Watched the OT between Magic and Rockets last night. Magic was extremely boring and predictable on offense - lots of standing around and watching Bane and Wagner iso. Sure provides an ugly contrast to Kerr-ball.
On the final play of the second Spurs game, Fox uses a screen to force a switch from Moody to GP2. Is that just a way to get into their action, or do the Spurs think Moody is the superior POA defender?
Nice to have both GP2 and Moody out there (as well as Dray and JB) when you need a stop. Watched the replay of that last play - Steph was out on the weak side assigned to Harrison Barnes although he seemed pretty sure that the ball wouldn't leave Fox's hands so he didn't have to do much on the play.
Podz's per 36 minute stats over his last 4 games (since getting demoted to the bench):
15.4 points on 47.1% field goal and 50% from behind the arc
3.4 made threes, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals against just 1 turnover
Over this stretch, he has the lowest turnover ratio on the team and a 3.7 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.
His effective field goal is 61.8%, and his true shooting is 62.9%.
Should the Warriors consider returning to their most successful starting lineup last season?
So far this season, Kerr has played Curry, Podz, Moody, Butler, and Green all together in just 3 games (including both of the Warriors' last two road wins) for a total of 10 minutes. Note that this unit had seen the floor together for just a few seconds this entire season previous to Kuminga's injury two games ago. However, this unit played for 7 minutes in the second game against the Spurs, playing the Spurs even (18-18). Note that Kerr used this unit to close out the game (at least until Payton came in for Pods with 6 seconds to play), and this unit was +4 during the last 2.5 minutes of play, turning a 3 point deficit into a 1 point victory. Kerr also used this unit to close out the first half of the second Spurs game (the last 3:38 of the half, during which the Spurs tightened the game from 37-33 to 47-45).
This unit also played 3 more minutes together last night (all to close the first half), outscoring the Pelicans 8-2 during those 3 minutes. In total, the Warriors have outscored the competition 26-20 (despite hitting just 2-10 threes and turning the ball over 4 times) during the 10 minutes this lineup has played so far this season. While this is a bit ridiculous to calculate from effectively just two tiny data points (including one against a very shorthanded team), 26-20 over 10 minutes extrapolates to 125 to 96 over 48 minutes.
Last season, that same 5 man group played far more minutes than any other 5 man lineup for the Warriors and was +85 points in 211 minutes of play. (The second and third most used 5 man lineups played just 125 and 76 minutes respectively.) That lineup outscored the competition 127-107 per 48 minutes played. Of the 53 lineups in the NBA that were used for more than 150 total minutes over the entire season, this lineup was third in net rating: https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/traditional?CF=MIN*G*150&PerMode=Per48&Season=2024-25&dir=D&slug=traditional&sort=PLUS_MINUS
Shea Serrano, a five-time New York Times best selling author, has come out with a new book named “Expensive Basketball”. In the video below, he explains how he had to change the book at the very last minute inorder to add a chapter on Steph’s Olympics performance.
Sounds like an interesting book. It’s an examination of some of basketball's most iconic players, moments, and games. In today’s world of statistics and analytics, the book instead delves into the emotions and feelings one gets from the game and it’s players.
Thanks, Bel. I am glad I lived long enough to witness that OLYMPICS finish in STEPH'S ONLY APPEARANCE. Maybe I may be biased a bit, but iconic is an understatement...
By the way, I watched the entire interview. The section on KLAY'S 37 pt quarter was extraordinary, also....a 5X NY Times Best Seller List, ''Steph'' SERRANO really knows his BBALL; like STEPH, intuitively...More important, every bball fan gains perspective on...greatness.
I probably think about it daily (for some reason) the Paul George trade for Shai Alexander and 4 first rounders. Probably because of the horror of that trade going to a Wester Conference team. Sometimes (?) billionaires judgments suck.
I absolutely have no idea what KIDD is running in DALLAS, and I do not think he does either. In his ME-ME-ISO BALL SYSTEM, MAVS had 2 assists the 1st qr, and another 2 assists the 2nd quarter for a total of 4 in the half, down 61-44 in T-WOLVES den. Seems everyone on MAVS has a green light to take any shot they want. KLAY played 6 minutes the 1 QR, took 1 shot, a pull-up 3/missed, and 4 mins the 2qr, took 1 pull-up 2/missed; 0-2 at the half. As good as KIDD was as a ball-distributing PG in the ISO-ball ERA, you would think he'd be able to work out a ball-rotation system. Sadly, both PGs WILLIAMS AND RUSSELL/off the bench, are leading scorers, and have 1 assist COMBINED at the half! KIDD is lucky his GM took care of him before he got fired, because anywhere else KIDD would be gone...
