The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. The scoreboard doesn't care if you got those points playing pretty or ugly, exciting or boring. Good thing. Last night, the Warriors, although not contemptibly ugly, weren't exactly prettiest thing you ever did see. But at the end of 48 minutes, the scoreboard read Pelicans 87, Warriors 97.

In Game 1, the Warriors won by controlling or dominating the first three quarters of the game. Last night, in Game 2, the Warriors won by controlling or dominating the last three quarters of the game. Both methods got them wins, but do we prefer the former to the latter? We do. When the Pelicans coach comes out and complains about the crowd noise at the Oracle, and when the Warriors coach Kerr responds with his tongue firmly in his cheek while asking fans to "be as quiet as possible," you know the fans were champing at the bit to get hoarse. Alas, the Pelicans found out the best way to shut down the fans in the seats is to shut down the Warriors on the court, and that's what they did in the first-quarter, ending it 28-17.

The Dubs came rushing back in the second, scoring 38 points and closing out the first-half up by three points. The third quarter was lethargic, and the Pelicans managed to hang around until about the last 4 minutes of the game.

It was a nervous game. The fans in the stands and in bars and living rooms across the Bay kept waiting for the run that never came. The fans love those runs. The Dubs love those runs. The runs where Steph or Klay has the hot hand and Draymond destroys on D, and Harrison brings it. It is during those stretches of games where the fans lose their freaking minds and opposing teams lose their collective cool and the Warriors look like the baddest mothers on the planet. That's how we love to win. But the Dubs can and will scrape and scrap with the best of them--last night was proof of that. And so long as the scoreboard don't care if you don't win pretty, we'll take it.

Two down, 14 wins to go.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: Warriors lead series, 2-0

Game 1: Pelicans 99, Warriors 106.
Game 2: Pelicans 87, Warriors 97.

Game 3: 4/23, at New Orleans, 6:30 PM.
Game 4: 4/25, at New Orleans, 5 PM.

Game 5: will not be necessary!
Game 6: will not be necessary!
Game 7: will not be necessary!