Draymond Green certainly made some DPOY-level stops against Dallas, but really it’s been the whole team for the past week, ever since that disastrously paltry five stops in the final thirteen possessions at Minnesota, which was around the last time I wrote on here, unfortunately.
Family in town that I rarely see plus the back-to-back on the road, deep dives into the behind-the-scenes video — thank you, Gary Payton II, for being a man of the people in Miami which started the snowball effect of me getting behind on posts here, not to mention our 11+ angles of Stephen Curry’s night-night in Orlando — and a bout with food poisoning yesterday all contributed to this delay. However, did I mention the behind-the-scenes videos from the four straight on the road? Movies! Fyi, I do hope to write an article still about those because here were some interesting tidbits that you won’t find anywhere else.
But yeah, from loss at the Timberwolves and even before that, such as getting routed at home by the Pacers, when I expressed grave concerns over the Warriors’ ability to stay in front of defenders — or even just keep up with in the case of fast-paced Indiana just because our squad is generally lacking in length and athleticism — this is a vastly, vastly improved defense right now. I think Chris Paul, of all people, because he rarely expounds past a couple layers of the onion, said it best:
Probably a little bit more aware, and understanding, like, our coverages and trying to communicate early. It’s funny, all season we sort of just, we didn’t know where to be. Just, sometimes guys are not there. And I think we’re starting to understand that defense is what we gotta be able to hang our hat on. The offense, we got some amazing shooters and scorers and whatnot, but if we defend it opens everything else up.
Paul also added this, later in his postgame podium visit:
I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we’re sharing the ball and moving it, but it still goes back to our defense. When we’re not taking the ball out of the net, we can play at a better pace. And just trying to read guys. We play so many different lineups on a given night, you’re not sure what group you’re gonna be playing with. So you just sort of, you figure it out. But one thing, like I said, gotta be a constant is the defense.
Alright, I’ll buy that, the part where there were tons of different lineups. We’ll analyze this more in the off-season, but it was a combination of guys like Klay Thompson getting older, Andrew Wiggins not having a real off-season due to the broken rib, the overall pace/talent/skill of the NBA, Kevon Looney’s irrelevancy as Klay and Wiggs played so poorly, vets not having urgency as it’s harder for older teams to get up for all 82 games, Green’s antics and eventual suspension, Jonathan Kuminga’s talk with Steve Kerr which led to JK as a regular starter, GP2’s injury and then CP3’s injury, all that probably in chronological order. Okay, that’s a lot and so it took about 70 games to get through that.
Even in the game at Charlotte, I recalled in the first half where CP couldn’t stay in front of Tre Mann for four consecutive possessions. And then in the second half against the Hornets, he turned it around. The whole team turned things around in San Antonio and Paul was solid there, too, with staying in front of his man. You can see it in the game notes (at the bottom here), I literally started the night versus the Mavericks saying I would mark all failed point-of-attack defenses with asterisks. I ended up not even marking a single defensive possession as a blown point-of-attack. Or maybe it was so good throughout that I subconsciously gave up on nitpicking that.
Ironically, it’s CP that has made the most drastic improvement. And my nitpicking each and every game at the granular play-by-play has also revealed Moses Moody as now a capable POA defender — he was not, at the start of the season which is why I was okay with his limited minutes.
In fact, I’d say that Moody’s now third or fourth on the team on POA defense, if we’re going off how he did against the likes of Luka Doncic, behind Dray, GP2 and maybe Brandin Podziemski and/or Curry I could write a whole article on this, but Wiggins is actually not that great of a POA defender although he is absolutely superb on recovery and tracking guys down from behind. Podziemski is actually tremendous defending the POA, but it’s his lack of length that sometimes renders that moot. Pretty sure a lot of casuals miss this even though he still leads the league in charges taken.
Furthermore and to add to the irony, against the Mavs the Dubs’ worst defender was — gulp — GP2. But we all know that can get corrected in an instant by him, though. Heck, I don’t even recall Klay falling asleep once on defense. So Steph was right, after all. It really just focus, as he said on the podium after the Pacers game. Of course, you don’t want to have to rely only on focus. It sure would be nice to just have more wingspan so that you can deter an attacker or grab a long rebound even if your focus isn’t 100%. That and the salary cap table will be an interesting dynamic for Mike Dunleavy, Jr., but we’ll have all off-season to write and make videos about in due time.
Something has most definitely clicked (finally!) for this team over the last five games. Maybe it’s just the reps. After all, the team basically played 30 games without Draymond through the first half of the season.
