"The Charbor Chronicles": Golden State Warriors 108, Philadelphia 76ers 105 (1/30/16)

Image courtesy of Erik Drost's Flickr page - Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrost88/18712418510/in/photolist-uvy36m-uKQ6xG-tRgUTP-uvtpVm-uKQmv7-uvGFwB-uMFFeG-uNpE1e-tBehBy-uN3P3D-tR2Qho-HUSfr-4Taf5q-uvASzv-7vAzf2-qHUK2k-r52g6V-6K6Fki-bgddQ6-4G4nGd-r4UoZy-7NjrkD-9nssXS-rmt3kn-JgQiv-uoEiQf-djFciv-rmokYq-r4Ujq3-7hGokn-4iSMB3-bgdChx-47g67u-qKt9Fn-qKuV8z-qKt9yP-qKt9Ea-3pYanc-4C12US-uvyAju-uvyCCs-buWvMB-3q3GXA-eedDRY-7NopXJ-6r3FD-6r3uV-3pYaeB-dZTukn-dZTkBK

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

When I first got these tickets, my first worry was about the weather. After all, this was January 30th, right smack in the dead of winter. That fear only went up after the huge storm that we had the weekend before, exactly a week before this game was played. Perhaps I was being too superstitious, but I made a point of avoiding the weather forecasts, just in hopes of avoiding bad news.

Then late in the week, it was confirmed that the weather was supposed to be good, certainly good enough for the hour trip to Philly to see this game, which was interesting in numerous regards. It pitted the best team in the NBA, the defending champion Golden State Warriors, versus the worst team in the NBA (for two years running now), the Philadelphia 76ers.

We did not expect it to be that close.

No one did, most likely.

Yet, that is exactly what happened.

Why did it seem so unlikely that the 76ers would actually challenge the Warriors in this game? Well, here is an interesting stat that sums up the season for the two teams thus far, taken from the Comcast Game Preview by Kevin Chroust (see link below):

If things continue on this path for another week and a half, they'll be separated by the largest margin at the All-Star break since the game's inception in 1951.

So, given the wildly differing levels of success between these two franchises, you would be forgiven to automatically assume that this would be, as my brother put it so delicately, "an epic ass-kicking."

In the first five or so minutes, Philadelphia looked good, and actually had a 17-10 lead, their largest lead of the entire game. But it was no surprise when Golden State started to get into gear and seemed to take over the game, going up by as many as 19 by halftime. They showed why they have gotten off to a record-tying hot start, and were well on their way to a 43-4 start with a victory here in Philly. Golden State's passing game was incredible, and they showed just why everyone has been struggling against them, with so many weapons that you cannot adequately defend against them. Always, it seems that there was a man open, and the Warriors always seemed to find him.

Yes, everything was going according to plan as the two teams went back to the lockers for halftime. The Warriors looked solid, and the 76ers looked decidedly dejected.

At halftime, we were surprised by the performance of a very familiar tune. There was the musical act Tag Team, performing their huge hit Whoomp! (There It Is).

When the two teams took the court again, the Warriors appeared that they were going to build on their considerable lead. Indeed, they did for a while, and held a 24-point lead midway through the third quarter.

Everything seemed to be going according to expectations at that point, but then something changed. Little by little, Philadelphia got hot, and began to close the margin. Before long, they were within 20 points, then within 14. Then 10, in the fourth quarter. Then they closed to within a couple of baskets with very little time to go.

Suddenly, shockingly, they managed to tie the game with seconds left, and the arena went wild. This game seemed to be heading where no one expected, with what was apparently about to be an epic comeback and a shocking upset, simultaneously.

That was when Golden State found their usual composure and, once again, established order. With the brilliant passing that they had shown throughout the first half and into the third quarter, they were able to find a wide open Harrison Barnes in the corner, who took a three-pointer that was solid, and gave the Warriors a 108-105 lead with less than a second left in regulation.

Ball game.

Golden State came up with the goods when they absolutely needed to, but there was a feeling that they got away with something in this one. For a while, it really did look like they were on the verge of giving away a huge lead and letting the lowly Sixers steal a win.

So, what happened exactly? Why did the Warriors suddenly struggle to cling to a game that they had, at one point, led by as much as 24 points?

Well, All-Starr Draymond Green explained how, at least in part, it might have been his fault. A quote taken from Nunzio Ingrassia's article (see link below) explains:

"We definitely should have lost, and it was all my fault," Green, who was named to his first All-Star Game earlier this week, told reporters after the game. "I was selfishly unselfish, if you know what [that] means. And so we started turning the ball over, due to my self[ish] unselfishness, and it was all downhill from there."

Whatever it was that happened, the Warriors escaped with a victory in this one. And I must say, this was perhaps the second best NBA game that I have ever been to, behind the 2002 NBA Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 5 between the Indiana Pacers and the New Jersey Nets, which went into double overtime after Reggie Miller kept hitting some miracle shots to even the game, against all odds.

Here is the full game: