CHICAGO - Beneath the veneer of a fading franchise that appears to have seen its best years, the Golden State Warriors showed us that on some days at least, the magic still exists.
And just like the old, dynastic days when KD, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston were part of a deadly crew that specialized in blowouts and come-from-behind spectacles, the Warriors pulled a throwback gem on Tuesday.
Down 14 with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter, they went on a pulvering 32-16 run to score a road kill over a stunned, disbelieving Los Angeles Lakers, 115-113
Nine-point underdogs entering the game, the Warriors went down quickly, 15-34, at the 10:49 mark of the opening quarter. Against the bulkier, heftier Lakers, who commanded the boards, 61-39, the Warriors looked like harmless trespassers at Staples Center.
But Steph Curry and company showed fierce pride and refused to lay down their arms even after they were badly besieged by L.A.'s early onslaught.
The result was a broken script. Instead of picking up an easy W that would have fortified their hold of the leaderboard at 12-3, the mighty Lakers fell to 11-4.
LeBron James cried to The Associated Press and blamed "tough calls" for their loss, alleging that it disrupted their rhythm.
I don't know if Bron still has a sore groin, But he sure sounds like a sore loser.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was more realistic and confessed that, "We got outplayed in the second half. We got hesitant on the offensive end and a little casual at certain points."
Loosely translated, the Lakers got caught with their pants down and were exposed embarrassingly in an internationally televised game.
As he pushed the referees under the bus, LeBron forgot to mention that he and Anthony Davis missed 20 of 32 shots. In a close contest decided only by 2 points, the Lakers' 1-2 punch left at least 40 on the table.
LeBron also conveniently omitted the fact that the Lakers had 33 free throws against the Warriors' 20. I guess 13 more freebies ain't good enough.
Put your big boy pants on, LeBron, and dust this stinging loss as one of those that got away. Happens all the time in the NBA where the talent is world-class.
REAL CHAMPS FIND HUMILITY IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY. PRETENDERS LOOK FOR EXCUSES.
While James and Davis were laying enough bricks to build another arena, Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma combined for 57 points. The Lakers had enough to win.
They just didn't.
Because the Warriors moved the ball well and manufactured 31 assists that led to easy baskets.
Because the Warriors somehow mitigated their size disadvantage by losing the points in the paint battle by a mere 58-56.
Because Eric Paschall, an undersized 6-foot-7 power forward, played like Shaq and converted eight of 11 shots while hauling four boards.
Because the Warriors forced 19 Lakers turnovers which they used as a wick to light their repeated rallies.
Steph finished with 27 points and seven dimes. But his shooting clip was lousy, 3-of-12 from 3 and 8-of-22 overall.
But with only 1:07 left to play and Golden State nursing just a two-point lead, Curry swished a dagger from downtown that guaranteed a postgame LeBron rant.
And that's why The Lake Show turned into a horror show that ended with a signature Steph-back 3 by Curry.
Can the Warriors beat the Lakers in a seven-game set?
Hell no.
But they still sure can tug the King's robe every once in a while.
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