Game 15: GSW vs Houston. Kerr on closing games. Plus open thread.
Houston is growing up fast and is no pushover
Inspirational verse from Steve Kerr 2023-11-05 pregame
Apricot: Semi-inspirational verse after the last ending, but moving on from that…
Q: I caught something the other night that you said about closing games. As a player and as a coach in your experience, is what have you learned about that particular time of the game to get the job done, and how have you guys done it so consistently?
Well, the best teams are the ones that can get stops in crunch time. And it's hard to be a good team, especially on the road, if you're not defending well. Last year was a good example of that. It was a bizarre year. We had a great defense at home, terrible defense on the road. It made no sense. But when you could feel it during games, we just couldn't get stops at key times. So all the best teams that I've been on have been able to get stops.
And then at the other end of the floor is really about getting organized and getting good possessions, not turning it over, not giving your opponent opportunities off of mistakes to score and transition. And if you have the game under control, and you're taking care of the ball, and you're putting your opponent in the half court down the stretch, then your defense can take over opportunities off of mistakes to score and transition. If you have the game under control, you're taking care of the ball, and you're putting your opponent in the half court down the stretch, then your defense can take over.
GAME DETAILS
WHEN: 2023-11-20 7:00 PM Pacific
WHO: Golden State Warriors vs Houston
WATCH: NBCSN Bay Area
Post-game: https://open.substack.com/pub/dubnation/p/post-game-dubs-win-klay-hits-some?r=3lm3s&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Important win. If you look at the standings (which you shouldn't, it's way too early in the season, but don't worry, I'm looking at them for you) you'll see that there are eleven competitive teams vying for ten playoff/in spots. The weakest of the group is probably Houston - important to push them down in the standings.
All the psychological shit about breaking the losing streak is probably important too.