Thrust into starting lineup, Ezeli unable to step up

Thrust into starting lineup, Ezeli unable to step up Festus Ezeli got the starting nod in place of injured Andrew Bogut for Sunday's Game 7, a decision that might just be remembered as the one that cost the Warriors the championship against Cleveland. The Warriors lost his first three postseason starts when he averaged 0.7 points on 0-for-4 shooting, four rebounds and 0.3 blocked shots as a rookie in the second round against San Antonio. In the second half he missed a jumper and committed a foul during a Cleveland 12-5 run that tied it 54-54 with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter. Ezeli played only 2½ minutes the rest of the game, finishing with zero points on 0-for-4 shooting and one rebound. Just like they have before every game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and lead assistant Luke Walton did an hour of hot yoga Sunday morning ahead of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. "I think a lot of people — if a team would have allowed what the Lakers have with Luke in the playoffs — they would have been more fixated on their next team than on this team," said Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams. Warriors point guard Stephen Curry quickly stopped himself from saying his father...