The Golden State Warriors are undefeated in the month of February. That’s two - count ‘em two! - wins in a row. They led by as many as 19 points before holding off a late rally from the Wizards to seal the win.
Nothing is easy for this Warriors squad. Wracked by injuries and playing with a ramshackle assembly of low-cost players, Golden State has looked every bit as bad as their record shows. But wins like these last two are promising because the Warriors were actually able to capitalize on some weak defenses. As my buddy Twon says, “even if the door is open, the ride ain’t free.”
As per our standard operating procedure here at Let’s Go Warriors, this is just a short party thread to celebrate the rare win. We will have a full, detailed recap for you tomorrow. For now, let’s party!
Alec Burks shined in his understudy role for D’Angelo Russell - who was held out with a bruised thigh. 30 points in just 29 minutes, including five made threes, and some timely defense for the wing player that has seen his name swirling in the trade winds all season.
Here’s rookie Eric Paschall, reminding the world of why he got an invite to the Sophomore/Freshman game this year.
Another really encouraging development: Kevon Looney has looked “back” in a much more substantial way than his previous stint earlier in the season. I hope we can get some additional information on the injury and his overall health soon, because this is the Looney that had so many of us shocked that the Warriors were able to sign him on such a reasonable contract.
Player ratings for this game (all these are relative to expectations and the player's own baseline):
Burks: A+. He made his shots, made smart passes, cashed in at the line, and didn't leave any gaping holes on D. On the contrary, he got a clutch steal to seal the game in crunch time.
Paschall: B-. He was a beast on offense, and played good man defense but less good team defense. But, he missed a bunch of FTs, which could've hurt a lot more if the game had been any closer.
Looney: A-. I'm grading a little easier because he's coming off an injury, but he looked like his usual self: impenetrable, savvy, and controlled. The whole team looked a little better whenever he was in.
Green: A. Once again, I find it funny how willing teams are to test his one-on-one defense, because nine times out of ten, that's going to be a disappointment. He didn't slice and dice the Wiz D like he did in Cleveland (lolol) but his offense was good enough.
Evans: C+. He has quietly been putting together some solid games as of late. His defense is better than he gets credit for, and while he struggles to make shots he really ought to convert at a high rate, he made a respectable number tonight.
Poole: D. His shots looked ugly; his "defense" was even uglier. He didn't do much else, so the only silver lining here is the shots he attempted were good looks in the flow of the offense. He's doing his best to execute plays that Klay and Steph make look easy, but he's still too raw and green.
Robinson: A-. It feels like every time he reloads a three into a long two, it misses. How catch and shoot on both types has been much smoother. Most of all, he makes layups. It's crazy how important that is.
Chriss: A. It really feels like getting out from behind Willey Cauley-Stein has done wonders for Chris's game. There weren't nearly as many lobs for him to slam this time but he didn't foul on defense, he still got some easy points, and he blocked some shots. More importantly, he didn't waste any possessions with poor decision-making (something WCS did habitually).
Spellman: C. I've seen him play a lot of better games than this one. His communication on defense was a little off, his shooting was not as hot as it had been, and he has yet to show he can work on the block when he has a smaller defender the way Pascanimal does.
Lee: A-. He knocked down more open threes than he has before, and he played fine in other respects. He was a little quiet compared to that amazing streak leading up to his major league contract, but he didn't disappoint.
Lots of good grades tonight, since they played well enough to win. Here's to hoping that gets a little less rare as of this month! That's mostly hoping against hope because we probably won't face any other teams whose D is as porous as these past two...
Loved the hustle tonight. There styles are very different but Paschal has a chance to fill (part of) Livingston's role next year. Sdot was great at coming off the bench, finding a mismatch and going to work in the post/block while the stars rested. Could see Paschal filling that spot nicely and he shows flashes of passing ability that should be a bit more developed after another year hanging around dudes like Dray (who was a beast as usual tonight).
