This is the contending version of the team finally being forced to play real minutes. They did what contenders should do over the last few games. What would the narrative have been around this team if they had been playing these lineups as often as they were available from the beginning of the season?
Well, I predicted they could decimate the Thunder if the good version of the team showed up, but I underestimated how bad OKC was. They do have some cool, promising players, but their defense was not remotely ready for Stephen Curry.
Draymond had easy drives to the basket all night. Mulder, Lee, and Poole got easy looks from 3 to put the team up big. Even Looney got some easy lobs. Wiggins left so many layups on the iron, if this one had been close we'd be mad at him for it.
GPII certainly made a case for extending his 10-day contract, at least.
I love how JTA brings an insane level of fierceness to every minute. He sure made sure the players from Oklahoma City will not forget him. Can you believe this guy is technically signed to Santa Cruz? He carries the Oakland with him wherever he goes.
The extended garbage time group (Smiley, Mannion, Poole, Payton, Mulder) did not look good. Some of that is the position tangle, but that was a solid 10 minutes I wish could've gone to guys like JW, EP, or even Quese over a project like the Serbian kid. Seeing Mulder dunk again was cool, but it was actually kind of painful how much difficulty Poole and Mannion had at breaking down the defense and getting quality looks. But, eh, this one was over at halftime and that group had never played together, so it's hard to be too upset. Still can't believe they couldn't score a single 3 in over 7 minutes of game time.
At this point I'm officially worried about what'll happen when Oubre comes back. He's individually good enough that he probably has to play big minutes, but he detracts from the squad surprisingly much when he's out there.
Still, I'm relieved we face the Thunder twice more before the season is over.
“And that means that if they go on a hot streak, they might actually catch DAL, which is #10 in the league overall (and #7 in the West). DAL is 29-24, so GSW is only 3 games behind them. If that happens, GSW will lose their 1st round draft pick this year.”
1. We’re going to have to watch conference standing and the standings at talkathon.com.
2. We’ll REALLY want to root for Atlanta, Boston and New York to stay hot and all get into the top 10 to help us stay out of it.
3. Is moving from 9 or 10 seed to 7 or 8 (and only having to win one play-in game) worth losing our own 1st rounder? Probably depends on whether one sees them as a likely 1st round exit or a team with a puncher’s chance.
4. Is moving into 7 seed or better (and thereby avoiding the play-in tournament and into a better 1st round matchup) worth giving up our 1st rounder? That’s definitely an easier pill to swallow and I’d be happy with that outcome, especially if the team is playing like they have been.
Bradly Beal has scored 34 and 31 points in his last two games, which slightly bolsters his chance of winning the scoring title. On the other hand, the Wizards have defeated Utah (which doesn't really help us I guess) and Sacramento (which does) in those two games so....
My low-key favorite highlight; Fitz and Kelenna talking about how annoying Steph is off the ball the entire time Steph dribbles up the court, through the entire Thunder team, and nails a three. They're not wrong but the juxtaposition is pretty hilarious.
My eyes don't seem to be deceiving me. 3 game win streak and the new starting lineup looks like the real deal. Baze is doing all the little things to add value and Loon has impressed me more than he ever has. This lineup works, and it actually looks like they have chemistry!
I also like the way they've subbing. Kerr has found a groove. Still not sold on the consistency of the bench but they did a heck of a job in OKC. I'm too stoked to complain, though. If Poole continues to score in double figures and our 3 point backups continue to put it the basket, we could be a big problem in the playoffs. Draymond actually scoring is one of the keys.
GPII came ready to play. Made some of us look at Mannion with many question marks. Is Jessup a PG or an SG, or a combo? Mannion has energy but reminds me of Ky Bowman. GPII is an immediate defensive upgrade like his dad. He's got the DNA and I remember the battles between Hardaway and GP. It was always something to get excited about. GPII doesn't look to be the scorer that his dad was, but I need to see him much more to get a real evaluation. This was just a taste...............Let's put Cleveland to rest early tomorrow.
