this season is so weird too. We've only got like 9 games left on the schedule, and still have no idea what the rest of the season looks like, or when the playoffs start
(Sidebar: I'm getting tired of Steph being referred to as "the first" unanimous MVP winner. I mean, look at all of the unanimous MVPs we have had since then there's.... um... yeah, nobody. HE'S THE ONLY UNANIMOUS MVP IN NBA HISTORY! Until that changes, "first", while true, is insufficient).
Dubs, in 7th in the West at 16-13, now have the same record as the #3 team in the East, since the Bucks lost to the Raptors [now in 6th with a 14-15 record.]
The Warriors’ record does not affect the likelihood that the 2021 Minny pick conveys (60% at worst, ~80% at best).
As far as their own 2021 first round pick: if they finish with a top ten record and lose it, they get to keep Minny’s 2021 second rounder and their own 2021 second rounder.
The differennce between a #21-25 pick (their own first rounder) and a #31-35 pick (Minny’s second rounder) plus a #51-55 pick is actually not that huge.
TLDR: they still need to be scouting the 2021 draft closely.
- Pick #10-#20 (no matter what, I dont see us ending with a record below #20 seed); OR
- Pick #31-#35 + Pick #51-#55
Related question - Would you choose Steph getting 3rd MVP if that meant loosing first of above two options? I personally would go with 3rd MVP although I am conflicted.
Kinda depends on how you look at it. Those are the two possible scenarios; but in no scenario can it really be said that we are “giving up” a #10-20 pick. If the pick is that high, we keep it. If we’re good enough to lose the pick (which I think will have a ton of benefits in terms of player value, player legacy, awards, team morale, etc.) the pick we’ll be *losing* will be #21-30. And in that scenario we also effectively gain a high and a low second rounder. Not such an awful fate.
As to your question: I take the Steph MVP (and being a top 10 team) all day.
REALLY, REALLY happy for JLin after he had to miss a game yesterday from back soreness. Hope he gets one last NBA shot with some team. He made a huge difference today when he first came in the first quarter, after Smiley had goofed up a bunch and led the team to a 13 point deficit in about 6 minutes.
I haven't actually finished watching the game, but they were down like 24 in the 3rd quarter when I stopped watching. It looks like Jordan Poole also went off for 37 mostly at the end, with only 2 turnovers? Will have to watch it later :)
Before the season starts, Kerr said JP is the most improved. He was playing so free today and scoring at will for 10-12 mins., almost Steph like. On the other hand, Smiley seemed a little lost...
That was my take too. That said, it's just one game. But Jordan looks really smooth out there, finishing at the rim even around people/while falling down from contact with ease. Curious to see if he can continue to improve enough this year that he gets a consistent spot on the big league roster.
You know what's crazy, if the Warriors were in the East they'd be the 4-seed right now, and half a game behind Milwaukee for the 3-seed. (And Steph would probably be #2 or so in the MVP leaderboards.)
I'm just going to look on the bright side and be happy about not having to face the Nets, Celtics, or Pacers in the playoffs. Bucks or Raptors, either. All those teams played us pretty hard this season. We haven't faced the Sixers yet but obviously avoiding them is also a plus.
Utah is the team I fear most at the moment, and the LA teams are no easy out despite our taking games off them already, but I like our odds vs. Portland, Phoenix, San Antonio, or even Denver in a 7-game series.
Just based on our games so far I think our chances against many Western playoff teams are better than vs. the Eastern ones, especially the second-tier in each category. And yeah, the East probably has a worse, third tier of "playoff" teams that the West doesn't have, but our record still wouldn't be good enough to encounter one of them in the first round.
You think the Warriors are getting to the top 5 in the West? That’s the only way they play a middling West playoff team right? I think it’s certainly possible with all the teams bunched up. But they will have to start fighting for every win at some point soon to get that done.
I think 5th is pretty achievable, yeah, though 6th-7th seems more likely. But also, you forgot another way we play a middling West playoff team: in the second round after upsetting a 1–2 seed in the first round. =)
Wow, Seadubs were getting destroyed today in the early 1st quarter. All our guys were in, Smiley made a ton of mistakes and kept trying to attack on his own. It was like 20-7 and then Lin came in (off the bench because I think he's a bit banged up, feel bad for him) and completely changed the game. I'm a little behind the broadcast and just saw Jordan Poole save a ball out of bounds behind his back, and then get it back immediately to sink a three.
Funny side note, feels like Caleb Wesson has played way better and been much more aggressive the last two games since he got benched for Smiley.