Final point: CP went to bat for Green postgame. Although it may cause the most devout Draymond fans some outrage, I’m actually glad reporters Scott Ostler of the SF Chronicle and Tim Kawakami of The Athletic — so go check out their forthcoming articles — asked the questions because it gave Chris an opportunity to support Dray and shed some more light:
I play with the same passion that he does, you know? So when he talks or yells or anything like that, I’m listening to what he’s saying and not how he’s saying it. And I think that’s what a lot of people don’t do in all types of situations. So I can appreciate his passion, you know? If he wasn’t like that, he wouldn’t care. You know what I mean? So I know how bad he wants to win and I can have those conversations with him.
I hope CP meant the outraged fans on the Xitter app when he said “people”, because after Green got himself ejected in Orlando, my oh my did he receive a lot of hate from so-called Warriors fans, according my followers who told me as much in the YouTube livestream comments (I tend to avoid Xitter more and more and so I need those updates from my people):
…pay attention long enough and there’s guys where plays happen and don’t nobody say nothing. Then they just go home and — you know what I mean? Show me somebody that’s okay with losing and I’ll show you a loser, you know what I mean? So, Dray’s passion is why they done won championships and stuff around here. So, I respect it. I ain’t like it when I was on the other team, you know what I mean? But I definitely obviously gotten to know him a lot better and I appreciate him. And that passion is why those blocks and those plays happen at the end of the game … it’s like his will to win. It’s a passion, man. So obviously, it’s always people who’s gonna say, ‘Oh, he needs to do this. He needs to do that.’ But I appreciate him for who he is.
I truly think the appreciation for Draymond is the litmus test on whether or not a “fan” is an entitled fan or a true fan who has an abundance of appreciation. We need an updated word that previously meant “fan.” Because there are those judgmental types who embody the etymology of the word “fan,” i.e., “fanatic” and then there are those who follow what I do, have gotten huge insights into what it’s like to be a member of the team — we call it “The Nineteenth Man” — and with how social media used to be like back in 2016 before Cleveland fans abused it and only replied “blew a 3-1 lead” to every Warriors-related tweet, we had undiluted peeks into how you could be a fan who wasn’t always entitled. Of course, this was when Golden State only had one ring, not four.
Anyways, please clip the above CP3 thingie on Draymond and my admonishment of so-called “fans”, send it to everyone you know. I’ll accept the hate I’ll inevitably get, if it helps snap just one fan out of the addiction of social media outrage Kool-Aid.
Final point: refs sucked again, which ironically was the last thing I posted about. I can literally predict if it will be a well-officiated game or not just based on who’s staffed and their collective years of experience. Come to our livestreams and you’ll see me explain. I used to staff refs for Dream League Bay Area and so as a former Commish of an adult rec league, yes, absolutely which refs you staff has a bearing on the consistency of calls. As long I can make such predictions, then Adam Silver, who ironically (so many ironies tonight!) attended the game tonight, has a problem that needs to be fixed.
Postgame video and transcripts below…
0:00 So, Dallas, they get out to a 9-0 start. Then in between the second and third quarter, they scored 19 in a row. And then in the fourth quarter, they had a 13-2 run. It feels like if this game was like six weeks ago, you might not have pulled it out, but through the ebbs and flows of the game, you guys still hung on to win. Where do you see kind of the growth over, I guess, those last six weeks?
STEVE KERR POSTGAME DAL-GSW: “The level of competition was fantastic. We stuck with it through all those bad spells that you talked about, but it was our defense that got us a win. I mean, holding those guys to a hundred points is pretty difficult. I thought Wiggs was brilliant. He just put in so much effort just trying to make Luka work and Luka was amazing as he always is. But that effort really set a tone and I liked the stretch at the end of the third. I thought Chris Paul came in and really changed the game for us, with that flurry at the end of the third and that gave us the lead going into the fourth and that was an important stretch.”
1:05 Steve, more on Wiggins. Did you sense that from the beginning, that there was energy there, that there was force there, and do you think his offense kind of fed off his defense on Doncic?
“Yeah, I mean, Wiggs has been playing really well, really good two-way basketball now for a while. He had an off night in San Antonio the other night, but overall, he’s been aggressive offensively. He’s getting downhill. And he’s defending at a high level. I just think he’s in a really good rhythm. He’s feeling good, physically, and playing at a high level. He was definitely connecting the game tonight, in terms of the defense, on Doncic and just overall energy leading to some really good offensive possessions as well.”