Well, it is working. He is already chucking at every opportunity...lol..If that is developing in today's NBA game, MAVS are entering a new losing era...
At the time I wondered why they didn't call a foul for that Wemby tripping of Steph. They did call a foul for another accidental contact during the game that was sorta comparable.
Yeah I heard that in the broadcast. I guess it depends on where the refs draw the line. Sometimes a player stumbles into another player and it's a foul. Other times it's a no-call.
Great stuff, ERIC. You have a gift for play breakdowns. Thanks, also, for ALL the bonus memory lane plays. It was great to see MOODY, and PODZ step up vs PELS, and JIMMY excel, on an off-night for STEPH....I hate to be the team that faces GOAT next game...lol...He dropped from 6th to 13th in NBA scoring, which I expect to see him rectify the next two games...Frankly, this challenging road trip is going better than I thought it would...
Slater: Jonathan Kuminga remains out for the Warriors tomorrow night in Orlando. No veterans listed on the injury report vs Magic. They are cleared for the front side of the Orlando, Miami back-to-back that wraps up this six-game road trip.
I'm guessing the Warriors are going to treat the Miami game more or less as a scheduled loss as they have to fly back that night and only get 1 day off before hosting the Blazers.
Can you post this apribot score in pre-game writeups? it would save me (and perhaps a few others) a lot of looking things up. also, does this score balance for whatever schedule fuckery has been laid on the opposing team?
Thanks for the interest. APRIBOT does count schedule penalties for both teams. I don’t do pre-game, so no. Will prob put on the web or do overviews of season stretches.
How many scheduled losses can we afford to have in a highly competitive West? Seems like we have to go after every possible win. And Miami is 7-6, a winning record but not a juggernaut.
Just like last season when JK was starting to get on a bit of a run he gets injured. Guess they've got to be precautious but I wonder how tricky it will be to work back into the starting line up if he needs a few games to get back into the flow we saw at the start of the season. Any updates on Melton or Seth joining?
Eric Apricot is the literal GOAT of blogging
Nah, he’s da PUG (positively, undeniably greatest)
Watched the OT between Magic and Rockets last night. Magic was extremely boring and predictable on offense - lots of standing around and watching Bane and Wagner iso. Sure provides an ugly contrast to Kerr-ball.
Mark Jackson offense.
Per Kerr on 97.5; “It’s been the toughest early schedule I’ve ever been a part of in my entire NBA life”.
Thanks Adam.
That makes me feel like we're in good shape then. I do think we can beat OKC if everyone's healthy.
Also per Kerr, hopeful Kuminga can play at Miami.
Bulls beat the Nuggets 130-127. Apparently, this is Bulls second road win of the season.
That's crazy, considering the Bulls were playing at altitude after losing a double OT game against Utah the night before. On any given night....
I didn’t watch the last game. Was it necessary to play Steph? Would we have have won if he was a DNP?
Without Steph's gravity, Moody and the other shooters would not have gotten wide open looks on threes last night.
Why wouldn't they play Steph? He can't take every other game off.
On the final play of the second Spurs game, Fox uses a screen to force a switch from Moody to GP2. Is that just a way to get into their action, or do the Spurs think Moody is the superior POA defender?
https://youtu.be/Kg_EkKQrMOY?t=971
I think Fox just wanted a screen to get some space, not necessarily to get on a better defender.
I ponder a similar question when a team screens and brings Draymond on ball.
Most likely. Also, Moses has a longer wingspan so the chances of his contest affecting Fox's shot is higher than GP2
Nice to have both GP2 and Moody out there (as well as Dray and JB) when you need a stop. Watched the replay of that last play - Steph was out on the weak side assigned to Harrison Barnes although he seemed pretty sure that the ball wouldn't leave Fox's hands so he didn't have to do much on the play.