Feb 4, 2020Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
Gosh, went back to the "old site"....ghost town. Felt bad, considering the party we are having here. Then, I remembered our great, pace/industry-setting staff, on the best team fan blog in SB Nation, toiling for pennies per 1000 words for all those sweat shop years...any sympathy quickly drained out of me...as drained as the staff was at times over the years...bye-bye.
Thank you all very specifically for following us out of there!!
I have to admit a non-zero concern that we'd put all this effort into building this place and then wouldn't pull the community over for whatever reason. Deeply thankful to the people that made GSOM special (the comments) and appreciate you all!
From The Athletic. Kudos to Kerr/Bob (and Warrior fans). I guess 5 years of winning carries over to bottom-of-the-league season.
>>>>> Despite the efforts of team president Gersson Rosas and coach Ryan Saunders to maintain a positive environment while laying a foundation for the future, the sheer volume of losses has produced understandable frustration around the team while driving a dwindling fan base away.
Wonder if the Dubs could pull off a major trade in season using DLo and that draft pick and then go on a sustained run to close out the season and now you've f*cked said team over into the late lottery
Wel, about the only reason to do that is for elite. experienced, center, as D-Lo is the only piece that will get you that. Otherwise, you risk Chriss with Smailagic or Bowman backing up. The latter leaves vulnerable against contenders with several 7-foot bona fide centers...
Besides Klay, Steph, Dray, Dlo, Loons, these guys make my next season's team RIGHT NOW: Burks, Chriss, Lee, Paschall, GR3, Smailagic. Bowman, Spellman to be decided. Of course, we have Poole and Evans, also.
Though intrigued with DLo for the long term, I would give him up for a top-notch center. I want Burks; he is the real deal, probably would start on a lot of teams. Yep, Evans/Poole I defer till end of season.
"Start on alot of teams". Like who?? Burks is an inconsistent microwave scorer who is pretty not great on defense. He has a role off the bench on a championship contender as a poor man's Lou Williams. He would have been great last year off the bench. I think we're a couple of years from seriously contending and Burks can bring some value back right now.
It seems to me Green is actually caring about the games the past 3-4 games, when he cares he a 1 man defense. Also seems to be less of a liability on offense when everyone is making shots and he is the primary ball handler.
Yeah our best streak of the year is when he got all engaged and beat up on the Rockets on Christmas . He is one of the guys most impacted by lack of motivation for meaningless games
Yep, Dray seems to be slowly gearing up for THE RETURN. Seems the entire team is. The most encouraging thing is they are really working all the sets/plays, the ball is moving around as well as we did the first couple of years till we got to have some ISO-greatness to get us over injury-humps. Seems these guys get it: interchangeable parts running smoothly and moving the ball around for the best shot! Now, they started to make that shot! Hard to keep them from winning when Steph AND Dlo grace the backcourt! Heck, they seem to be getting there even without them! When you are shooting 50% from 3pt, keep your turnovers down, make your freethrows, crash boards, and consistently have 20+ assists, you are going to win games, even as your defense is coming on line!
I guess what I am saying is: We are seeing some homegrown "Warriors Ball", even without our Superstar Core playing with them! These guys are there: playing Team Ball! That, is going to carry over, no matter who stays and who goes! It is the BEST we could have gotten out of this "lost" season!
My littles are both tucked in. Problem is, I just finished making them dinner. Oh well, hooray for afternoon snacks and the opportunity for a lot of rest.
You're really not supposed to. I think there's a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that says the Grizz could dock his entire season's pay and then hold him out of signing with a other team.
But there seems to be some sort of smile and nod agreement where the Griz haven't pushed him.
Andre the King of Who Blinks first. Last time he did that, it netted him a pretty handsome payday. I'm not advocating for his tactics but people on social media acting like the Grizzlies traded a first round draft pick for him. I seem to remember that they GOT a first round draft pick instead
Player ratings for this game (all these are relative to expectations and the player's own baseline):
Burks: A+. He made his shots, made smart passes, cashed in at the line, and didn't leave any gaping holes on D. On the contrary, he got a clutch steal to seal the game in crunch time.
