Back in their heyday, the Golden State Warriors were never out of a game. They seemingly dug 20-point holes on purpose just for the fun of shooting their way out of them. They're not the same team anymore, but as long as you have Stephen Curry, the threat of pulling off the impossible will live in your team DNA.
Such was the case on Monday night against the Clippers, when the Warriors stormed back from 10 down in the final two-and-a-half minutes to put themselves in position to tie the game on a wide-open Gary Payton II 3-pointer after an absolutely wild closing sequence.
As you saw, the Warriors had two great looks at the tying 3-pointer. Well, Curry's wasn't a great look by any kind of normal standard, but any Curry shot has a pretty good chance of going in and it was about a half of an inch long. Payton's shot, courtesy of the Clippers all understandably scrambling to Curry, was a warm-up 3.
It didn't go, and that stinks for Payton, who gave the Warriors the chance they needed in the first place by picking Norman Powell's dribble. But Payton isn't a particularly good 3-point shooter, though he's surely a capable one, and the Clippers made the right call by swarming to Curry at the expense of an open look for Payton, or anyone else for that matter.
Let's be clear: the Warriors didn't deserve to win this game. The Clippers outplayed them all night. But the better team on a given night doesn't alway win. Again, the Warriors used to beat teams with a couple five-minute runs all the time. And that's a powerful weapon to have in your holster, to never be out of a game.
This team still has that feel of being able to pull off the impossible. Curry gives them the firepower, but the defense is equally important. You don't make crazy runs by trading baskets. You have to get the stops to make headway, and this team can do that. It wasn't enough on Monday, but it's a trait that will serve them well throughout the rest of the season.