When I went into my meeting it was looking bad for us... came back out and Poole had his best game yet? 37 pts, 12/21 FG, 4/9 3P, 4 REB, 4 AST, and only 3 TO and 2 PF!
Nico with a short underhand scoop pass to Wesson... the ball bounces off his chest and straight into a defender's hands. Lol. Is that going to count as Nico's turnover? Play before a teammate fumbled the ball from him on a handoff, got too pressured by his trailing defender.
A ton of turnovers are guys going inside and just losing the ball, getting stripped or bumped and thinking they got fouled. Happened to Lin his first game, has applied to Nico and Poole some games since then, has been Smiley this game. There actually haven't been as many passing turnovers as the big league Warriors often get. No one really makes risky passes aside from Poole, and he actually completes almost all of them. As mentioned above, his handling has been a lot more suspect than his passing.
Not sure why they've turned it over handling so much. The team does seem physically outclassed in a lot of games. I'll bet it's hard to run an offense around screen setting when your guards and wings are mostly a skinny 6'3" or smaller. JP is one of the biggest guys on the court.
Oh, and about 4-5 of the team turnovers per game are people traveling or stepping out of bounds as they start their attack off the catch from the perimeter. Those are pretty annoying. This doesn't account for Nico and Poole's turnovers, it's mostly the bench guys. But Smiley was called for 2 travels today I think.
I feel like this "no bigs" stretch has shown the dubs how many dudes they have that can defend above their weight class so to speak. Wiggins, Oubre, JTA, Baze, Paschall all showing they can switch almost anything 1-5 without giving up too much. Throw Dray, Loon (and eventually klay) back in the mix and you have some scary small ball units to fall back on!
Does anyone else think this is the most important/impressive win of the season? They proved they have a TEAM. Super short handed, super short (relative to the NBA) and Steph just a little to long for most of the game and yet the defense held (after the first quarter), Baze and EP stepped up and the Warriors win a super improbably victory.
Granted, the star of the 4th quarter was actually Reversion to Averages but still a huge win for a team down 2 starters and all 4 bigs.
Trying to avoid recency bias, I think the Clippers and Lakers wins showed an ability to beat a top-tier team that this didn't. I think they're all important/impressive wins, personally.
This latest win had more heart and perseverance than any game we've won in a long time for sure...
Agreed that the Clippers and Lakers wins were impressive and they are better teams BUT to play the sort of defense this unit did without Draymond is huge and to have other guys pick up Steph for 47 minutes is HUGE.
If Steph has been his normal 9/20 from 3 or hit all of those WIDE OPEN corner 3s, this game would never have been close
Smaller is better! Bam was a massive negative for Miami once the Warriors put Wiggins at the 5.
Bazemore is a difference maker.
Wannamaker has good defensive instincts, picking up foul 5 on Bam changed the game (too bad his offensive instincts are offensive.)
Wiggins defensive consistency is driving wins for this team.
Oubre is making positive changes in every aspect of his game. Next major step: playing with Wiseman.
Leaving Herro wide open for multiple 3’s at the end of the game was an interesting strategy. Steph needs to step up his defensive mindset for the second half of the season if they truly want to develop Wiseman with the starters. Seems like he’s sagging hard, but reacting late, so it’s not really helping and is leading to wide open shots.
The team crashing for offensive rebounds really changed the game. It’s almost like throwing on an unexpected full court press when they do that. Maybe they should use it as a change up strategy mid game more often?
What odds would you give: Curry 3 point record coming next game?
Seeing the team play solid perimeter defense all that game despite Draymond's unexpected absence seems like a low-key incredible indicator of progress on the season. Wiggins/Oubre/Steph/Baze really held it down.
Totally agreed seeing if the team can keep playing with good habits while incorporating Wiseman is going to be a big thing to watch!
Great comeback win - Dubs showed a lot of guts. Seemed like after the 19 point Heat lead, the Heat kept trying to give the game away but the Dubs didn't capitalize until the end. So many times, the Dubs would get it back from 13-14 to 7-8 down, and then the Heat would bump it back up. Not sure why Bam and Butler seemed so passive out there with no centers or Dray out there. It'll be interesting tonite to see how Heat does against the Kings. If they lose that one, Spoelstra's job might be in jeopardy.
I don't know, the Heat looked pretty competitive until they started playing the Paschall/Baze/Oubre/Wiggins lineup and Bam got 5 fouls. They were only -2 in the third quarter at that point. Watching the game Paschall really went into overdrive getting inside and then kicking the ball out to the right guy on the perimeter. Seemed like it made a real difference and the Heat had a hard time adjusting.