Buddy hitting 15th on all time 3PM list and Butler demanding a recount is peak vibes for this season. 😅😅
lol
Podz's per 36 minute stats over his last 4 games (since getting demoted to the bench):
15.4 points on 47.1% field goal and 50% from behind the arc
3.4 made threes, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals against just 1 turnover
Over this stretch, he has the lowest turnover ratio on the team and a 3.7 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.
His effective field goal is 61.8%, and his true shooting is 62.9%.
Should the Warriors consider returning to their most successful starting lineup last season?
So far this season, Kerr has played Curry, Podz, Moody, Butler, and Green all together in just 3 games (including both of the Warriors' last two road wins) for a total of 10 minutes. Note that this unit had seen the floor together for just a few seconds this entire season previous to Kuminga's injury two games ago. However, this unit played for 7 minutes in the second game against the Spurs, playing the Spurs even (18-18). Note that Kerr used this unit to close out the game (at least until Payton came in for Pods with 6 seconds to play), and this unit was +4 during the last 2.5 minutes of play, turning a 3 point deficit into a 1 point victory. Kerr also used this unit to close out the first half of the second Spurs game (the last 3:38 of the half, during which the Spurs tightened the game from 37-33 to 47-45).
This unit also played 3 more minutes together last night (all to close the first half), outscoring the Pelicans 8-2 during those 3 minutes. In total, the Warriors have outscored the competition 26-20 (despite hitting just 2-10 threes and turning the ball over 4 times) during the 10 minutes this lineup has played so far this season. While this is a bit ridiculous to calculate from effectively just two tiny data points (including one against a very shorthanded team), 26-20 over 10 minutes extrapolates to 125 to 96 over 48 minutes.
Last season, that same 5 man group played far more minutes than any other 5 man lineup for the Warriors and was +85 points in 211 minutes of play. (The second and third most used 5 man lineups played just 125 and 76 minutes respectively.) That lineup outscored the competition 127-107 per 48 minutes played. Of the 53 lineups in the NBA that were used for more than 150 total minutes over the entire season, this lineup was third in net rating: https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/traditional?CF=MIN*G*150&PerMode=Per48&Season=2024-25&dir=D&slug=traditional&sort=PLUS_MINUS
I've been wanting that lineup to start and close all year
Although, I am anxiously awaiting Steph-Melton-Moody-Jimmy-Dray, which should be even better
The key is that Moody needs to start. Podz, Melton and Richard are all good options next to him.
Shea Serrano, a five-time New York Times best selling author, has come out with a new book named “Expensive Basketball”. In the video below, he explains how he had to change the book at the very last minute inorder to add a chapter on Steph’s Olympics performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giI762rCKqs
Sounds like an interesting book. It’s an examination of some of basketball's most iconic players, moments, and games. In today’s world of statistics and analytics, the book instead delves into the emotions and feelings one gets from the game and it’s players.
Note: Author is a lifelong Spurs fan.
Thanks, Bel. I am glad I lived long enough to witness that OLYMPICS finish in STEPH'S ONLY APPEARANCE. Maybe I may be biased a bit, but iconic is an understatement...
By the way, I watched the entire interview. The section on KLAY'S 37 pt quarter was extraordinary, also....a 5X NY Times Best Seller List, ''Steph'' SERRANO really knows his BBALL; like STEPH, intuitively...More important, every bball fan gains perspective on...greatness.
Lol Clippers lose. 4-10, baby…
OKC has their 1st rounder. My god
Paul George was in this game with the Sixers, his first since his injury in March.
I probably think about it daily (for some reason) the Paul George trade for Shai Alexander and 4 first rounders. Probably because of the horror of that trade going to a Wester Conference team. Sometimes (?) billionaires judgments suck.
lol. Harden. Dude will never change.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LAClippers/comments/1p00mgi/harden_getting_mauled_for_the_game_winner_shot/
Did get hit in the shooting elbow tho
They were up 10 at the end of 3, it looks like
Also looks like the Nuggets are having a rough 2nd quarter so far. Still early, but down 10 at home to the Bulls.