Paschall: B-. He was a beast on offense, and played good man defense but less good team defense. But, he missed a bunch of FTs, which could've hurt a lot more if the game had been any closer.
Looney: A-. I'm grading a little easier because he's coming off an injury, but he looked like his usual self: impenetrable, savvy, and controlled. The whole team looked a little better whenever he was in.
Green: A. Once again, I find it funny how willing teams are to test his one-on-one defense, because nine times out of ten, that's going to be a disappointment. He didn't slice and dice the Wiz D like he did in Cleveland (lolol) but his offense was good enough.
Evans: C+. He has quietly been putting together some solid games as of late. His defense is better than he gets credit for, and while he struggles to make shots he really ought to convert at a high rate, he made a respectable number tonight.
Poole: D. His shots looked ugly; his "defense" was even uglier. He didn't do much else, so the only silver lining here is the shots he attempted were good looks in the flow of the offense. He's doing his best to execute plays that Klay and Steph make look easy, but he's still too raw and green.
Robinson: A-. It feels like every time he reloads a three into a long two, it misses. How catch and shoot on both types has been much smoother. Most of all, he makes layups. It's crazy how important that is.
Chriss: A. It really feels like getting out from behind Willey Cauley-Stein has done wonders for Chris's game. There weren't nearly as many lobs for him to slam this time but he didn't foul on defense, he still got some easy points, and he blocked some shots. More importantly, he didn't waste any possessions with poor decision-making (something WCS did habitually).
Spellman: C. I've seen him play a lot of better games than this one. His communication on defense was a little off, his shooting was not as hot as it had been, and he has yet to show he can work on the block when he has a smaller defender the way Pascanimal does.
Lee: A-. He knocked down more open threes than he has before, and he played fine in other respects. He was a little quiet compared to that amazing streak leading up to his major league contract, but he didn't disappoint.
Lots of good grades tonight, since they played well enough to win. Here's to hoping that gets a little less rare as of this month! That's mostly hoping against hope because we probably won't face any other teams whose D is as porous as these past two...
Chriss had a couple of blocks too right? I would have moved him up for his D.
Loved the hustle tonight. There styles are very different but Paschal has a chance to fill (part of) Livingston's role next year. Sdot was great at coming off the bench, finding a mismatch and going to work in the post/block while the stars rested. Could see Paschal filling that spot nicely and he shows flashes of passing ability that should be a bit more developed after another year hanging around dudes like Dray (who was a beast as usual tonight).
*their
Looney looking like Igoudala defending Beal in that clip. Beautiful.
Gosh, went back to the "old site"....ghost town. Felt bad, considering the party we are having here. Then, I remembered our great, pace/industry-setting staff, on the best team fan blog in SB Nation, toiling for pennies per 1000 words for all those sweat shop years...any sympathy quickly drained out of me...as drained as the staff was at times over the years...bye-bye.
Thank you all very specifically for following us out of there!!
I have to admit a non-zero concern that we'd put all this effort into building this place and then wouldn't pull the community over for whatever reason. Deeply thankful to the people that made GSOM special (the comments) and appreciate you all!
Thank you, I represent that: The Follower! As promised! :-)
Agreed - I kinda feel bad for Brady, crunching out articles that nobody is commenting on ... but this is the world that the corporate overlords chose.
https://theathletic.com/1579700/2020/02/03/sources-warriors-timberwolves-remain-engaged-in-dangelo-russell-trade-talks-nba-trade-market-develops?source=shared-article
From The Athletic. Kudos to Kerr/Bob (and Warrior fans). I guess 5 years of winning carries over to bottom-of-the-league season.
>>>>> Despite the efforts of team president Gersson Rosas and coach Ryan Saunders to maintain a positive environment while laying a foundation for the future, the sheer volume of losses has produced understandable frustration around the team while driving a dwindling fan base away.
