361 Comments

If GP2 cant go it has to be moody time, only way poole should play over 25 minutes is if hes locked and hitting shots, poole is like curry you can tell if hes on or off through a quarter or two

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I do like Moody for his overall team play, and think he should be given more time. Not sure I agree about being able to tell early about what Poole might be able to do in a 5 or 6 min spurt of shooting late in games...

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We could use Moody and GP2 in passing lanes, tbh

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Got to kill those skip passes

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Good thing they didn’t bench Steph in the 2019 WC semis closeout game v Houston:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2019-nba-western-conference-semifinals-rockets-vs-warriors.html

First half: 0 points

Second half: 33 points

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Pretty sure over 25 isnt getting benched, if he isnt playing good offensively we can give him 15 minutes. We only need 10 or so when curry sits

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Good thing that wasnt currys first conference finals and he wasnt 22 years old

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Which isn’t relevant to your claim that “you can tell if Curry is off through a quarter or two.”

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As long as hes not a complete negative and can space the floor

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Jun 4, 2022·edited Jun 4, 2022

Not related to Finals. This guy Christian Braun seems like he could fit in with what the Warriors do and be a role player next season. I’m not sticking my flag into “draft him or bust“ territory or anything like I did with Moody/Wagner, but he seems mocked around 28 and I could see the vision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_b9nRgQs44

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Looney like footwork defensively. Don’t love how low he drops his hands/the ball on his jumper. Wish his wingspan was a few inches longer.

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Jun 5, 2022·edited Jun 5, 2022

Nice feet, team success. Sweet find!

If I heard it right: Lots of folks left or avoided the team cause of the probe stuff, so it seems like what was left was a group of strong minded grinders who don’t quit when it’s tough.

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Jun 5, 2022·edited Jun 5, 2022

Great find Beli. A lot to like in these highlights, most noticeably how he stays in front of his man with good contests without fouling and his accurate 3pt jumper.

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Yeah well, it was either go watch draft shit or stew in the L lol. Will be checking out others if the Warriors lose more.

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Klay vibes

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Coach Nick made another video regarding the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28qginoaVmE

Key points:

-Warriors starting lineup was much better than the Celtics' lineup despite some hiccups. Second best lineup was: Curry, Poole, Wiggins, Green, OPJ. Worst lineups were: Curry, Poole, Klay, Wiggins, Green; Poole, Klay, Iguodala, OPJ, Green (the lineups that got scorched in the 4th quarter).

-Warriors were targeting Horford instead of Pritchard or someone else, which didn't work out for them.

-Celtics defense pressured the Warriors into tough passes and tough shots in the 4th quarter. Warriors offense looked good in the first three quarters, however.

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Attacking horford was weird, but him and rob William's were pre switching alot. I'd love for us to add I think it's the Spain pick and roll where the screener gets screened

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We've given up the most 3s by far this post season, one reason for that is lack of a rim protecting bigman

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Here's a clip showing Pritchard playing defense on Poole.

https://twitter.com/bballbreakdown/status/1533148921538629633

I think Pritchard's aggressive defense can be exploited.

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Lol, he’s all over Poole… bumps his foot, etc. Poole totally needs to draw some contact.

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Coach Nick did a breakdown on how the Celtics won game 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4lMlBKKVlk

Key points:

-Payton Pritchard played a significant role in limited minutes.

-Celtics used skip passes often during the game to find the open man.

-Horford and White were scorching hot in game 1, because the Warriors (especially Green) were leaving them open.

So I guess the moral of the story is: don't leave the Celtics wide open, and watch for the Celtics skip passes.

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At least a little seemed to be a hold-over from the Mavericks' series. They were able to get away with helping on drives while leaving some shooters uncovered. Hoping that they can play a defense that covers the 3 point line tightly when needed, especially if they get a lead again.

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Actually skip passing is probably a good way to attack a pre rotation. Seems like something Kerr can get the teamto improve on. Also seeing lots of lackadaisical defense there… losing your man, ball watching, and over helping.

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Miami got 19 steals against the Celtics one time. I think it was because the Celtics were telegraphing their passes or the Celtics were getting bottled up.

