The Heat were simply the better team and won, 106-93, because of their ability to generate second-chance opportunities.
The Nets came back from down 14 to beat the 76ers in Philadelphia, and they beat the Washington Wizards, who are the biggest surprise story in the NBA, tied with the Nets for the No.
“They’re playing great basketball,” head coach Steve Nash, a former Warriors consultant, said of his upcoming opponent after his team’s fifth win in six road games.
The Warriors have taken control of the Western Conference, rising to the top of the pack despite missing two pieces of their operation.
Yet Jordan Poole has stepped up, an early candidate for breakout player of the year, and Andrew Wiggins is beginning to embrace his role.
“They’re playing extremely well,” Harden said of the Warriors.
Not Kevin Durant, who won two championships and two NBA Finals MVPs for the Warriors before rupturing his Achilles and subsequently signing with the Nets.
As we saw against the Bucks, against the Heat, against the Bulls and against the Raptors, all the other good teams do that, too.
We obviously want to go out there and win in front of our home crowd, but we’re not gonna put pressure on ourselves and call this Finals matchup.