1-Game Overreaction: Warriors Top Rockets In OT, All Is Well — No Problem At All

Feb 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson watches game action during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors are one of those know nonsense teams. As in, they sure do know how to get away with some complete nonsense on the offensive end and somehow escape with a win.

After a 102-99 overtime win against the Houston Rockets Thursday night, they have now accomplished the feat on consecutive nights, and perhaps even more impressive, the Warriors have managed to inspire absolutely zero confidence in the process.

Unless you’re a fan of Jermaine O’Neal — in that case you were vindicated when he came up with a big block on Chandler Parsons to essentially seal the victory in overtime.

But should it have come to that? The Warriors had their chances to win (and lose) the game in regular time, and they took advantage of those chances by continuously feeding David Lee in the post against James Harden. While Lee finished the game with 28 points and 14 rebounds, these possessions down the stretch didn’t contribute to that point total much as he was off the mark on several attempts and stripped by Harden with the game tied and 30 seconds to go.

I don’t mention this as an indictment on the shortcomings of David Lee; it’s just a little curious that the isolation play call on the block, which has proven to be stale time and time again recently, was the go-to play over and over again down the stretch in a tight game.

The entire second half featured this style of offense. Sure, there’s ball movement, but to what end? If all it gets you is a one-on-one play as the shot clock winds down, what are you really achieving on that side of the floor?

Anyways, the Warriors won, so we can ignore all of these questions for a little while longer and pretend that nothing is wrong since Golden State is 2-0 since the break. Stephen Curry scored 25 points and provided important buckets in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Andre Iguodala seemed to be looking for his shot more, which a lot of people would like to see more of with the problems this team has.

Oh yeah, Steve Blake played 18 minutes and got a warm welcome from the crowd at Oracle, so that was nice. He was -16 on the night, but, you know…first night with a new team and all.

Jordan Crawford led the bench unit with 12 points, and man does he play a fantastic brand of hero ball. It’s actually refreshing to see, because other than Curry and Lee (in the post), he’s the only guy on the team that can actually create a shot for himself on a consistent basis.

But again, they won, so I’m sure this will all turn out fine in the long run. Championship or bust. Don’t you worry, all signs point to the Dubs putting it all together soon and charging through the rest of the schedule as they roll into June on a flaming chariot that is fueled by the tears of their enemies.

Yup, sounds about right.