Curry subbing out early in the 1st was a plan to get him some rest according to post-game interview. Had to be scrapped because the Thunder were playing too well.
The hubris... he can rest in the 4th quarter when they're up by 25. This is why they almost lost, they went into the game with a game plan to get some guys some rest, setting the expectation that the team can take it easy.
Getting a W whilst still figuring things out is awesome. The line ups are rolling like a rotisserie, boys still getting used to the schemes, young guys trying to step up their game with new pressure, it’s all happening and we are still winning. Life is good.
I am still somewhat surprised to see Poole struggling so much with inconsistency in his shooting. He has so much promise and he is assisting way more than he ever has, so his game is continuing to mature, just not his shooting, yet.
Bjelli's absence of minutes tells you Kerr doesn't want him on the floor against young, athletic teams with pace. It makes sense but we need his scoring and rebounding. Luckily, Lee has stepped up and so did OPJ tonight. Strength in numbers. Still, it concerns me that teams are able to shoot at will against us. Maybe I just have to get used to the idea that shooters these days are unguardable. They are going to get their shot up no matter how much they are defended. This is part of the new NBA look thanks to Mr. Curry. However, allowing penetration to the basket is another facet of the new and quicker NBA and teams will take advantage of our porosity in the paint. If we can do it to them, they can do it to us, and will. Our D still needs work.
The play was sloppy, but I never look down on a road victory in this league. On to the next one! The first game back from the road is the stereotypical letdown game, so brace yourselves
Agreed. I didn't see anything really concerning with this win. Played sub par in the first half, cleaned it up in the second half which included another Curry scoreless 4th quarter. That says a lot about this team
I would think Kerr might have felt differently. Concern is a way of fine tuning the system. A coach can never be free of concern. Sloppiness of the players comes with the Curry/Dray system of playing. The creative side is dominant and the turnover is tolerated because of the overall result of inspired basketball. If they could clean this up, it would have happened years ago. It's the uncanny execution that wins out and the mistakes take a back seat in this system. That's a players dream. Green light, pedal to the metal, high twitch muscle movement. Non stop motorization.
Phew. I underestimated this team's complacency and the Thunder had some really good luck (tough shots they made, easy shots we missed) to build that early lead. Thankfully both teams' shooting regressed to the mean in the second half. This one was a little dicey but in the end, we got the win, we didn't get any injuries, and maybe the players got a nice reminder that there are no free wins.
I'm hoping this experience motivates the team to deliver the massive beatdown I was hoping for tonight in front of the Chase Center crowd on Saturday.
Last season, they lose a game that they started this way. Tonight it's a win. I don't believe in moral defeats any more than I do moral victories. I do believe in 4-0 and first place in the west, though. Not going to stop anyone from feeling sour but it feels pretty sweet to me.
Also, pretty cool to see the team win the rebounding battle in 3 out of the 4 games they played so far. That's another thing that wasn't happening last year.
Let's not read too much into this game. This always had the makings of a trap game, the kind you take for granted. After the California team turbo start, this was bound to be a letdown. OKC sucks, Warriors are ready to get home for the homestand and the (probably) intense Memphis game. I'm not going to stress about Poole's off night. We're undefeated. If this is how worried Dub Nation HQ is with this record, I don't want to imagine what's going on at Thunder Nation HQ.
*Starting lineup starting to scare me. I believe they're -7 in 46 min for the season. Can't start every game in a hole. Some of that is Poole struggling, but some is Looney/Dray being a really tough spacing combo. They were hugely positive last year, so still in SSS territory, but need to monitor.
*Every game we have trailed at the half. Every game we have not trailed when it mattered.
*Still waiting on that game where our 3 ball is falling. I feel like aside from Clippers Q1, we've just been out of sync.
*Beli really needs a true big to go off. He's struggled the last few games.
*Otto finally hit a couple shots, but is really struggling to get looks. Hope he is just rounding into shape, because I want him to be our Joe Harris and shooting 5+ 3's a game.
*Poole went 5-7 on 2Ps in this game. 0-7 from 3. His 3 ball is and has been missing this entire season. He is a career 31% 3P shooter. Until he starts hitting them at a better clip, he needs to rein in his shot selection. Great passing for him tonight though. 7 A/1 TO.