Right now: Dubs - 27/53, Mavs - 30/54. So if we win tonight, we will only be two games behind Mavs. From eye check, Mavs havea bit softer schedule than us going forward. So Mavs @ Dubs game on 27th becomes a critical game. Good news for us - it will be SEGABABA for Mavs and we would have been back home from a long road six days ago.
Here is to hoping Kings give Mavs all they can on 26th.
Dream of 7th seed is still alive. It means more rest (during play-ins) - I am looking at you 2-way Wiggs (and Dray and grampa Loon).
ESPN’s RPM may be largely bunk, but as long we’re following Steph’s late season leaderboard assaults, it’s worth noting that he’s closing in on LeBron at #1. No one else in the league is even close. The current top 5:
Hmm the Thunder G-League roster was a nice warmup session. The Warriors took care of business and Steph put on a show for all the paying fans. Tomorrow will show how good the Warriors really are.
Keep the roll going and maybe they can catch the Lakers? They do just as well with second rounders anyway.
Cleveland is hard core. They’re announcing all of the things that will get you ejected and or arrested.
This is the contending version of the team finally being forced to play real minutes. They did what contenders should do over the last few games. What would the narrative have been around this team if they had been playing these lineups as often as they were available from the beginning of the season?
Well, I predicted they could decimate the Thunder if the good version of the team showed up, but I underestimated how bad OKC was. They do have some cool, promising players, but their defense was not remotely ready for Stephen Curry.
Draymond had easy drives to the basket all night. Mulder, Lee, and Poole got easy looks from 3 to put the team up big. Even Looney got some easy lobs. Wiggins left so many layups on the iron, if this one had been close we'd be mad at him for it.
GPII certainly made a case for extending his 10-day contract, at least.
I love how JTA brings an insane level of fierceness to every minute. He sure made sure the players from Oklahoma City will not forget him. Can you believe this guy is technically signed to Santa Cruz? He carries the Oakland with him wherever he goes.
The extended garbage time group (Smiley, Mannion, Poole, Payton, Mulder) did not look good. Some of that is the position tangle, but that was a solid 10 minutes I wish could've gone to guys like JW, EP, or even Quese over a project like the Serbian kid. Seeing Mulder dunk again was cool, but it was actually kind of painful how much difficulty Poole and Mannion had at breaking down the defense and getting quality looks. But, eh, this one was over at halftime and that group had never played together, so it's hard to be too upset. Still can't believe they couldn't score a single 3 in over 7 minutes of game time.
At this point I'm officially worried about what'll happen when Oubre comes back. He's individually good enough that he probably has to play big minutes, but he detracts from the squad surprisingly much when he's out there.
Still, I'm relieved we face the Thunder twice more before the season is over.
A Look at the Warriors’ Playoff Picture - 4/15/21: https://www.nba.com/warriors/news-blogs/warriors-playoffs-positioning-20210415
So now the narrative out there is "Kerr had to stop Steph from chasing the 3pt record". I hate media sometimes.
Couple of thoughts about this:
“And that means that if they go on a hot streak, they might actually catch DAL, which is #10 in the league overall (and #7 in the West). DAL is 29-24, so GSW is only 3 games behind them. If that happens, GSW will lose their 1st round draft pick this year.”
1. We’re going to have to watch conference standing and the standings at talkathon.com.
2. We’ll REALLY want to root for Atlanta, Boston and New York to stay hot and all get into the top 10 to help us stay out of it.
3. Is moving from 9 or 10 seed to 7 or 8 (and only having to win one play-in game) worth losing our own 1st rounder? Probably depends on whether one sees them as a likely 1st round exit or a team with a puncher’s chance.
4. Is moving into 7 seed or better (and thereby avoiding the play-in tournament and into a better 1st round matchup) worth giving up our 1st rounder? That’s definitely an easier pill to swallow and I’d be happy with that outcome, especially if the team is playing like they have been.
