden State Completes Series Win Over Utah, Advances to Conference Finals
Just like they did to the Blazers two weeks earlier, the Warriors punched the Jazz in the mouth to start Game 4, putting what seemed to be an early cap on their closing statement.
But unlike the Blazers, the tougher Jazz clawed back and forced the Warriors to at least work into the fourth quarter, before Golden State eventually exterminated Utah’s season: a 121-95 final, another Warriors’ 4-0 sweep and an advancement to their third straight Western Conference Finals.
A rested, steamrolling Warriors team will be awaiting their opponent as monster favorites, having won 23 of their last 24 games dating back to mid-March and all eight of their playoff games by margins of 12, 29, 6, 25, 12, 11, 11 and 26 points.
But there were at least tiny moments of adversity in Game 4.
Early on, it didn’t look like it’d be that way. After hitting only one shot in a slow Game 3, Klay Thompson opened the scoring with a pair of jumpers. Then Steph Curry hit a pair of 3s. Then Kevin Durant found Curry on a creative give-and-go layup on a baseline out of bounds play.
Meanwhile, the Jazz offense slumped against a locked in Warriors defense, missing their first 10 two-point shots and going only 6-of-25 in the first quarter. A 12-3 lead became a 21-7 lead became a 39-17 first quarter cushion — similar to the 45-22 first quarter they popped on the Blazers in Game 4.
“We talked about getting off to a good start,” Mike Brown said. “Our guys did that. But maybe I should’ve said let’s get off to a good start and keep playing that way. That’s the part I may have left out.”
Kevin Durant soars to the rim to finish with a dunk. Durant had 18 points in the comfortable Game 4 romp. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
Utah responded with a 14-2 flurry to start the second quarter, slicing through a now too relaxed Warriors defense as a surprisingly sluggish David West failed to protect the rim. Derrick Favors rammed a dunk on Draymond Green — the first time Green has rotated over, met an opponent at the rim and lost in this postseason — and then electric young point guard Dante Exum hammered one home.
The Jazz parlayed that strong second quarter start with an 8-0 close, trimming the Warriors lead from 22 all the way down to eight by halftime. Then in the third quarter, they briefly kept it close. After a defensive breakdown led to a Shelvin Mack 3, which cut it to seven, Durant and Curry chirped at each other about the breakdown. Mike Brown called timeout. On his way to the huddle, a frustrated Curry kicked a seat cushion into the stands.
“I meant to,” Curry said.
“Beef,” Draymond Green joked.
“Chemistry issues,” Durant added.
But that moment of pressure only refocused a Warriors team that proved far superior to the Jazz in the second round.
Out of the timeout, JaVale McGee hit a twisting layup and a rare jumper. Draymond Green hit his third 3 of the game and 20th in eight playoff games, turning and staring at a heckling fan in a light blue shirt behind the Warriors bench that had been heckling him.
“He told me I’d shoot us out of the series,” Green said. “I don’t know if he keeps stats very well, but he’s not very smart. I like messing with fans. It’s fun.”
Draymond Green challenges Rudy Gobert’s shot in Golden State’s series-clinching Game 4 win. Green tallied yet another triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
Golden State’s defense locked back in and its offense erupted again. If there was an offensive star to be chosen — and you had your choice of many — it was Curry, who efficiently put the Jazz to sleep with 30 points on 15 shots. In his 35 minutes, the Warriors outscored the Jazz by 35 points.
Durant wasn’t nearly as productive as Game 3, when he popped 38 points, but his 18 points were pretty timely. During one of Utah’s second quarter runs, he stemmed the tide with a pair of jumpers. Then during a third quarter spurt, he silenced the noise again with a big wing 3 followed by a lob dunk, set up by Draymond Green.
Durant finished with 18, Green had 17, Thompson had 21 on 16 shots and McGee was the fifth Warrior in double-figures, putting up 12 points in 11 minutes off the bench without even using his trusty lob game.
And while the Jazz held sturdy at times, there really was never any doubt. Utah didn’t lead for a second in Game 1, Game 2 or the closeout Game 4, only sneaking ahead for about eight minutes in Game 3, before ceding it right back to the dominant Warriors, who roll on to the Conference Finals yet to be truly tested.
“B-minus,” Green said of his team’s playoff performance to this point.