1:57 It’s been kind of like all defense for you guys during this five game win streak. How believable is this stretch and what about it makes you feel like it’s sustainable?
“Well, this team obviously is playing at a really high level. They were probably the hottest team in the league coming into tonight. They made a really difficult trip, by the way, and obviously with the schedule shift, they were in Sacramento for about four days and then flew to Houston and turned right around. And of course now we’re about to do the same thing, but for them it was a pretty rough trip and I appreciate that. Not that we had any choice, but the fact that everybody shifted the schedule around to make this work, that’s meaningful, but I just think that’s a great team, regardless of fatigue and the flight and all that. They’re still really hard to guard and we held them to 100 points. So, to me that, that’s a good sign that what we did on the road was not flukish.”
3:04 Staying on the defensive end, what did you think of Draymond’s defense tonight? Specifically that, that block on, on Gafford and what did that do for you guys down the stretch?
“Yeah, that was, that was probably the key defensive play of the game. It was just a massive play. I thought he was going to go up to try to foul him and he just had the right angle for the block and that was a huge play and Draymond was brilliant defensively as he has been, for a while now. And he’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to kind of turn the season around.”
3:38 You talked about Chris Paul’s flurry in the third to bring you guys up. Can you talk about what he’s done throughout the season in terms of leadership and his skills?
“Yeah, Chris is amazing. I mean, for him, he never came off the bench once in his entire career until this year. So he set a tone with our team of unselfishness and commitment to the group. And he started some games early and then came off the bench again. He’s sort of, his role has shifted a little bit, but every single day he’s in there working. He’s such a great mentor for the younger guys and he’s the guy who kind of calms things down when he gets on the floor. And tonight we needed that, especially because we were pretty wild offensively. It was not a great effort for us on the offensive end, but Chris’s play was really good and it helped us kind of settle things down.”
4:37 Beyond Chris, how much did the bench sort of change things? I mean, Podziemski is plus-17, and Payton seemed like he had a big impact. There’s a stretch there, third quarter, where really the bench played better than the starters did.
“Yeah, Moses had a great game, BP, I thought Loon played important minutes for us, so it did feel like the bench group kind of changed the game for us tonight.”
5:02 So if you guys have leaned on Steph and Klay for your offensive punch for so long, over the course of this year, you can see that that’s changed, obviously. And how important is it that, that other guys step in with a double-digits scoring game, like Moses off the bench, like Wiggs tonight? I mean, how important is that formula for you guys to try and make the postseason?
“Yeah, we need that. And this season has been, I think, about that transition. The younger guys playing more and producing more and the older guys handing over some of the responsibilities and I think we’ve found a pretty good mix; we’re, we’re finding a groove at the right time. A lot of guys are playing well, and we need everybody because every night feels a little different with this team.”
5:54 Steve, what happened with the double timeout there? Was that just you wanted extra time, or –?
“No, because we inbounded the ball and didn’t take the timeout before we inbounded, we used the second one to advance the ball. So I didn’t want to get a turnover in the backcourt underneath our own basket, or an eight-second violation, because two seconds had already come off the floor, off the clock. And so, in order to advance it, you have to take another timeout.”
6:23 And I think I’ve asked you this before some other games, but almost a playoff feel. Do you want your players to feel like this is like a mini playoff? Like, you gotta, you gotta win.
“Yeah, I mean, these games are good for us because we’re right on the edge and we have to win almost every game and it forces us to be sharp.”
6:43 Part of Chris Paul’s big night you’re talking about was hitting his jumper. How useful can that be and how much more maybe do you want him to look for that mid-range that he’s made a career of? He’s had a great shooting season. After the first month or so he didn’t shoot the ball very well, but over the last few months, he’s really shot the ball.
“Well, we need the scoring. He comes in and he generates shots for others, but also for himself. And it’s really been a great dynamic to add to our team. It’s always been an issue when Steph comes off the floor over the last decade. But Chris, to me, gives us probably the best ability, over the last decade with that second group, just to come in and and and take over a game. And he’s done that numerous times this year.”
7:38 Steve, you’ve been pretty open about checking the standings every day. I mean, how in that context, how crucial is tonight, Houston loses, so it pushes you up three on them and you’re still only one back of the Lakers in the lost column? So how does that matter to you?
“Yeah, that’s meaningful. And we’ve got a tough trip now to Houston and Dallas. So, it’s helpful, but you just gotta keep going.”
