I'm also glad that the Ws finally slowed down the pace. It just made sense against a younger, more athletic opponent, and it had the benefit of forcing the Kings to play defense longer, which wore them down physically and psychologically. Needed to happen MUCH earlier, but glad Kerr finally went there.
Happy for the Ws to advance and face LeBron and the Lakers. The turnaround is too short, but hopefully, playing at home cures a lot of ills. Go Warriors!
Dallas’ offseason priorities, Harrison said at his exit interview, is to add players who can defend and rebound. Two of the team’s underwhelming big man rotation, Wood and Dwight Powell, are out of contract — and Wood, team sources say, is, unsurprisingly, not expected to be back. Maxi Kleber and McGee both showed age-related decline, although Dallas hopes that Kleber, 31, can bounce back with a full offseason to recover from midseason hamstring surgery.
What a leader! ❤️I’m so grateful my son has a front row seat to this generational excellence. And they are all even more amazing then most will ever know. 💛💙
Apparently, Lebron suffered a torn tendon on his right foot on March, which requires a season-ending surgery to repair, but he declined and is still playing with an injured foot.
I think one of the things overlooked in all the JK discussion is the impact of getting both Wiggs and GP2 back. JK had cemented himself as a regular part of the rotation, getting 20-30 minutes a night every game.
Then, suddenly, right before the transition into the playoffs, GP2 comes back and fills a very similar role, defensive stopper against the other teams' best guard/wing and 3 pt corner C&S threat and rim cutter. But, JK still got minutes for the last couple games before the playoffs as he was needed as a bigger body and defender against 4s/5s and GP2 was still rusty and getting back into game rhythm.
Then the playoffs start, and Wiggs is back. JK gets 4 minutes and he plays ok, has a moment or two where he's ineffective, but also makes a couple good plays. However, Kerr clearly has him lower on the totem pole than Wiggs and GP2, and he doesn't get anymore minutes. We don't clearly know why, but I have a feeling it has more to do with how slim the margin of error for each game felt to Kerr and his instinct to trust the guys he's done this with before.
But for a 20 year old with expectations of playing a rotational role in the playoffs, this has gotta hurt. He's in his feelings. And that affects his play even more. And Kerr trusts him even less. It spirals from there.
Sure, you can point to his maturity, but emotionally, I'm sure he was hurting and feeling very let down and disappointed. Could Kerr have handled the whole situation better? Very possibly, but we won't ever know. He does have to learn and grow from this, and hopefully he can let go of his disappointment and it allow his lack of PT to feel his competitive desire and intensity more so that he can show up again in these playoffs. He was able to do that in the regular season, from DNP's early into a rotation stalwart by the end. Now he just has to show that he can do that again in the playoffs, and acting as defensive stopper vs. LBJ is a great way to prove it.
FWIW, I think the matchup isn't as bad as we think it is. Near the end of the regular season, JK was starting to develop a rhythm with Steph as PnR partner. If he can step back into that role, and they can effectively pull AD out to the perimeter with regularity, the paint won't be as clogged, and I'm hoping that allows for some high flying Kuminga antics.
I don't think I see Looney having that impactful of a series against the Lakers. Unlike Sabonis, AD can actually jump and he has the height and wingspan on Looney. Even if he's hustling for the offensive boards, I'm not sure if he'll get them as often. Wonder if we do more small ball with Dray at the 5 against them.
No blood elevator for me
Thanks for E1P!
I'm also glad that the Ws finally slowed down the pace. It just made sense against a younger, more athletic opponent, and it had the benefit of forcing the Kings to play defense longer, which wore them down physically and psychologically. Needed to happen MUCH earlier, but glad Kerr finally went there.
Happy for the Ws to advance and face LeBron and the Lakers. The turnaround is too short, but hopefully, playing at home cures a lot of ills. Go Warriors!
Blues clues bed sheets 😂
Harden!
A bad decision/great shot for the 2pt lead...8 seconds left
Fresh thread for all of you beloved folks here at the HQ: https://dubnationhq.com/p/warriors-continue-title-defense-after
I know we just want a 7 game series for Celtics-76ers, but who do we prefer to win? I’m probably leaning Sixers.
