On Tuesday night, the Denver Nuggets kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating the Golden State Warriors and forcing a Game 6. Luckily for the Warriors, they will be the home team in Game 6 and there should be no doubt that a hostile environment and intense battle on the court is what is to be expected.
Following the Warriors’ loss however, things got a bit dicey as Golden State head coach Mark Jackson said that the Nuggets “sent hit men” after lead guard Stephen Curry. In addition, just look at the tweet below from Grantland‘s Zach Lowe:
Those who missed it: Jax accused DEN of taking cheap shots at Steph, hinted DEN people came to him and warned him with “inside info.”
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) May 1, 2013
Well there you have it. Clearly, Denver was targeting Curry. This statement from Jackson also comes just days after he said that Curry and fellow back court mate Klay Thompson formed the best shooting back court in NBA history. Well, Jackson’s making headlines, but for the time being, let’s just assume he may be on to something with these accusations. I mean, why else would he say something like that?
On the flip side though, Curry didn’t do much to help his own cause, scoring 15 points, but attempting 19 shots in the process. It wasn’t exactly an efficient night from the field for the Warriors’ leading scorer.
Curry himself wasn’t all too pleased with the way the Nuggets conducted themselves on the court on Tuesday night and this situation does arise just two days after it appeared that he was inadvertently poked in the eye. If one thing is for certain however, Curry will surely be playing his some added firepower in Game 6.
Regardless of what these accusations could lead to, expect a much more closely officiated Game on Thursday night. The last thing the Warriors want is to have this series head back to Denver for a seventh game, so Golden State needs to take care of business when the two teams hit the court again in Game 6.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