Bradly Beal has scored 34 and 31 points in his last two games, which slightly bolsters his chance of winning the scoring title. On the other hand, the Wizards have defeated Utah (which doesn't really help us I guess) and Sacramento (which does) in those two games so....
My low-key favorite highlight; Fitz and Kelenna talking about how annoying Steph is off the ball the entire time Steph dribbles up the court, through the entire Thunder team, and nails a three. They're not wrong but the juxtaposition is pretty hilarious.
My eyes don't seem to be deceiving me. 3 game win streak and the new starting lineup looks like the real deal. Baze is doing all the little things to add value and Loon has impressed me more than he ever has. This lineup works, and it actually looks like they have chemistry!
I also like the way they've subbing. Kerr has found a groove. Still not sold on the consistency of the bench but they did a heck of a job in OKC. I'm too stoked to complain, though. If Poole continues to score in double figures and our 3 point backups continue to put it the basket, we could be a big problem in the playoffs. Draymond actually scoring is one of the keys.
GPII came ready to play. Made some of us look at Mannion with many question marks. Is Jessup a PG or an SG, or a combo? Mannion has energy but reminds me of Ky Bowman. GPII is an immediate defensive upgrade like his dad. He's got the DNA and I remember the battles between Hardaway and GP. It was always something to get excited about. GPII doesn't look to be the scorer that his dad was, but I need to see him much more to get a real evaluation. This was just a taste...............Let's put Cleveland to rest early tomorrow.
Right now: Dubs - 27/53, Mavs - 30/54. So if we win tonight, we will only be two games behind Mavs. From eye check, Mavs havea bit softer schedule than us going forward. So Mavs @ Dubs game on 27th becomes a critical game. Good news for us - it will be SEGABABA for Mavs and we would have been back home from a long road six days ago.
Here is to hoping Kings give Mavs all they can on 26th.
Dream of 7th seed is still alive. It means more rest (during play-ins) - I am looking at you 2-way Wiggs (and Dray and grampa Loon).
ESPN’s RPM may be largely bunk, but as long we’re following Steph’s late season leaderboard assaults, it’s worth noting that he’s closing in on LeBron at #1. No one else in the league is even close. The current top 5:
+9.24 LeBron James
+8.81 Steph Curry
+6.81 Paul George
+6.70 Joel Embiid
+6.60 Giannis Antetokounmpo
http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm
After spending basically all season out of the top 20 in three point percentage,Steph showed up at 15th after tonight’s performance.
Steph has closed to with .3 PPG of catching Beal for the scoring title. IIRC, he was like .9 behind just last week.
Steph is sooooo good, and always worth watching.
Draymond needs to learn to put more backspin on his heater bounce passes. But other than that is a perfect player.
Baze and Looney playing make this team soo good!
JTA needs to burn his extra adrenaline by going full court without hacking.
If Oubre can fit in upon his return, and the coaches don’t reduce Baze or Looney’s minutes too much, this is going to be an awesome stretch.
I’m ready to see them get on a roll!
Hmm the Thunder G-League roster was a nice warmup session. The Warriors took care of business and Steph put on a show for all the paying fans. Tomorrow will show how good the Warriors really are.
Keep the roll going and maybe they can catch the Lakers? They do just as well with second rounders anyway.
1] Jazz - 41-14 - W1
2] Suns - 39-15 - W3
3] Clippers - 39-18 - W7
4] Nuggets - 35-20 - W1
5] Lakers - 34-21 - W1
6] Blazers - 31-23 - L2
7] Mavs - 30-24 - W1
8] Grizzlies - 27-26 - L1 [1 game ahead of Dubs]
9] Dubs - 27-28 - W3
10] Spurs - 26-27 - L1 [even with Dubs]
11] Pelicans - 25-30 - L1 [2 games behind Dubs & Spurs]