Apr 23, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Kenneth Faried (35) guards Golden State Warriors point guard Jarrett Jack (2) in the fourth quarter during game two in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Pepsi Center. The Warriors won 131-117. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
In the Warriors’ last night loss to the Nuggets, things, once again, got chippy. Kenneth Faried was fouled hard twice, and accused the Warriors of trying to go after him. Stephen Curry complained that the Nuggets were going after his ankle and Mark Jackson said that Denver was sending “hitmen” at him. Game 6 is definitely going to be an interesting one, as even the coaches were involved with some things.
The fate of the Warriors now lies in Curry’s hands, and he has to be ready for whatever the Nuggets give him. It’s going to be rough for the Warriors, who are still looking to win the series at home. Denver has a great coach in George Karl, but the Warriors have an equally brilliant coach. It’s going to be interesting to see how Jackson counters to what Karl does. Last game, he used a big man strategy that appeared to be successful. The Warriors failed to take the crowd out of the game, but mounted a furious comeback which fell short.
After the game four loss in Oracle, Faried kicked a wall and made a dent in the visitors locker room. That may have been a statement, as he came out and had a great game, but then again, he may have just been the Manimal. If Stephen Curry can get past whatever Denver throws at him, the Warriors are going to win the basketball game, simply because they have their home crowd behind him.
At this point in the season, no one expected the Nuggets to be trailing the Warriors 3-2 in the playoffs. The Warriors have one more home game in the series, and a chance to silence Denver’s hopes of making it to the Finals. If they can, it would be a pretty big upset, but not surprising since the Nuggets simply cannot get past the first round.
This old feud between these two teams may go back to when the Warriors battled the Nuggets for the 8th seed in 2008, but came up just short, losing to them in the fourth quarter. Warrior fans have remembered that night and now some of the old feelings may be coming back. Of course this Denver team is completely different, but rivalries never die. I’m quite sure that Andrew Bogut and Curry aren’t too fond of the Nuggets players at this point.