Golden State Warriors Prediction: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant Will Lead GSW Past Clippers In 5 Games

The Los Angeles Clippers stunned the Golden State Warriors Monday night when they overcame a 31-point second-half deficit to defeat the defending champs 135-131 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. The best-of-seven set is now tied at 1-1, and L.A. has some life with the teams headed to Staples Center.

The Clippers began the postseason as very heavy underdogs. The Warriors have lost both home-court advantage and DeMarcus Cousins, who suffered a torn quad that will keep him out for the rest of the playoffs.

Does the Game 2 upset and Cousins’ injury mean Los Angeles has a realistic chance to challenge Golden State? The short answer is no, and the Warriors should still cruise to the second round.

Even without Cousins, Golden State simply has too much talent for Los Angeles. They are rightfully favored on the road in Game 3, and they should take care of the Clippers in five games.

In a way, Monday's result shouldn't be all that surprising. The Warriors have taken their foot off the gas all season long when their backs haven't been against the wall. Just about every time Golden State has needed a win, they've gotten one, and it's why they earned the No.1 seed in the Western Conference.

Golden State coasted once they went up big in Game 2. That was a big mistake against a well-coached team that plays as hard as anyone and managed to win 48 regular-season games.

The loss probably served as a bit of a wake-up call for the Warriors. Maybe their seeming lack of effort and potential chemistry issues will cause more problems against tougher opponents like the Houston Rockets or whatever team wins the Eastern Conference, but Golden State should be focused enough to take the next three games against the Clippers.

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are all better than any player on the Clippers, and probably by a significant margin. When Draymond Green is giving his all defensively, you could argue that he's a better all-around player than anyone wearing a Los Angeles uniform.

Durant scored 21 points in Game 2 while taking only eight field-goal attempts. That's because he turned the ball over nine times as he was hounded all night by Patrick Beverley.

Beverly is a terrific defender that got Durant off his game at Oracle Arena. Expect a much different version of Durant, the one that's won two straight NBA Finals MVPs, to show up for the remainder of the series.

Before Curry scored 29 points on 18 shots in Game 2, he was incredible in the series opener with 38 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. The greatest shooter of all time is 13-23 from three-point range against the Clippers. His shooting is going to remain a major problem for Los Angeles.

Thompson made just one three-pointer in each game. You can count on him making a bunch of threes in at least one of the upcoming games.

The Warriors cruised to a 121-104 victory in Game 1. They beat the Clippers by 27 points in game No.80 of the regular season.

By proving that they must be taken seriously, the Clippers have probably awakened a Warriors’ team against whom they won't be able to compete.