*DLee looking like the 6MOY candidate of the team.
*GP2 needs some more PT. As does Moody. We need some blowouts (in our favor) stat.
Just looking at the two-man lineups, Poole/Looney is by far his worst pairing at -19 in 54 min.
His second worst is -8 in 23 min with Bjelica. Dray is actually about break even at -2 over 70 min.
His best pairings are with the big wings that can defend: Iguodala, Wiggins, JTA, OPJ (+6,6,5,4). It's a small sample size of course but the spacing, pace, and defensive versatility from those guys are probably what's helping him out.
Good observations which I agree with. My opinion is that Poole is not really the starter they need. He is better off the bench. He is still a developing player after 3 seasons. It looks like DLee is ready to step up and I do like the size of OPJ but he's probably not fast enough for the youth of this league.
I’m watching the high(low)lights of the first half. Every single OKC highlight so far either involves Poole getting cooked one on one Poole being out of position or Poole rotating way too late.
Gotta wonder if Kerr is considering starting Lee. He's gotta keep Poole there for now for political reasons, but maybe like 5 games from now he makes the switch if Poole still isn't up to snuff on the defensive end?
Seems like it'd be better for Poole to come off the bench too.
Idk if there's actually any political reason to start him. From Lacobs interview during that one game, I didn't get the same sense of pride over Poole as he does with Wiseman. Like obviously he was happy but it wasn't like he needs to start.
I'd say regardless of Lacob, taking Poole out of the starting lineup 4 games into the season could send the wrong message to Poole. I think they need to let him fail a bit more (or perhaps succeed and justify having the spot).
I felt that way before the preseason, but Poole was dynamite in those 5 games. I agreed with Kerr that he had earned the starting role. But in this regular season, he's definitely been up and down, up and down -- and Lee has been excellent.
Poole's shot for a couple games looks as bad as his worst rookie stretch, which is some major whiplash after looking crazy good in preseason. Part of what's frustrating is he hasn't been finding many easy shots from distance, despite seeming to figure out during preseason and last season how to find and take more easy perimeter shots. Maybe a new level of green light has been messing with him.
But one good thing about his game... 7 assists and 1 turnover. Meanwhile Dray had 8 assists and 4 TOs, Stepth had 4 assists and 4 TOs (and a lot of passing out of double teams, of course).
I think he's been playing very well despite the shooting. Teams are game planning against him now. I feel the shooting will come around once he finds a rhythm as he gets used to the attention he's receiving by opposing defenses
Curry subbing out early in the 1st was a plan to get him some rest according to post-game interview. Had to be scrapped because the Thunder were playing too well.
The hubris... he can rest in the 4th quarter when they're up by 25. This is why they almost lost, they went into the game with a game plan to get some guys some rest, setting the expectation that the team can take it easy.
Getting a W whilst still figuring things out is awesome. The line ups are rolling like a rotisserie, boys still getting used to the schemes, young guys trying to step up their game with new pressure, it’s all happening and we are still winning. Life is good.
I am still somewhat surprised to see Poole struggling so much with inconsistency in his shooting. He has so much promise and he is assisting way more than he ever has, so his game is continuing to mature, just not his shooting, yet.
Bjelli's absence of minutes tells you Kerr doesn't want him on the floor against young, athletic teams with pace. It makes sense but we need his scoring and rebounding. Luckily, Lee has stepped up and so did OPJ tonight. Strength in numbers. Still, it concerns me that teams are able to shoot at will against us. Maybe I just have to get used to the idea that shooters these days are unguardable. They are going to get their shot up no matter how much they are defended. This is part of the new NBA look thanks to Mr. Curry. However, allowing penetration to the basket is another facet of the new and quicker NBA and teams will take advantage of our porosity in the paint. If we can do it to them, they can do it to us, and will. Our D still needs work.
I think he has been asked to slow down since he seemed out of control at times in clippers game. So probably he is in his head.
Also now he is getting scouted and defended accordingly which is throwing off his rhythm.
The play was sloppy, but I never look down on a road victory in this league. On to the next one! The first game back from the road is the stereotypical letdown game, so brace yourselves
Here’s hoping a combination of thirst for revenge and Steph bounce back shooting night cancels things out!