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It’s not without its flaws

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Jun 4, 2022·edited Jun 4, 2022

Thanks for the summary. I wonder how many skip passes will get picked off in game 2? Another reason why GPII and Moses might get a run, they would help boost that effort.

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Dalton makes a odd comments that this was the only time he saw GP2 shoot and suggests there may be some gamesmanship going on. If so:

1. Nice shot on only try!

2. Kinda weird that it would be the only attempt, being that it looks like a drill style 3 with a contest.

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Conversation

Anthony Slater

@anthonyVslater

Steve Kerr said Gary Payton II was only available for selective defensive possessions in Game 1. Trainers believed elbow needed more time. But Kerr said GP2 will be available for more usage, if needed, in Game 2.

https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1533171105858322432

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Four weeks is too soon for someone to return from an elbow fracture, so I'm not surprised that GP2 didn't play in game 1.

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Chase sounds good, but the crowd also seem to get taken out of it easily. I want more screamin and yellin when things *aren’t* going perfectly.

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Going to a wedding today. I have to be careful not to yell out 'ice, ice, ice' when the bride walks down the aisle.

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Especially if it's your wedding!

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Nephew's ... but the same principle applies. I'd like to remain friends with that half of my family. :)

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Wow, those Celtics were awesome in the 4th quarter! I know we're 100% awake now and it will take a tremendous team effort to get past that impressive team. I'm looking forward to the response. I think we have it in us, but not if they play like that! We have to make them play worse. I hope the mitten is ready, and can be integrated into the rotation. He could be a disrupter in there.

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Jun 5, 2022·edited Jun 5, 2022

Young glove, please.

But yes, hopefully, the Ws have digested that the Celtics are capable of storming back and aren't going to fold after a big Golden State flurry. I did wonder if the Ws assumed that they had proven their point in the 3rd and got surprised that the Celtics would seriously fight them to the end. Of course, it always helps to have super hot shooting. But the Warriors better finish them this time.

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The Warriors are both the team that played great defense and lit it up in the 3rd quarter, and the bumbling, can't make a basket team but can let the other team make 3s of the 4th quarter. Boston is both the defense-challenged team of the 3rd quarter and the flame throwing, active defense of the 4th. I expect that both teams will find a balance that is more stable as the series goes on and the teams get to know each other better.

This is a coaches' battle, and also one of how well the players understand and execute the game-plan. But it will also turn on who makes baskets. I predicted Warriors in 5, but Game 1's strange performances make me think it will go the distance.

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$ https://theathletic.com/3343277/2022/06/02/golden-state-warriors-nba-finals-front-office/

"Kerr, admittedly not an analytics-friendly coach, has come to love expected field goal percentage as a postgame metric. Sidhu’s system judges a player’s typical percentage based on a certain zone, the nearest defender and other varying factors to determine the likelihood of any given shot attempt. That resulting number, instead of the traditional field goal percentage, gives a more accurate representation of the type of shots created and the health of the offense on any given night."

I wonder who gives Klay his postgame Expected Field Goal %?? 🤪

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So many moving pieces behind the scene. What we get to see is tip of the spear, Steph being tip of the tip of the spear

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Jun 4, 2022·edited Jun 4, 2022

Also for those calling for different players to play the article highlights some interesting processes that go on that I would not have thought about. But clearly there are levels and systems to what is being decided that we as the fans are obviously not privy to.

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I found courage to read "enemy" beat writer's article on The Athletic. We may feel like we had a bad 4th quarter. Reading the article, Celts clearly believe that they can play better in first three quarters (Tatum and Brown) and that they didn't have their best game. They are supremely confident in themselves to mount a fight in Q4 of G1 on road - clearly different than our other three series. Also seems like they did adjustment in 4th quarter (especially pre-switching) to keep their bigs out of trouble (vs our offense). So their defense fed their offense which fed their defense and so on.

I think G2 is going to require near perfect game from Dray and Klay with Steph, Wiggs and OPJ repeating their performances. Hopefully our guys have appropriate fear to be able to do that.