7:59 Now, as a person who’s coached a dynamic backcourt with Steph and Klay, how do you assess the backcourt of Luka and Kyrie, especially in a game like tonight?
“Not bad. Not bad. Yeah, those guys are amazing. They’re both playing at a really high level and that’s why Dallas is where they are right now. They’re having a great season.”
0:00 Chris, you came to this team knowing that you’re going to be playing with some veterans, but how important have the other guys been for this team, whether it’s Wiggs or BP or Trayce, just the younger guys, how important have they been for you guys as you guys make this run?
CHRIS PAUL: “Really important. I mean, with the season that we done have with all the injuries and yeah, it’s really been by committee every night.”
0:34 Five straight, like, pretty good overall defensive games from you guys. What are you seeing on that end? Just overall, what has kind of changed what you guys have been doing?
“Probably a little bit more aware, and understanding, like, our coverages and trying to communicate early. It’s funny, all season we sort of just, we didn’t know where to be. Just, sometimes guys are not there. And I think we’re starting to understand that defense is what we gotta be able to hang our hat on. The offense, we got some amazing shooters and scorers and whatnot, but if we defend it opens everything else up.”
1:15 Steve has been pretty up front that he’s been checking his standings pretty much every day down this stretch. Do you do the same or are you more, ‘We gotta worry about what we’re doing and just make sure that we’re playing the best basketball’?
“Once upon a time probably, but now I just try to worry about what we’re doing. It’s the only thing you can control. Ain’t nothing gonna happen in the standings unless you win. Only bad things gonna happen when you lose.”
1:46 You talked about the younger players. How much of a rapport do you feel on the court with BP and Moody? It seemed like second, late third quarter you guys really kind of flipped the game and it wasn’t one guy taking over. It was all of you playing together really well.
“Yeah, I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we’re sharing the ball and moving it, but it still goes back to our defense. When we’re not taking the ball out of the net, we can play at a better pace. And just trying to read guys. We play so many different lineups on a given night, you’re not sure what group you’re gonna be playing with. So you just sort of, you figure it out. But one thing, like I said, gotta be a constant is the defense.”
2:26 Chris, after years of bumping heads with Draymond as an opponent, how is it different being on the other side and seeing the other side of him?
“It’s easy. It’s easy because he’s a cerebral player like myself and Dray thinks the game defensively, like me too. He’s a great passer and all this stuff, but he does all the little things, setting screens. And this game, man, it’s actually a simple game. If you pay attention to it, it ain’t always about the speed and the thrust. It’s about angles. It’s about the reads. And he’s one of the best I’ve seen my whole career. And I appreciate playing with somebody that sees the game like I do.”
3:11 Do you ever worry about his temper getting away and causing him to miss games or anything like that?
“Nope. Nope, not at all. And I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but shout out to Dray’s podcast. We talked about it on there, that I play with the same passion that he does, you know? So when he talks or yells or anything like that, I’m listening to what he’s saying and not how he’s saying it. And I think that’s what a lot of people don’t do in all types of situations. So I can appreciate his passion, you know? If he wasn’t like that, he wouldn’t care. You know what I mean? So I know how bad he wants to win and I can have those conversations with him.”
3:54 First, how much do you live for these high level games? Obviously you’ve been around, you’ve played a thousand games or whatever, but when you’re on the court and you’re facing Kyrie and Luka and those guys, how much do you live for those moments playing against guys that you know are stars in this league?
“That’s why you do it. I wouldn’t be out here 19 years if I didn’t love to do this and think that I was more than capable of doing it. I’d go spend time with my kids and my family, you know what I mean? It’s a lot of years of this and that’s why you do it. You’re in these situations over and over again and you keep trying to get to the top.”
4:33 You were aggressive with the jumper tonight. When do you decide on this team when it is time to really look for your own jumper?
“I don’t know. I just sort of play. Seriously, you just figure it out on what night it’s going to be, this or that. I’m literally out there just trying to help figure out how we can win.”
4:55 What told you tonight? Was it just their defensive coverage or personnel?
“Yeah defensive coverage, two-for-one situations.”
5:05 You talked about understanding Draymond’s passion. There was that timeout early in the game when I guess he wanted Trayce or Podziemski a couple passes where he didn’t get them on and he definitely looked upset. I saw you kind of talk to him, not asking what you said, but is that a moment that you can understand maybe better, you can feel what he’s feeling and you can talk to him a little bit?