That to me is really exciting, because if Paschall figures out a big part of his game is using his inside game to find smart passes and facilitate, and he can stir up the defense that much, he's likely to be a great Warrior. Side bonus he also had some tough rebounds this game.
100%. Paschall has been showing glimpses of this in the past few games, driving and kicking it out to DLee/Mulder, but this time it felt like his ability to read and react clicked a little more so he went and got the foul (& maybe the bucket too) when he could and kicked it out to the right guy when he couldn't. Now as long as he stops making the same mistake Steph makes of helping off to strong side corner on D, he's in great shape for years to come.
In 2016-2017 the Heat started the season 11-30. Spo didn't get fired, and then they ended the season on a 30-11 run. Give him time with the full roster, the Heat have been fucked up by COVID/injuries.
Agreed, last year was just another example of his coaching chops and that they didn't win their championships just because of their Big 3. He's not going anywhere.
damn!
> @jovanbuha
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13h
Frank Vogel says that Anthony Davis was reevaluated tonight by the Lakers’ medical staff and he’s going to be out for four weeks.
Yep. They are being conservative. Honestly, after the KD injury, I suspect "calf strain" will be treated quite differently in the NBA moving forward.
this season is so weird too. We've only got like 9 games left on the schedule, and still have no idea what the rest of the season looks like, or when the playoffs start
(also, preview is finally up!)
Sorry folks, preview is on the way!
I noticed the Magic SBN site doesn't have a preview up yet despite having three hours on you...
My sleep schedule appreciates these early starts, but 4pm pacific really is quite early!
The downside of taking days off from work midweek: coming back to a hellish friday workload!
Another column comparing '15-16 Steph to this year: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/stephen-curry-had-one-of-the-best-seasons-in-nba-history-in-2015-16-heres-why-hes-even-more-dangerous-now/
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(Sidebar: I'm getting tired of Steph being referred to as "the first" unanimous MVP winner. I mean, look at all of the unanimous MVPs we have had since then there's.... um... yeah, nobody. HE'S THE ONLY UNANIMOUS MVP IN NBA HISTORY! Until that changes, "first", while true, is insufficient).
Calling it now: The Warriors have already embarked on their First 3 game streak of the season.
Dubs, in 7th in the West at 16-13, now have the same record as the #3 team in the East, since the Bucks lost to the Raptors [now in 6th with a 14-15 record.]
Looking like the W’s need to start scouting that 22 draft.
?
The Warriors’ record does not affect the likelihood that the 2021 Minny pick conveys (60% at worst, ~80% at best).
As far as their own 2021 first round pick: if they finish with a top ten record and lose it, they get to keep Minny’s 2021 second rounder and their own 2021 second rounder.
The differennce between a #21-25 pick (their own first rounder) and a #31-35 pick (Minny’s second rounder) plus a #51-55 pick is actually not that huge.
TLDR: they still need to be scouting the 2021 draft closely.
Given current draft agreements, wouldn't it be:
- Pick #10-#20 (no matter what, I dont see us ending with a record below #20 seed); OR
- Pick #31-#35 + Pick #51-#55
Related question - Would you choose Steph getting 3rd MVP if that meant loosing first of above two options? I personally would go with 3rd MVP although I am conflicted.
Kinda depends on how you look at it. Those are the two possible scenarios; but in no scenario can it really be said that we are “giving up” a #10-20 pick. If the pick is that high, we keep it. If we’re good enough to lose the pick (which I think will have a ton of benefits in terms of player value, player legacy, awards, team morale, etc.) the pick we’ll be *losing* will be #21-30. And in that scenario we also effectively gain a high and a low second rounder. Not such an awful fate.
As to your question: I take the Steph MVP (and being a top 10 team) all day.
Don’t look now, but ... the Warriors have the same record as the Bucks.
Looks like J Lin went off in a SC Dubs comeback. https://twitter.com/nbagleague/status/1362537252983877638?s=21
REALLY, REALLY happy for JLin after he had to miss a game yesterday from back soreness. Hope he gets one last NBA shot with some team. He made a huge difference today when he first came in the first quarter, after Smiley had goofed up a bunch and led the team to a 13 point deficit in about 6 minutes.
I haven't actually finished watching the game, but they were down like 24 in the 3rd quarter when I stopped watching. It looks like Jordan Poole also went off for 37 mostly at the end, with only 2 turnovers? Will have to watch it later :)
That also makes Jordan the leader across the G League in single game scoring and points per game, I think.