Who knew that WCS was holding us back so much :)
Enter Kevon as well- very different game energy
Check out the postgame Q&A Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/letsgowarriors/status/1224526235843399680?s=21
Welp, it looks like only one Q&A was posted. Maybe everyone postgame was eager to call it a night in Washington and head to the Big Apple.
thanks, lee is spot-on!
You and your fascination with DLee. ;-P
Wonder if the Dubs could pull off a major trade in season using DLo and that draft pick and then go on a sustained run to close out the season and now you've f*cked said team over into the late lottery
Wel, about the only reason to do that is for elite. experienced, center, as D-Lo is the only piece that will get you that. Otherwise, you risk Chriss with Smailagic or Bowman backing up. The latter leaves vulnerable against contenders with several 7-foot bona fide centers...
You meant Spellman, not Bowman. I love Ky, but he'd be more than vulnerable against an athletic 7 footer... ;-)
yep, thanks.
Besides Klay, Steph, Dray, Dlo, Loons, these guys make my next season's team RIGHT NOW: Burks, Chriss, Lee, Paschall, GR3, Smailagic. Bowman, Spellman to be decided. Of course, we have Poole and Evans, also.
Klay, Steph, Iguodala, Green, Chriss, Lee, Paschall, Smailigic,Bowman, Spellman, Draft picks, Poole, and possibly GR3
Trade Burks like tonight
Trade DLo in the off-season
Get the Hell outta here, Evans!
*Steph, Bowman, Beal, Klay, Lee, Iguodala, GR3, Green, Covington, Paschall, Looney, Spellman, Smiley, Chriss, Marc Gasol. :-)
That will work! Dlo and Burks might be a bit too much, though. Depends on how many years Marc Gasol has left in him....
I heart this. Is DLo and our first enough though? I don't know how you acquire Covington in addition to this
Though intrigued with DLo for the long term, I would give him up for a top-notch center. I want Burks; he is the real deal, probably would start on a lot of teams. Yep, Evans/Poole I defer till end of season.
"Start on alot of teams". Like who?? Burks is an inconsistent microwave scorer who is pretty not great on defense. He has a role off the bench on a championship contender as a poor man's Lou Williams. He would have been great last year off the bench. I think we're a couple of years from seriously contending and Burks can bring some value back right now.
We better be contending next year. Steph, Klay, and Dray can't go on forever. Time to be back in the hunt while they're in their prime!
Well, I hear you, but, I do not think we are "several years" from contending, in which case, instant offense from Burks is highly-desirable.
Ah, victory... I could get used to this.... BUT NOT TOO MUCH. <insert tankChess.gif>
You know that you have create a E1P after every win - right? It's in your contract 🤪. So may be more wins is not a good thing? 🤔
I innocently started that tradition in 15-16. I figured the team was good for maybe high 50s wins in a letdown year after the first ring. And then...
I am just kidding. Every E1P you put out is a gem. No hurry.
Honestly, that became a silver lining for losses... like RATS THEY LOST, but hey at least I don't have to stay up tonight working on film
Hahhaa I remember the transition of you getting darker and darker. Toward the end it was just no talk, only E1P
All words... saved... to make... 150 minimum
Top players:
Warriors:
Burks: (+7)
30 points 9/17 FGs 5/10 three pointers 7/8 FTs
3 rebounds 2 assists 2 turnovers 2 steals
Robinson III: (+9, 2nd place)
22 points 8/13 FGs 2/4 three pointers 4/4 FTs
6 rebounds (2 off.) 7 assists 2 turnovers
Green: (+8, 2nd place)
12 points 5/8 FGs 2/3 three pointers
10 rebounds (1 off.) 7 assists 3 turnovers 2 steals 1 block
Lee: (+3, 3rd place)
19 points 7/15 FGs 5/9 three pointers
1 rebound 6 assists 2 turnovers 1 steal
Paschall: (+6, 3rd place)
14 points 5/13 FGs 4/9 FTs
10 rebounds (4 off.) 1 assist 2 turnovers
Honorable mention:
Chriss: (-8)
13 points 5/5 FGs 3/4 FTs
5 rebounds (2 off.) 1 assist 1 turnover 2 steals
Wizards:
Beal: (+4)
43 points 15/30 FGs 3/7 three pointers 10/10 FTs
2 rebounds 6 assists 3 turnovers 2 steals
Bertans: (+11)
19 points 6/9 FGs 5/7 three pointers 2/3 FTs
4 rebounds 5 assists 1 turnover 1 steal 1 block
Bryant: (-1)
11 points 3/3 FGs 5/6 FTs
7 rebounds (1 off.) 3 assists 2 blocks
Honorable mention:
Wagner: (+5)
8 points 4/5 FGs
2 rebounds 1 turnover
Hachimura: (-4)
11 points 5/8 FGs 1/2 FTs
8 rebounds 2 turnovers
It seems to me Green is actually caring about the games the past 3-4 games, when he cares he a 1 man defense. Also seems to be less of a liability on offense when everyone is making shots and he is the primary ball handler.
