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Mar 23·edited Mar 23Pinned

FYI new post at https://open.substack.com/pub/dubnation/p/warriors-stun-mavericks-in-dallas?r=3lm3s&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

With GP2 update in comments, he said cryptically

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Masterful E1P plus joy for the game is a lovely way to start the day!

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Clippers vs. Thunder is the only game to watch for tonight if you want to pay attention to what is going on with the teams in the West. Pelicans vs. Hornets is an easy win for the Pelicans, so I wouldn't really pay attention to that game as much.

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I'd love to see the Dubs draft an under-appreciated big man who has had 4 years of college basketball coaching and experience. Someone who could learn Kerrball and develop into a nice 3rd big. Who would that be? Um ... no idea. But let a fella dream.

For folks who are ready to shout - it's PBJ! We already have him! He just needs to put on 20 pounds this summer! Maybe :).

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Speaking of soccer, the practice of "diving" [flopping] tapered off quite a lot once the refs were allowed to penalize it. You can even get a yellow card [like a technical, only yellow]. Are the NBA refs allowed to T-up a flopper? Do they have that power and choose not to use it?

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EXCLUSIVE: Mark Cuban protest leaked: https://tinyurl.com/39629dws

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Vestige Worries About Kuminga From His Rookie Year That People Can Stop Worrying About:

1. He'll need to hit the three to create space and stay on the court. A: He does. He always has. You just thought that he wouldn't.

2. He doesn't know where to be on defense. A. He stopped playing positional defense. He just dogs the best player on the other team. Picks? Ha! He goes over them before the ball handler can.

3. He doesn't know where to be on offense. A. Sometimes. But often enough, he knows exactly where to be. He sets the right pick, then cuts to the hoop or flares out. He makes the right read and makes the right pass as well as, say, Wiggins. He's not Draymond or Steph here, but he gets it.

4. He can't be trusted in late game situations. A. Yes, he can.

5. He's young and the game hasn't slowed down for him. A. I hope it never does. He's moving faster than everyone else and I love it. Also I'm bored of the whole "game slowed down for him" meme, it gets tiresome. I'm looking at you, Kerr, you cliche-generating machine.

6. He has to learn how to be a winner. A. He has more rings than twelve NBA franchises. Also, I hate the tautological "learn how to be a winner" meme even more than my previous rant.

7. He needs to improve at the free throw line and as a ball handler in traffic. A. *cough cough cough*

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Mar 23Liked by Eric Apricot

Rant incoming:

Once again, there was bitching about JMG’s presence in the lineup in the Game Thread, as if he’s some sort of magic loss pill. Despite his slow start to the season, the man is getting 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per 36 on .646 TS% (league average TS%: 58%). He’s been bringing consistent energy and offense on both sides of the ball. Since the All Star break, he’s made 41% of this 3-pointers! I’d say that’s pretty fucking great.

Two questions:

1. What exactly are people expecting from a minimum salary backup big?

2. When you include is availability, is he really a big drop off from what OPJ and Bjelica gave the team last year?

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Mar 23Liked by Eric Apricot

Appreciate the GP2 Grateful Dead reference. So Oakland / SF.

I’m not alone in appreciating how the dubs and the dead cultures overlap. Never mind Sarunas and the friends and family of Bill Walton, Bob attending games… Oracle (the arena) was a magical place for fans of both. The unique concrete structure of the ceiling, frequently noticed while in a magical musical moment, was a big driver in my family’s decision to buy Warriors season tix right after Jerry died. Just couldn’t get enough of that place, I guess.

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Mar 23Liked by Eric Apricot

“Dancing on the Pancreas” is my latest techno vibe.

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You ever find that there are two DNHQ posts going on at the same time, for example this one as well as last night's postgame, and you're not sure where the current discussion is really going on, so you go hang out in the wrong one and all of a sudden you find out that you're the only one there? That's how Dallas felt when they were on the wrong end of the court.

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Is there something about Texas that turns great players into shameless floppers? Luka is so talented, but he’s 50/40/90 in whine, flop, and mope.

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OK don't excommunicate me, but could Draymond's seal of Bullock have been called a moving pick?

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The Steph layup play shows why Luka will never lead a team to a championship. It's a do-or-die defensive sequence but Luka manages to completely take himself out of the play. Watch around the 4:00 mark of the video as Kuminga races up to set a screen for Steph - Luka halfheartedly jogs up so there's no way he can switch out on Steph and then Steph blows by for the easy layup thanks to Dray's seal on Bullock. If you can't put in a strong effort on a potentially game-influencing play, then why are you out there and how do you think your teammates feel about busting their butts while you go through the motions?

Maybe he's worn out, but that's on him too (and maybe Kidd) - he's never seemed to be in good shape and we saw the same thing in the WCFs last year where he'd get his numbers but got cooked on the defensive end repeatedly.

Don't even get me started about his obsessive whining after every play.

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Luka is soft. All the talent in the world yet he's a baby when it comes to contact. No wonder why he said it's harder to score in Europe. They let players play defense over there. Imagine if they did that again in the NBA.

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Mar 23·edited Mar 23Liked by Eric Apricot

Reggie Bullock's podcast should be called "The Other Side of Draymond's Buttocks."

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