Before the season starts, Kerr said JP is the most improved. He was playing so free today and scoring at will for 10-12 mins., almost Steph like. On the other hand, Smiley seemed a little lost...
That was my take too. That said, it's just one game. But Jordan looks really smooth out there, finishing at the rim even around people/while falling down from contact with ease. Curious to see if he can continue to improve enough this year that he gets a consistent spot on the big league roster.
You know what's crazy, if the Warriors were in the East they'd be the 4-seed right now, and half a game behind Milwaukee for the 3-seed. (And Steph would probably be #2 or so in the MVP leaderboards.)
I'm just going to look on the bright side and be happy about not having to face the Nets, Celtics, or Pacers in the playoffs. Bucks or Raptors, either. All those teams played us pretty hard this season. We haven't faced the Sixers yet but obviously avoiding them is also a plus.
Utah is the team I fear most at the moment, and the LA teams are no easy out despite our taking games off them already, but I like our odds vs. Portland, Phoenix, San Antonio, or even Denver in a 7-game series.
Just based on our games so far I think our chances against many Western playoff teams are better than vs. the Eastern ones, especially the second-tier in each category. And yeah, the East probably has a worse, third tier of "playoff" teams that the West doesn't have, but our record still wouldn't be good enough to encounter one of them in the first round.
You think the Warriors are getting to the top 5 in the West? That’s the only way they play a middling West playoff team right? I think it’s certainly possible with all the teams bunched up. But they will have to start fighting for every win at some point soon to get that done.
I think 5th is pretty achievable, yeah, though 6th-7th seems more likely. But also, you forgot another way we play a middling West playoff team: in the second round after upsetting a 1–2 seed in the first round. =)
Ha, after winning the play in games.
I hate when people bring that up tbh. Every western conference team would skyrocket if in the east
You call it "crazy", I call it "normal" post-Bulls dynasty.
LeBron really gets a pass for dominating a weak Eastern conference all those years.
And that's not even counting the stats he could put up playing against East defenses and tanking teams 60% of the time.
Good point. Then again we get the T-wolves, that's gotta count for something.
It counts for a lot if you include draft picks.
Wow, Seadubs were getting destroyed today in the early 1st quarter. All our guys were in, Smiley made a ton of mistakes and kept trying to attack on his own. It was like 20-7 and then Lin came in (off the bench because I think he's a bit banged up, feel bad for him) and completely changed the game. I'm a little behind the broadcast and just saw Jordan Poole save a ball out of bounds behind his back, and then get it back immediately to sink a three.
Funny side note, feels like Caleb Wesson has played way better and been much more aggressive the last two games since he got benched for Smiley.
When I went into my meeting it was looking bad for us... came back out and Poole had his best game yet? 37 pts, 12/21 FG, 4/9 3P, 4 REB, 4 AST, and only 3 TO and 2 PF!
We have a ton on TOs with 5 coming from Smiley. It's been a theme in general for this team. Are we just sloppy or the defense is just outclassing us?
Nico with a short underhand scoop pass to Wesson... the ball bounces off his chest and straight into a defender's hands. Lol. Is that going to count as Nico's turnover? Play before a teammate fumbled the ball from him on a handoff, got too pressured by his trailing defender.
A ton of turnovers are guys going inside and just losing the ball, getting stripped or bumped and thinking they got fouled. Happened to Lin his first game, has applied to Nico and Poole some games since then, has been Smiley this game. There actually haven't been as many passing turnovers as the big league Warriors often get. No one really makes risky passes aside from Poole, and he actually completes almost all of them. As mentioned above, his handling has been a lot more suspect than his passing.
Not sure why they've turned it over handling so much. The team does seem physically outclassed in a lot of games. I'll bet it's hard to run an offense around screen setting when your guards and wings are mostly a skinny 6'3" or smaller. JP is one of the biggest guys on the court.
Oh, and about 4-5 of the team turnovers per game are people traveling or stepping out of bounds as they start their attack off the catch from the perimeter. Those are pretty annoying. This doesn't account for Nico and Poole's turnovers, it's mostly the bench guys. But Smiley was called for 2 travels today I think.
Caleb Wesson just about strangled Poole for a rebound there (same team).
Nico with an INSANE running one handed putback dunk on Smiley's missed 3 at the end of the 1st. That was fun to watch!