“No question. No question. And I tell you, I mean, you pay attention long enough and there’s guys where plays happen and don’t nobody say nothing. Then they just go home and you know what I mean? Show me somebody that’s okay with losing and I’ll show you a loser, you know what I mean? So, Dray’s passion is why they done won championships and stuff around here. So, I respect it. I ain’t like it when I was on the other team, you know what I mean? But I definitely obviously gotten to know him a lot better and I appreciate him. And that passion is why those blocks and those plays happen at the end of the game.”
6:10 Are you trying to calm him down at all or you’re just talking to him in a moment like that?
“It’s both but I understand it because people had to do the same to me, you know what I mean? But it’s like his will to win. It’s a passion, man. So obviously, it’s always people who’s gonna say, ‘Oh, he needs to do this. He needs to do that.’ But I appreciate him for who he is.”
6:32 You haven’t played a ton of minutes this season, obviously coming off the bench. You missed some games. Do you feel like there’s a gear in you late in the season? Do you feel like your legs are there and strong?
“I would hope so. Yeah.”
Do you feel it, like you’ve got strong legs, like this is like not a late-season Chris Paul?
“I don’t know, I’m here. I’m here ready to play when it’s called on, you know what I mean? Yeah, I don’t think I read – Yeah, I don’t know.”
7:13 Just having such a big impact tonight in only 20 minutes, how different is it playing in shorter bursts, knowing you might not have as much time as you wanted to kind of feel the game and find a rhythm?
“Just try to be effective in the time that I’m out there. That’s the mindset.”
7:37 Andrew, just how important has it been for the past few games, for you to be aggressive, especially without Jonathan?
ANDREW WIGGINS: “I mean, it’s been important, just trying to help and do my part, especially JK’s out of the lineup and he’s a huge part of what we do. So everybody has to pick it up because JK is a force when he’s in the game.”
8:19 How much better do you feel like your rhythm offensively is now, compared to where it was earlier in the year?
“I feel a lot better than before for sure. I feel like I’m in a pretty good rhythm offensively and defensively. I feel like our team’s playing great basketball.”
8:37 Beyond JK not being there, how much more of a responsibility do you feel when Steph’s obviously not shooting the way he normally does? I mean, you obviously filled that void tonight.
“I mean, yeah, every game is different. And Steph has a lot on his shoulders; what he does is amazing every night. But that’s the thing about Steph. Even if he’s not scoring the ball a lot or shots aren’t going in, he’s still the most dangerous person on the court and attracts so much attention. And he can miss 100 shots. You still got to play him and put two people on him because he’s that good and that dangerous. So I just do my part and do what I can do.”
9:29 I was just watching the replay of the Draymond block on Gafford. What was your vantage point on that play?
“Man, Draymond’s special, a very special, defensive mastermind. He’s everywhere. He’s everywhere. He’s got everyone’s back. That’s what gives everyone else the advantage to just play freely, defensively, because you have Draymond behind you. He’s gonna pick up any slack or anything that happens.”
9:58 From a distance, it felt like tonight’s game had more intensity, which would make sense given what’s at stake. Does it feel like that to you these last, the last week or so and now going forward in the playoff push?
“For sure, for sure. We’re fighting for our lives right now. We’re fighting to stay alive, to put yourself in position to have the chance to do something special.”
10:23 When you see the Mavericks, you’re going to see Luka, you know that, right? So how important is it as part of your plan to try and make him work on the other end, because obviously that’s when you can maybe take advantage?
“Yeah, I mean, Luka’s Luka. I thought I played pretty good defense, 30 points, but my job is to make it hard on him, and do what I can to kind of disrupt him a little bit on the other side, just attack and be aggressive.”
He had seventeen below what he had last game.
“Oh, there you go.”
11:05 For many years, the Warriors, you were going to get 50 or 60 from Steph and Klay combined almost every night. You don’t see it as much now because they’re getting on a little bit and you guys are being more of a part of the offense. How important is that formula, that guys like you and BP and Moses and JK, when he’s available, that you guys are able, to kind of give those guys a little bit of a hand.
“I mean, yeah, it’s important; every game is different, especially this time of the year, it’s been a long year. So, the younger guys definitely had to step up and even Moses, JK, BP, Trayce, they’ve done a hell of a job, you know?”
11:47 The past week or so is probably the best, like, stretch of defense this team has played. What has been different that you guys are doing in the past four or five games?
“We’re just locking in. That’s what it comes down to, guarding your man and having each other’s back. We’re trusting each other defensively and having a tight shell.”
