It was halftime, and all was well and good. The Golden State Warriors had a 17-point lead, amid pregame fears of another dud of a showing by the defending champions in front of a national television audience. The fears were completely justified — of their 10 nationally televised games, they have won only 4 of them. The perception of the Warriors not being able to get up for the “important” games of the season was one that was slowly gaining steam, and it was a perception that the Warriors were eager to prove wrong.
James Harden — a sudden contender to win his second-straight MVP award — was on a recent tear, having scored at least 35 points and dishing out at least 5 assists in his last 8 games.