Lakers Stun The Warriors 112-95: SI Cover Curse?
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, looks up during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the latest athletes to grace the cover of SI, and with that humble honor comes the risk of falling victim to the uncanniest curse in the world of sports.
The caption under their photo reads, “The Warriors Joy Ride Toward NBA History Rolls On And On,” but with Sunday’s 112-95 loss to the lowly Los Angeles Lakers, they hit a stumbling block in their quest to best the Chicago Bulls’ 72 win season.
In their six losses, four have come from the large hands of losing teams, and with three of the 21 games remaining against the San Antonio Spurs, on the road, Steph Curry and his splash brother in crime Klay Thompson won’t get it done going 1-18 from downtown.
On paper, this seemed like a no-brainer win for the Warriors, coming off of their 121-106 soul crushing defeat over the Thunder. But sometimes humiliation hails from the unlikeliest sources. Just ask Holly Holm.
This stunning upset by the Lakers is being touted as the biggest in NBA history. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for a couple of young guns who are fighting for their relevant lives.
Jordan Clarkson and rookie D’Angelo Russell are desperately struggling to salvage a disappointing season, trying to prove that they are worthy of the Laker jerseys on their backs. Clarkson had a game high 25 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the arc, and Russell was close behind with 21, three threes, five assists and four steals.
Kobe uplifted his young starting line-up with 10 first quarter points, dished a dazzling blind pass to Julius Randle in the third to extend the Laker lead by 12, then helped them keep their composure, mentoring from the bench the entire fourth quarter.
Why did the Warriors play so poorly tonight? Well, they needed OT in two out of their last three games, which may have taken a toll, and when their signature threes had disastrous results, it screwed up their rhythm, making way for 20 costly turnovers.
So on a day when one team’s humility gave a downtrodden team a much-needed dose of dignity, it remains to be seen if this undesired act of kindness will trigger a “Daniel Murphy” moment for the best bunch in the league.
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suekolinsky
Sue Kolinsky is a writer/producer whose career began as a waitress in Manhattan. After a cynical remark got her fired, she took her humor to a place it would be appreciated – The NY Improv, which is where she launched her 20-year stand-up career. After much time spent performing at clubs, colleges and numerous tours with the USO, along with appearances on The Tonight Show and Bob Hope’s Young Comedians Special, she replaced her microphone with a Mac computer and began writing and producing TV. She has written on “Brotherly Love,” “Sex and the City,” and “The Ellen Show.” In 2001, She got a call to be a producer on the groundbreaking reality series, “The Osbourne’s.” She had no idea a new phase of her successful career was about to unfold. After garnering her first Emmy nomination, she went to produce a new MTV show called, “Newlyweds,” a reality series that documented the early-married life of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. In 2009 she landed a job as supervising producer of the highly touted culinary competition series, “Top Chef.” She eventually became co-executive producer, garnering two more Emmy nods. Adding to her many hats, Sue also co-hosted a morning radio talk show with Steve Mason, on NY’s iconic WNEW. Having the dubious honor of going up against Howard Stern, the show was cancelled after sixteen months, but her partnership with Mason paid dividends. When he returned to his prior radio sports talk gig in LA, he gave Sue a featured segment on the show. Sue’s love of sports surfaced at the age of 10 when her older brother turned her on to baseball, and her hero, “The Say Hey Kid,” Willie Mays. While she still followed the Giants, her uncle’s box seats at Shea Stadium made her a Mets fan, and to this day, she’s still chasing the high of ’86. Sue’s love of writing about sports began as a daily analysis of the World Series on Facebook. Due to popular demand, she has created this blog. As if that’s not enough she just completed producing the past season of Last Comic Standing, and is writing an animated feature. Sue lives in Long Beach, California with her husband and two grown dogs.