Game 3 is definitely a game that the New Orleans Pelicans would like to get back. With the game under their control for about 42 minutes of the game, the Pelicans were a Steph Curry 3 pointer away from taking Game 3 at home. The Golden State Warriors pulled off the third biggest comeback in playoff history; down 20 points in the 4th quarter, the Warriors won 123-119 in overtime behind 40 points from Stephen Curry.
Both teams got off to a hot start, with the Splash Brothers hitting their first five while Anthony Davis and the Pelicans hit almost everything they put up. A game that looked similar to that of Game 2, New Orleans kept their foot on the pedal and with the energy from their faithful crowd; you could feel all the momentum in their hands. Draymond Green picked up two quick fouls in the 1st which hurt their production on defense.
Most of the game it was easy to see that the Warriors just couldn’t hit shots. Nothing was falling for them and what was worse was that New Orleans was making everything. You could see that the Pelicans had confidence and that they had the Warriors on their heels. This wasn’t what we were used to seeing from the Warriors and I think it stunned them as well. A defense that’s been ranked number one all year, allowed Anthony Davis and the Pelicans to get whatever they wanted. New Orleans shot 60% in the first half and 51% for the game with 46 points in the paint. However, with all this being said, the Golden State Warriors showed true resilience and didn’t fold under the pressure.
“We haven’t been in that position a lot this year, but mental toughness and resilience is probably (among) our best traits,” Thompson said. “It was an amazing way to finish the game.”
Down 17 points with 6 minutes remaining, I know a lot of basketball fans around the world thought this game was over. But the Warriors displayed great effort and grit to surmount a comeback like they did.
Steph Curry got hot at the right time, scoring 13 points in the fourth including the ridiculous three from the corner to send it to overtime. Coach Steve Kerr explained the shot best:
“As good as it gets.”
“To make that shot shows everything that Steph is about,” Kerr said, adding that officials could have called a foul, too. “His confidence level is just off the charts. He’s fearless. He wants every big shot.”
The Golden State Warriors just stayed with it and once they got to overtime, they took care of business.
Game Changers
Its obvious that Steph Curry came up big in the fourth and led his team to this victory but to me, it was more than that. The total “Effort” from the Warriors was the game changer of the night. What put this team in the position to win were all of the offensive rebounds they were able to grab in the fourth. Golden State grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in which they converted on 8 of them; the biggest being the Curry three that tied the game. For the night, Golden State was up in 2nd chance points 30-8; that passion and determination is what sparked the comeback and was the biggest game changer of the night.
Game 4 Keys to Winning
- Draymond Green must stay out of foul trouble. Their defense relies on him and they can’t afford him riding the pine all night.
- It’s simple, They MUST hit shots. We all know the Warriors are a jump shooting team and the reason they were playing behind most of the game is because they couldn’t hit shots.
- Control the Pace: Last night and in the first quarter of Game 2, the Warriors allowed the Pelicans to control the pace of the game and that’s when they had the advantage. To close out this series, Golden State must come out strong and control the pace of the game.