0:00 matchups: Kuminga out again, Wiggins vs Luka, point-of-attack defense (see game notes below in asterisks ****)
2:30 refs: John Goble (17th season), Aaron Smith (8th), Matt Boland (21st)
4:00 tipoff! TJD
11m48 Q1 Wiggs downhill on Luka no good
11m30 Q1 Wiggs good D on Luka but got oreb then Dray hard foul but travel before
11m15 Q1 Dray TJD Wiggs attack miss
10m53 Q1 Klay falls asleep on corner PJ 3
10m40 Q1 Wiggs tov
10m20 Q1 Klay bad pass tov to Dray
9m59 Q1 Luka 3 over zone (?)
9m33 Q1 Klay 3 via TJD BLOB
9m17 Q1 Gafford misses vs Dray
8m46 Q1 Wiggs almost tov but got it back
8m40 Q1 TJD dunk over Gafford!
8m23 Q1 Steph foul moving his feet vs PJ — tbh Jacob Rubin on the iPad, he has a high bar for challenges
12:45 GP2 mic’ed up tonight
13:45 Do the refs screw this up?
Yes, Keystone Cops strike again! (80%)
No, they actually get one right (20%)
Poll complete: 20 votes
7m42 Q1 Dray deflect, TJD misses Dray open underneath, Dray misses 3
7m18 Q1 Dray and1, called it both ways
7m05 Q1 Dray another deflect, TJD disrupt Gafford, Steph 3 via Wiggs attack
6m35 Q1 Klay reach-in on PJ
6m18 Q1 Wiggs confident 3 after Klay and TJD no-go
6m08 Q1 Dray good help Steph, Kyrie steps on line
5m55 Q1 Dray bad tov, dunk Gafford
5m36 Q1 Steph attack no foul — replay shows horrible reffing (Goble) — this ref crew isn’t that good (too many refs in NBA)
5m10 Q1 Wiggs via Steph
4m49 Q1 BP rushes down court to TJD!!!
4m28 Q1 Dray lead tov to BP trying to set pick for Steph
3m15 Q1 Luka ghost foul on BP (reached in as BP came to double) — GP talks to BP
2m44 Q1 Mo 3 on catch in front of Steph
2m39 Q1 GP barely grabs Luka (GSW in penalty)
1m43 Q1 Moody good close on Luka 3
0m49 Q1 Kyrie beats GP off dribble
0m38 Q1 CP 3 via Loon
0m17 Q1 Mo good help on Luka vs Loon
0m08 Q1 CP base J
34:00 @IHaveNoEnemies (BloomerVibes) on having bad home performances — Idk if that can be applied tonight, though, that’s the issue with long-time vets they kinda go “oh man, 82-game season throughout most of the season”
11m29 Q2 Kyrie goes by Mo, TJD help disrupt
11m06 Q2 Mo good help on backscreen, takes charge on Gafford — UNSUNG PLAY
10m35 Q2 Klay screen, roll to Gafford dunk
10m16 Q2 TJD tov spin on DG
9m39 Q2 Klay one-leg fade
9m22 Q2 CP POA airball Hardy!
8m49 Q2 CP good D even though PJ past him, Klay to Mo 3
8m21 Q2 CP HoF J after P&R
8m12 Q2 CP again great POA vs PJ, tov!
7m53 Q2 CP double screen, Dray roll — UNSUNG PLAY
7m35 Q2 CP good D at rim
7m27 Q2 Dray stops Kyrie at rim
6m49 Q2 Steph steal DJJ then trips, tov
6m35 Q2 Steph jumps screen, GP2 deflect OOB
6m24 Q2 Dray double Luka, GP2 94ft dunk
5m39 Q2 GP2 tap to BP, Dray to Steph 3 reload
5m13 Q2 DJJ stripped by Dray
4m38 Q2 Dray doesn’t double, then does, they miss — UNSUNG PLAY — finally defensive identity, Wiggs
4m26 Q2 Dray oreb reload to Steph 3
4m11 Q2 Steph disrupt DJJ, draws two to GP2
3m57 Q2 Wiggs ghost foul vs Luka — where’s the memo?