Nate Duncan
@NateDuncanNBA
What a ridiculous Boston shot chart. 15/15 at the rim, 8/14 on ATB 3s, no corner 3s or midrangers attempted.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FvFUDB4aEAA4_gj?format=png&name=small
Celtics up 66-63 over 76ers at half. Only 2 FTs shot - both by Jaylen Brown with 30 seconds left in the half
Dallas’ offseason priorities, Harrison said at his exit interview, is to add players who can defend and rebound. Two of the team’s underwhelming big man rotation, Wood and Dwight Powell, are out of contract — and Wood, team sources say, is, unsurprisingly, not expected to be back. Maxi Kleber and McGee both showed age-related decline, although Dallas hopes that Kleber, 31, can bounce back with a full offseason to recover from midseason hamstring surgery.
https://theathletic.com/4474477/2023/05/01/kyrie-irving-dallas-mavericks-free-agency/
What a leader! ❤️I’m so grateful my son has a front row seat to this generational excellence. And they are all even more amazing then most will ever know. 💛💙
https://twitter.com/mzrmoody/status/1652940918792806401
Apparently, Lebron suffered a torn tendon on his right foot on March, which requires a season-ending surgery to repair, but he declined and is still playing with an injured foot.
https://twitter.com/jovanbuha/status/1640118543403606018
https://twitter.com/jovanbuha/status/1640119107650748416
Did anybody read about curry’s speech before game 7? If true that’s some real “threesus Christ” shit right there.
I think one of the things overlooked in all the JK discussion is the impact of getting both Wiggs and GP2 back. JK had cemented himself as a regular part of the rotation, getting 20-30 minutes a night every game.
Then, suddenly, right before the transition into the playoffs, GP2 comes back and fills a very similar role, defensive stopper against the other teams' best guard/wing and 3 pt corner C&S threat and rim cutter. But, JK still got minutes for the last couple games before the playoffs as he was needed as a bigger body and defender against 4s/5s and GP2 was still rusty and getting back into game rhythm.
Then the playoffs start, and Wiggs is back. JK gets 4 minutes and he plays ok, has a moment or two where he's ineffective, but also makes a couple good plays. However, Kerr clearly has him lower on the totem pole than Wiggs and GP2, and he doesn't get anymore minutes. We don't clearly know why, but I have a feeling it has more to do with how slim the margin of error for each game felt to Kerr and his instinct to trust the guys he's done this with before.
But for a 20 year old with expectations of playing a rotational role in the playoffs, this has gotta hurt. He's in his feelings. And that affects his play even more. And Kerr trusts him even less. It spirals from there.
Sure, you can point to his maturity, but emotionally, I'm sure he was hurting and feeling very let down and disappointed. Could Kerr have handled the whole situation better? Very possibly, but we won't ever know. He does have to learn and grow from this, and hopefully he can let go of his disappointment and it allow his lack of PT to feel his competitive desire and intensity more so that he can show up again in these playoffs. He was able to do that in the regular season, from DNP's early into a rotation stalwart by the end. Now he just has to show that he can do that again in the playoffs, and acting as defensive stopper vs. LBJ is a great way to prove it.
FWIW, I think the matchup isn't as bad as we think it is. Near the end of the regular season, JK was starting to develop a rhythm with Steph as PnR partner. If he can step back into that role, and they can effectively pull AD out to the perimeter with regularity, the paint won't be as clogged, and I'm hoping that allows for some high flying Kuminga antics.
Coach Nick did a breakdown of game 7 yesterday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPAnS2FAsDY
I don't think I see Looney having that impactful of a series against the Lakers. Unlike Sabonis, AD can actually jump and he has the height and wingspan on Looney. Even if he's hustling for the offensive boards, I'm not sure if he'll get them as often. Wonder if we do more small ball with Dray at the 5 against them.
De'Aaron Fox said he has a tremendous amount of respect for the Warriors. "I'm glad they were able to teach us that lesson."
https://twitter.com/James_HamNBA/status/1653124120182423554