I absolutely have no idea what KIDD is running in DALLAS, and I do not think he does either. In his ME-ME-ISO BALL SYSTEM, MAVS had 2 assists the 1st qr, and another 2 assists the 2nd quarter for a total of 4 in the half, down 61-44 in T-WOLVES den. Seems everyone on MAVS has a green light to take any shot they want. KLAY played 6 minutes the 1 QR, took 1 shot, a pull-up 3/missed, and 4 mins the 2qr, took 1 pull-up 2/missed; 0-2 at the half. As good as KIDD was as a ball-distributing PG in the ISO-ball ERA, you would think he'd be able to work out a ball-rotation system. Sadly, both PGs WILLIAMS AND RUSSELL/off the bench, are leading scorers, and have 1 assist COMBINED at the half! KIDD is lucky his GM took care of him before he got fired, because anywhere else KIDD would be gone...
The priority in Dallas is developing Cooper. It's not winning.
Well, it is working. He is already chucking at every opportunity...lol..If that is developing in today's NBA game, MAVS are entering a new losing era...
Ugh, OKC v NOP on a segababa… is there a skunk rule?
"so you're telling me there'a chance?" "actually, no"
Indiana vs Detroit is almost as bad, despite Detroit missing Cade, Aussar, Ivey, and Harris
r/nba deleted the post accusing Podz of injuring Wemby.
Heck, if anything, Wemby tripped Steph. Time stamp 1:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEGN84PqgPE
Coach Nick called that out too…
At the time I wondered why they didn't call a foul for that Wemby tripping of Steph. They did call a foul for another accidental contact during the game that was sorta comparable.
Broadcast explained it away as Steph tripping over Wemby's foot.
Yeah I heard that in the broadcast. I guess it depends on where the refs draw the line. Sometimes a player stumbles into another player and it's a foul. Other times it's a no-call.
My first thought when I saw it was that Wemby was reported to have a calf strain, but wouldn't a kick cause a contusion?
I had the same thought. I think it was posted by someone who hates the Warriors and wanted to stir shit up.
Shades of the "curious" JP3 death grip on Ja's knee in '22
I don't know if was Podz ass or his leg that came into contact with Wemby's leg.
Great stuff, ERIC. You have a gift for play breakdowns. Thanks, also, for ALL the bonus memory lane plays. It was great to see MOODY, and PODZ step up vs PELS, and JIMMY excel, on an off-night for STEPH....I hate to be the team that faces GOAT next game...lol...He dropped from 6th to 13th in NBA scoring, which I expect to see him rectify the next two games...Frankly, this challenging road trip is going better than I thought it would...
Slater: Jonathan Kuminga remains out for the Warriors tomorrow night in Orlando. No veterans listed on the injury report vs Magic. They are cleared for the front side of the Orlando, Miami back-to-back that wraps up this six-game road trip.
I have to assume they asked Butler if it was cool if they rested for the Miami game and he said it was for them to rest that game.
Guessing that they don't mind having a night off in Miami lol.
I'm guessing the Warriors are going to treat the Miami game more or less as a scheduled loss as they have to fly back that night and only get 1 day off before hosting the Blazers.
APRIBOT has always thought the MIA game was the worst schedule loss of the trip with a net lost win prob of around -20%.
* 3in4 (-1.5 pts),
* B2B(road) (-3.5),
* Road 5th game (-2.0),
* Flight 205mi (-0.3)
Can you post this apribot score in pre-game writeups? it would save me (and perhaps a few others) a lot of looking things up. also, does this score balance for whatever schedule fuckery has been laid on the opposing team?
Thanks for the interest. APRIBOT does count schedule penalties for both teams. I don’t do pre-game, so no. Will prob put on the web or do overviews of season stretches.
* Jimmy's wine cellar (-15.5)
How many scheduled losses can we afford to have in a highly competitive West? Seems like we have to go after every possible win. And Miami is 7-6, a winning record but not a juggernaut.
Just like last season when JK was starting to get on a bit of a run he gets injured. Guess they've got to be precautious but I wonder how tricky it will be to work back into the starting line up if he needs a few games to get back into the flow we saw at the start of the season. Any updates on Melton or Seth joining?
Hopefully this absence won't be nearly as long as the one last year, so he won't be too rusty.
My first thought for Buddy's pose was an Aztec thunderbird.
https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/1180074810/thunderbird-wild-soul-with-sunflower
In this case, a Thunderbuddy.
> Thunderbuddy
Much better than an Aztec BuddyBird
Mark Wahlberg and Ted are Thunderbuddies
He can be our mascot when he retires. Buddy the Thunderbird feels like a worthy successor to Thunder.