Order is swiftly being restored in these once-unpredictable NBA playoffs, and there is no finer example than the team that gets talked about more than any other.
The Golden State Warriors looked like they were getting their ankles stuck in a muddy mess of a first-round series at the start of the week, yet they ended it possibly reflecting that things could not have worked out better.
BOX SCORE: WARRIORS 113, CLIPPERS 105
Sure, in different circumstances Game 4 at Staples Center might have brought the curtain down on a series sweep of the Los Angeles Clippers. As it turned out it merely led to a 3-1 advantage, but it is worth considering that a whitewash would not have offered the kind of stinging wake-up call that has invigorated the defending champions’ push for a third straight title.
How strange it is that for all of the motivational efforts of coach Steve Kerr, for all the professionalism and incessant penchant for winning the franchise has built, for all the blueprints of ongoing excellence, it took a failure of historic proportions to put Golden State minds back in equilibrium.
Their Game 2 meltdown and wanton disposal of a resounding 31-point lead made the Warriors squirm with embarrassment, which is the rarest of emotions for a team that has journeyed to four consecutive NBA Finals.
Since then, Kevin Durant has scorched all before him — 38 points on Thursday night and a game-high 33 on Sunday, as the Warriors notched a 113-105 victory that was never a blowout but which they never lost control of. Draymond Green is throwing himself around physically, while Stephen Curry won’t be overly bothered by a rare poor shooting performance. Klay Thompson, outstanding here, is also hitting top form — after taking an unusual approach the day before the game.
"I did a couple of things," Thompson said. "I didn’t have any big games and I told Jonas (Jerebko), 'I am just going to go jump in the ocean. I know that will reset my mind.' And it worked."
The Clippers, one of the grittiest and most cohesive teams in the NBA, have thrown everything in their armory at the Warriors. The upshot? They have played Golden State into form, sharpening their focus and whetting their competitive spirit after a snoozy regular season.
"They don’t stop, man," Durant said. "They are one of those teams that are going to make you feel them all game. Even when you go home after the game you are going to be thinking about them because they are tough."
And by association, the Warriors have found their inner, well, warrior.
Assuming Los Angeles does not have another miracle in its locker up at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, next up for the title-holders will be a near-certain showdown with the Houston Rockets, where all of their aptitude will be needed.
These Warriors have more of a snarl than their previous incarnations. They are an ever-smiling, happy-go-lucky group no longer. There is more of an edge, possibly an inevitable result of the inherent pressure of trying to defend a legacy instead of building one.
Yet here is the rub. That reality doesn’t offer much solace for the small pack of genuine contenders that are chasing. For if an angry Golden State is able to center in and channel that ire effectively, it could be just what is required for the final push this time around.
The NBA is top heavy and the big teams are in no mood to relinquish their positions of power. Golden State, Toronto, Philadelphia all had their stumbles, but got things righted swiftly and emphatically. Even Denver, with little playoff experience, reclaimed home-court advantage.
But there is a club within a club even at the very top of the NBA. It is a club of one. The Warriors, when fully dialed in, are untouchable. Right now they look like they’ve found their mojo. They’re still as moody as they’ve been all season, but now they’re taking it out on their opponents.
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