PS: As per the article, Celts were taken aback by Curry flurry 😀 but they adjusted of course.

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Every team always thinks they can play better. This is not news.

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How can they be surprised by Steph going off in the beginning, when they were in drop and some of the time they didn't even know where he was. Their defense tightened up, but I still liked the attempts he got after that. I saw a 5-16 stat for quarters 2-4 but I'm stubborn and believe some shouldn't be counted as attempts, because he should've been shooting 2 at the stripe.

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Appreciate your bravery but you be careful behind those enemy lines! We don’t need the whole of DNHQ going on a search and rescue mission to bring you back safely home…

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OT but not OT: Kerr needs to give up on strategy of "I will keep my guys fresh for G5-7 while Celt's six man rotation tires itself out". Celts were not tired to get after Q4 of G1 after playing 7 game series with a day in between three days before. Finals are gonna be cake walk for them in terms of wear and tear.

Play

Steph, Klay, Wiggs, Dray: ~42 mins each

OPJ, Loon: ~24 min each

Poole: 12 min

Andre+Moody: 12 min

If GP2 comes back, reduce Loon's minutes.

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Is it having OPJ sit too long if you have him closing every quarter for that 24?That's what I would like to see them try. Especially if he is knocking down shots and back to not losing sight of shooters on the other end.

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OK, Fantasy Basketball time for those who want to take their minds off the 0-1 reality.

You get to wave a magic wand and pick ANYONE from NBA history to take Chiozza's roster spot for the rest of the Play offs.

Who do you pick and why?

Remembering these wise words:

“Fit is always a factor,” Steve Kerr said. “Bill Belichick has a great quote that he uses in general: ‘You’re not building a roster, you’re building a team.'”

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If it's in history then you for sure do NOT pick for fit.

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Indeed. I'll take Michael Jordan please.

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I'll take Shaq for JTA's spot. 6'8" to 6'10" is a great size for a player in the modern NBA until you need to defend a 7' 300lb guy in the paint.

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Well, Chiozza doesn't have a playoff roster spot, so who's the best cheerleader?

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LOL my bad. Guess there might be a spot on the Hardwood Classics 😂

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Jun 4, 2022·edited Jun 4, 2022

You could make a lot of great choices and defend them. This is an obvious choice, and probably picking a Celtic should be banned but I want prime Bill Russell. The Celts are not scoring in the paint with him there so they have to settle for 3s, and with Wiggs, Klay, and Steph on the perimeter, and Draymond playing free safety, that's a helluva defense. R Williams has to fight for everything he gets, and he goes hungry a lot. We win the boards at both ends. Russell is a great fit for Kerr's ball movement offense, and our fast break goes into hyperdrive with his outlet passes, with Dray blazing down court to take the outlet and deal it to just the right scorer. Russell could score if needed, he just didn't need to on those teams, and he'll clean up the garbage. And of course he was the ultimate champion. Of course the game was different then, no three seconds in the lane for much of his career (I believe that rule was made for Wilt), no 3-point line. But damn. Loon comes off the bench with OPJ to keep our rebounding and front court D going when Russell and Dray sit. Backcourt/wing bench is the same, plus some Kuminga. I'm not going to argue if you want to pick MJ, Dream, etc., but you mentioned fit, and to me Bill Russell is a great fit for us.

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Jun 4, 2022·edited Jun 4, 2022

This is well thought out ATH👌🏽 I would assume he would be a lob threat too as from the limited footage I've seen he has some 🐰🐰 (as Luka calls them, oh I just got it, because rabbits Hop!!) Was quite surprised he was “only” 6’10”!

My fantasy pick is another Boston great Larry Legend. He looked closer to Russells height than his listed one; good active hands and team defender, great passer, solid rebounder, elite low post/mid range/3pt shooter, would out IQ even Dray, and had the clutch gene. Think Bjelica but, scratch that. Can't put them in the same breath. I think he would fit in well with the culture as he was team/win first, never played for his stats and looked to make his teammates better. Just imagine: I don't know who to leave out of that lineup!

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sucks to lose like that. Still the Dubs looked really good. Need more defensive intensity, was disappointed to see that lacking last night

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