I feel like this "no bigs" stretch has shown the dubs how many dudes they have that can defend above their weight class so to speak. Wiggins, Oubre, JTA, Baze, Paschall all showing they can switch almost anything 1-5 without giving up too much. Throw Dray, Loon (and eventually klay) back in the mix and you have some scary small ball units to fall back on!
Iggy, you know better man: https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1362270081946968066
Does anyone else think this is the most important/impressive win of the season? They proved they have a TEAM. Super short handed, super short (relative to the NBA) and Steph just a little to long for most of the game and yet the defense held (after the first quarter), Baze and EP stepped up and the Warriors win a super improbably victory.
Granted, the star of the 4th quarter was actually Reversion to Averages but still a huge win for a team down 2 starters and all 4 bigs.
Trying to avoid recency bias, I think the Clippers and Lakers wins showed an ability to beat a top-tier team that this didn't. I think they're all important/impressive wins, personally.
This latest win had more heart and perseverance than any game we've won in a long time for sure...
Agreed that the Clippers and Lakers wins were impressive and they are better teams BUT to play the sort of defense this unit did without Draymond is huge and to have other guys pick up Steph for 47 minutes is HUGE.
If Steph has been his normal 9/20 from 3 or hit all of those WIDE OPEN corner 3s, this game would never have been close
I could say a lot of things about that game but I will only chose one - KRAAAAAZEMORE!
The gods must be BAZEY!
Anyone else up for the Warriors seeing if Bazemore can set the NBA single game 3’s record by feeding him on the left side?
Smaller is better! Bam was a massive negative for Miami once the Warriors put Wiggins at the 5.
Bazemore is a difference maker.
Wannamaker has good defensive instincts, picking up foul 5 on Bam changed the game (too bad his offensive instincts are offensive.)
Wiggins defensive consistency is driving wins for this team.
Oubre is making positive changes in every aspect of his game. Next major step: playing with Wiseman.
Leaving Herro wide open for multiple 3’s at the end of the game was an interesting strategy. Steph needs to step up his defensive mindset for the second half of the season if they truly want to develop Wiseman with the starters. Seems like he’s sagging hard, but reacting late, so it’s not really helping and is leading to wide open shots.
The team crashing for offensive rebounds really changed the game. It’s almost like throwing on an unexpected full court press when they do that. Maybe they should use it as a change up strategy mid game more often?
What odds would you give: Curry 3 point record coming next game?
Small ball is great, but it brings an unavoidable danger : it allows opponents to small ball too.
Seeing the team play solid perimeter defense all that game despite Draymond's unexpected absence seems like a low-key incredible indicator of progress on the season. Wiggins/Oubre/Steph/Baze really held it down.
Totally agreed seeing if the team can keep playing with good habits while incorporating Wiseman is going to be a big thing to watch!
Great comeback win - Dubs showed a lot of guts. Seemed like after the 19 point Heat lead, the Heat kept trying to give the game away but the Dubs didn't capitalize until the end. So many times, the Dubs would get it back from 13-14 to 7-8 down, and then the Heat would bump it back up. Not sure why Bam and Butler seemed so passive out there with no centers or Dray out there. It'll be interesting tonite to see how Heat does against the Kings. If they lose that one, Spoelstra's job might be in jeopardy.
I don't know, the Heat looked pretty competitive until they started playing the Paschall/Baze/Oubre/Wiggins lineup and Bam got 5 fouls. They were only -2 in the third quarter at that point. Watching the game Paschall really went into overdrive getting inside and then kicking the ball out to the right guy on the perimeter. Seemed like it made a real difference and the Heat had a hard time adjusting.
That to me is really exciting, because if Paschall figures out a big part of his game is using his inside game to find smart passes and facilitate, and he can stir up the defense that much, he's likely to be a great Warrior. Side bonus he also had some tough rebounds this game.
100%. Paschall has been showing glimpses of this in the past few games, driving and kicking it out to DLee/Mulder, but this time it felt like his ability to read and react clicked a little more so he went and got the foul (& maybe the bucket too) when he could and kicked it out to the right guy when he couldn't. Now as long as he stops making the same mistake Steph makes of helping off to strong side corner on D, he's in great shape for years to come.
In 2016-2017 the Heat started the season 11-30. Spo didn't get fired, and then they ended the season on a 30-11 run. Give him time with the full roster, the Heat have been fucked up by COVID/injuries.
Riley isn't a knee-jerk guy. Spo's job is quite safe (as he should be).
Spo’s job will not be in jeopardy. He is family in Miami and a very good coach.
Agreed, last year was just another example of his coaching chops and that they didn't win their championships just because of their Big 3. He's not going anywhere.