3m15 Q2 Steph stepback 2 on Luka
2m21 Q2 BP foul on screen for Steph, same call as GP2 on Luka earlier
1m58 Q2 Dray deflect Luka steal
1m44 Q2 Steph jump dribble tov (10th tov) — @IHaveNoEnemies (BloomerVibes) why didn’t TJD take Kyrie in post? — Might be that they knew Steph was hot
1m26 Q2 Wiggs steal, Dray another tov (3rd, 10)
1m10 Q2 Wiggs loses the ball on ATO
0m41 Q2 Klay called for offensive foul
0m17 Q2 Luka travels no call, Exum 3
1:05:00 analyzing the travel (he did it twice)
1:08:00 JD JOHN DICKINSON JOINS US — both teams look tired, Steph 3x no calls, best sign that JK announced will be back in 2 nights, maybe could’ve played tonight, more of a grinder tonight first to 100 wins, summer of 2019 reciting the schedule
11m50 Q3 Kyrie 3 vs Dray help
11m13 Q3 Luka 3
11m01 Q3 Steph bad tov to TJD
9m50 Q3 Steph layup fb no call, Kerr calls TO, ball called off Steph — Jimbo:
Could read it with braille as Chick Hearn would say — Beware John Goble!
1:23:45 @Ray Yiu: hard to regain energy when we blow a lead — Steph on podium: “hard to win a game twice” (or 3x or whatever), also hard to maintain leads esp they have Luka Kyrie
9m23 Q3 Klay tough shot late clock — maybe work on squats (and dribbling)
8m50 Q3 Wiggs 3 off Steph splitting two — UNSUNG PLAY
8m14 Q3 Dray steal to Wiggs fouled
7m44 Q3 Wiggs inside Luka
7m26 Q3 Mo knocks ball from Kyrie, foul though
7m05 Q3 Mo great close on Kyrie corner, leads to Wiggs 3 — UNSUNG PLAY
Luka wanted landing spot foul on Dray (come on! eyeroll)
5m44 Q3 Steph miss 3, Dray jogs back, dunk PJ
5m32 Q3 Mo corner 3 catch via Wiggs — UNSUNG PLAY
5m07 Q3 Wiggs inside lefty wow physical
4m29 Q3 Steph scores via topblock Exum
3m48 Q3 Steph loses ball off foot
3m33 Q3 Mo great D on Luka fade
3m12 Q3 Mo catch 3 pivot — IHaveNoEnemies (BloomerVibes): Moses looking like Klay on that off dribble shot for 💦
1m38 Q3 Mo boxes out Gafford
1m23 Q3 CP trademark J
1m03 Q3 CP 3 wow — UNSUNG PLAY
0m42 Q3 CP good close on Hardy, TJD good box
0m33 Q3 BP finds GP dunk base
0m10 Q3 BP good help!
11m17 Q4 Klay steal of Kyrie then 3 pull-up
10m41 Q4 CP good attack of screen on Luka
9m42 Q4 BP sidestep over Kleber — he’s no rook!!!!
8m53 Q4 Loon oreb to CP base
8m45 Q4 Goble misses another oob call? Wiggs wanted the steal, BP wanted a review
8m06 Q4 Jacob Rubin coaching!!!!
7m53 Q4 Wiggs good position post up fouled by Exum
7m48 Q4 Moses in for Klay
7m37 Q4 Loon oreb again! Wiggs passes up 3, push shot base good
1:56:00 Dean Agan: man, win or lose, I love watching the warriors play. win would be better. haha, Daxesh: Dean agreed💯 i dont care if we win championship this time or get in for playoff or not but this season had the most entertaining games I have had so far in last five years after Toronto finals. — our brand of basketball is simply better than Dallas’, look at one guy offense
7m19 Q4 GP2 forgivable and-1 vs Kyrie
6m58 Q4 Loon bad pass, PJ scores — good play design in terms of CP slipping into the paint, but don’t throw the ball in if Gafford is there
6m16 Q4 GP beaten on baseline
5m55 Q4 GP baseline via Dray
5m40 Q4 Dray has to double Kyrie off GP
5m11 Q4 CP blows layup, GP oreb, CP extra dribble on 3, Gafford closes
2:06:00 MaramreddyMadhavi: do we have some record for most clutch games in a season or something..how many heart breaks do we need to suffer — 44x per Fitz
4m36 Q4 Wiggs oreb pushed, no call, tov, TJH layup
4m12 Q4 Wiggs no call attack again
3m48 Q4 Klay clutch 2 in out in — UNSUNG PLAY
3m23 Q4 Klay loses Kyrie but KI misses 3
3m08 Q4 Dray goaltend by Goble
2m33 Q4 Klay open 3 missed
2m09 Q4 Dray doubles KI, PJ misses 3 corner
1m53 Q4 Dray putback goaltend on PJ
1m32 Q4 Dray DPOY block of Gafford
1m11 Q4 Steph invert screen Dray layup
0m58 Q4 Luka push-off Wiggs no call, Kyrie 3
