OAKLAND – After failing to bring his best stuff against Houston in the first round of the playoffs and not playing at all in Game 1 of Round 2, Festus Ezeli could be excused if he thought he had been banished to Steve Kerr’s doghouse.
Ezeli kept his hopes up, continued to do his work and stayed patient – perhaps reasoning that the coach doesn’t do banishment and has no doghouse.
The backup big man simply had to wait his turn, which came Tuesday in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals against Portland.
With his teammates flailing in futility and Kerr trying three centers without success, Ezeli entered in the third quarter and had an immediate impact on the temperature inside Oracle Arena.