I think he is playing @point more. That gets him going on both ends and rest of the team follows.
Possible, it is really nice to watch him play defense.
Yeah our best streak of the year is when he got all engaged and beat up on the Rockets on Christmas . He is one of the guys most impacted by lack of motivation for meaningless games
Yep, Dray seems to be slowly gearing up for THE RETURN. Seems the entire team is. The most encouraging thing is they are really working all the sets/plays, the ball is moving around as well as we did the first couple of years till we got to have some ISO-greatness to get us over injury-humps. Seems these guys get it: interchangeable parts running smoothly and moving the ball around for the best shot! Now, they started to make that shot! Hard to keep them from winning when Steph AND Dlo grace the backcourt! Heck, they seem to be getting there even without them! When you are shooting 50% from 3pt, keep your turnovers down, make your freethrows, crash boards, and consistently have 20+ assists, you are going to win games, even as your defense is coming on line!
I like the optimism, but who is going to defend the other team's best guard?
What did Beal get tonight, 40? Who won?
I guess what I am saying is: We are seeing some homegrown "Warriors Ball", even without our Superstar Core playing with them! These guys are there: playing Team Ball! That, is going to carry over, no matter who stays and who goes! It is the BEST we could have gotten out of this "lost" season!
Final stats:
Warriors:
49.4% shooting (43/87 FGs)
15/30 three pointers
24/31 FTs
44 rebounds (12 off.)
31 assists
14 turnovers
8 steals
6 blocks
Wizards:
50.6% shooting (42/83 FGs)
9/22 three pointers
24/29 FTs
35 rebounds (2 off.)
28 assists
11 turnovers
6 steals
4 blocks
Points in paint:
Warriors: 44
Wizards: 44
Fastbreak points:
Warriors: 11
Wizards: 9
Points off turnovers:
Warriors: 14
Wizards: 9
Bench points:
Warriors: 52
Wizards: 52
https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/3/29/1997612.gif
Let me get the kiddos tucked in and I'll update the thread in a bit and release your majestic pony gif for the masses
Is there a way you could delete this in the comment thread after it get's posted in the main body? Just a lot of scrolling.
My littles are both tucked in. Problem is, I just finished making them dinner. Oh well, hooray for afternoon snacks and the opportunity for a lot of rest.
Can players do that - sit out a whole year w/o being injured?
The're sitting him out right? Not the other way around I thought.
You're really not supposed to. I think there's a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that says the Grizz could dock his entire season's pay and then hold him out of signing with a other team.
But there seems to be some sort of smile and nod agreement where the Griz haven't pushed him.
Andre the King of Who Blinks first. Last time he did that, it netted him a pretty handsome payday. I'm not advocating for his tactics but people on social media acting like the Grizzlies traded a first round draft pick for him. I seem to remember that they GOT a first round draft pick instead
https://images.app.goo.gl/4h9B2HgdgrR1mih19