0m37 Q4 Wiggs push shot base again, BP ast (5 ast along with 10 reb)
0m30 Q4 great play call for Kyrie inside lob catch to Luka to PJ 3 up top
0m23 Q4 Klay blows a layup, too slow
0m20 Q4 ghost foul on Dray vs Kyrie — Goble again
0m13 Q4 Klay nearly travels, no call, gets fouled on the dribble, hits both, hopefully GP2 will not foul a 3pt shooter
0m10 Q4 GP2 subbed out for GP — wow
0m05 Q4 Kyrie with weird offense
2:26:00 CP3 POSTGAME AUDIO: somebody with heart (on Dray’s defense), “he willed us to this win tonight”, “Wiggs probably gets the most junk talked to him… only thing I say to Wiggs is be aggressive”
2:30:30 UNSUNG PLAYS: Klay clutch 2 in and out and in, Mo close on Ky corner 3 then Wiggs 3, Steph splits two ast to Wiggs 3, Dray no double Luka then double, Mo charge by Gafford — Dray def POTG, but give the game ball to Wiggs for confidence
2:31:45 our fav radio station today said either your loyal or your cutthroat, but you’ve got to base your judgment on 82 games plus playoffs if any with the final games being the most important or true to our identity, last year Dunleavy did the same with CP3 for Poole, Phoenix Suns also realizing they’ve got to construct roster based on regular season, you can never keep the same team, what if Wiggs plays this type of game throughout? Then you gotta keep him
2:40:15 ENTIRE STEVE POSTGAME AUDIO
2:50:00 finally some defensive identity
2:51:00 @Daxesh G On specifically Wiggs, I think most GMs know what he can do, I’m sure there’s 1 out 29 out there that will gamble they can unlock him — @Cholo Abenes Good point, Wemby def could’ve affected Wiggs’ whole night — @Daxesh G Also it’s kinda exciting if there’s this push for Markkanen or KAT. Not that I want any changes. I always love all our teams. But it does present a silver lining (if I’m right).
2:54:00 DEAN JOINS US: able to withstand runs, new era, idk who our best player was tonight while DAL had two guys, would 2018-19 KD era have paid for some sins of lackadaisical play in the past?, also sudden absence of JK is a great sign
3:04:00 ENTIRE CP3 POSTGAME AUDIO: “all season we didn’t know where to be (on coverages)
3:17:00 Dean: all the Steph non-calls, he maybe decided not to take all the hits, I throw Adam Silver, the uber capitalist under the bus
3:26:15 ENTIRE WIGGS POSTGAME AUDIO
3:38:00 on my Dream League refs being instructed to do the and-1 properly (no dribble)
3:44:15 Trinity is the least-persuasive (stretch the rules) types
3:45:45 Dean Chambers: Steph’s been reffed like Shaq, which makes him a GOAT (also gotta double-team him everywhere)
3:50:00 on the risks of gambling and heckling
4:02:00 Dean can’t believe the negativity on Podziemski
4:08:00 if we were in 6th we might be cruising too much, we’re right where we need to be
4:14:00 Dean says the Bill Russell’s Celtics had 100 possessions per game and were the originators of “Showtime”
4:19:30 Baby Races from San Antonio
4:35:00 on the defense, also tonight Steph didn’t need 30
4:44:15 Most 3PM in the 4th quarter this season:
1. Stephen Curry – 68
2. Bogdan Bogdanovic – 45
3. Norman Powell – 44
4. Buddy Hield – 44
5. Trae Young – 44
4:51:00 on Dejounte, Jerami (not) on defense, Moody
4:59:45 on CP3: tough to re-sign him at vet minimum, financially tough to keep him
5:01:30 Klay taking $25M and CP let go gets us under the luxury tax per Dean
5:04:00 on Moody having cheap contract so probably not getting traded
5:11:00 Kuminga had only 3.3 rpg thru 6-game losing streak
5:12:00 Steph’s winning pct is 39-29, fully healthy Dray 28-15
5:18:30 22-11 with Steph and Dray together after suspension
5:19:15 Vote for UNSUNG play of the game!
Klay clutch 2 in and out and in (40%)
Mo close on Ky corner 3, Wiggs 3 (28%)
Mo charge taken on Gafford (17%)
Dray no double on Luka then double (14%)
Poll complete: 64 votes
👍👍💛