Warriors Coach Don Nelson had seen enough. About nine minutes into the game, his team down 11, he called a timeout and proceeded to administer a tongue-lashing.
"Are you going to play with some energy?"
"How many points are you going to spot them?"
"You're playing like old men."
Nelson's rant successfully conveyed the urgency Thursday night. In a game they could not afford to lose, the Warriors routed the Portland Trail Blazers 111-95 at Oracle Arena, avoiding their first losing streak since Jan. 2 and 4.
The Warriors snapped a two-game home losing streak to remain a half-game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. The Warriors are a half-game behind No. 7 Dallas.
Denver's victory over visiting Dallas was already in the bag by the time Golden State tipped off in front of a national audience on TNT. A loss would have dropped the Warriors a half-game behind the Nuggets in the No. 9 slot, where they haven't been since Feb. 22.
Victory was also necessary to set the table for a daunting late-season stretch that figures to have significant say in the Warriors' postseason fate. They could ill afford to lose one of their last should-win games of the season. Portland, which is out of the playoff hunt and playing without guard Brandon Roy, was the perfect primer for the pre-postseason.
The Warriors' next six games - at Denver, home against Dallas, then a four-game trip to San Antonio, Dallas, Memphis and New Orleans - will rival the intensity and pressure of postseason basketball.
"This is real big,"
forward Stephen Jackson said. "We don't want to have any letdowns. We've got to win a majority of these games to be in the playoffs. That's our goal. We don't want to bust our butts all year and not make it to the playoffs. We never expected to be in a position where we're 15 or 16 games over .500 and still fighting for a playoff spot. But it is what it is."
First, the Warriors had to take care of the Blazers. A 22-6 run put Portland ahead 26-12 with 3:20 left in the opening quarter. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored 11 points during the run, starting it and ending it with a turnaround jumper.
Shortly after Nelson's lashing, the Warriors turned it around. They held Portland to 8-for-21 shooting (38.1 percent) in the second quarter, and forward Al Harrington sparked the Warriors' offense. He hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions, the latter putting the Warriors ahead 44-42 with 3:44 left in the first half. A three-pointer from the left wing by Kelenna Azubuike sent the Warriors into the locker room down 52-51.
Golden State pulled away with a monstrous third quarter, doubling up Portland 40-20 to take a 91-72 lead into the final period. The Warriors did most of their damage from the free-throw line, where they made 18 of 20, six by Monta Ellis. The Blazers made just 7 of 22 shots (31.8 percent) in the quarter, and their five turnovers led to 10 points for the Warriors. Jackson scored 14 points in the third quarter, capping the surge by netting a three-pointer with 3.4 seconds left in the quarter.
"This game, all we care about is the end result,"
Nelson said. "And we got a good one."
Now the real season begins. No more room for error. No more managing minutes. No more holding back.
The Warriors are in a fight for their postseason lives and facing a slew of worthy opponents.
"This is what playoff basketball is about,"
guard Baron Davis said. "This is all preparation for the playoffs, so we've got to come with it. There are no nights off from here on out."