Agreed. I didn't see anything really concerning with this win. Played sub par in the first half, cleaned it up in the second half which included another Curry scoreless 4th quarter. That says a lot about this team
I would think Kerr might have felt differently. Concern is a way of fine tuning the system. A coach can never be free of concern. Sloppiness of the players comes with the Curry/Dray system of playing. The creative side is dominant and the turnover is tolerated because of the overall result of inspired basketball. If they could clean this up, it would have happened years ago. It's the uncanny execution that wins out and the mistakes take a back seat in this system. That's a players dream. Green light, pedal to the metal, high twitch muscle movement. Non stop motorization.
As opposed to those monotypical letdowns...
I know Pre-season is Pre-season....but the Dubs have won 9 games in a row.
That's awesome.
Preseason might not count but the end of last regular season does
And the play in games count too :(
Phew. I underestimated this team's complacency and the Thunder had some really good luck (tough shots they made, easy shots we missed) to build that early lead. Thankfully both teams' shooting regressed to the mean in the second half. This one was a little dicey but in the end, we got the win, we didn't get any injuries, and maybe the players got a nice reminder that there are no free wins.
I'm hoping this experience motivates the team to deliver the massive beatdown I was hoping for tonight in front of the Chase Center crowd on Saturday.
Screw the Thunder for stealing our mascot. Suck a fat one.
Speaking of which, does anyone know if OKC had to pay some kind of compensation to the Ws for that?
That would make me feel worse because we sold the rights to our mascot. Thunder was awesome
Thunder belongs in OKC, not in the Bay Area. lol
Though that's probably not it since why not just make a new one. Does anyone know what the reason for that decision was?
Last season, they lose a game that they started this way. Tonight it's a win. I don't believe in moral defeats any more than I do moral victories. I do believe in 4-0 and first place in the west, though. Not going to stop anyone from feeling sour but it feels pretty sweet to me.
Also, pretty cool to see the team win the rebounding battle in 3 out of the 4 games they played so far. That's another thing that wasn't happening last year.
Let's not read too much into this game. This always had the makings of a trap game, the kind you take for granted. After the California team turbo start, this was bound to be a letdown. OKC sucks, Warriors are ready to get home for the homestand and the (probably) intense Memphis game. I'm not going to stress about Poole's off night. We're undefeated. If this is how worried Dub Nation HQ is with this record, I don't want to imagine what's going on at Thunder Nation HQ.
The time zone difference probably doesn't help, either. Speaking of which, watch out for trap afternoon games.
I think Poole is feeling the weight of expectations and getting attention. Hope he comes around.
I’m going to stress every time you have to miss a game
Agree, but at 3-0 and at 0-3 Thunder on the road it was a perfect time for Poole to just slow it down and relax
*Starting lineup starting to scare me. I believe they're -7 in 46 min for the season. Can't start every game in a hole. Some of that is Poole struggling, but some is Looney/Dray being a really tough spacing combo. They were hugely positive last year, so still in SSS territory, but need to monitor.
*Every game we have trailed at the half. Every game we have not trailed when it mattered.
*Still waiting on that game where our 3 ball is falling. I feel like aside from Clippers Q1, we've just been out of sync.
*Beli really needs a true big to go off. He's struggled the last few games.
*Otto finally hit a couple shots, but is really struggling to get looks. Hope he is just rounding into shape, because I want him to be our Joe Harris and shooting 5+ 3's a game.
*Poole went 5-7 on 2Ps in this game. 0-7 from 3. His 3 ball is and has been missing this entire season. He is a career 31% 3P shooter. Until he starts hitting them at a better clip, he needs to rein in his shot selection. Great passing for him tonight though. 7 A/1 TO.
*DLee looking like the 6MOY candidate of the team.
*GP2 needs some more PT. As does Moody. We need some blowouts (in our favor) stat.
Re: Poole and Looney
Just looking at the two-man lineups, Poole/Looney is by far his worst pairing at -19 in 54 min.
His second worst is -8 in 23 min with Bjelica. Dray is actually about break even at -2 over 70 min.
His best pairings are with the big wings that can defend: Iguodala, Wiggins, JTA, OPJ (+6,6,5,4). It's a small sample size of course but the spacing, pace, and defensive versatility from those guys are probably what's helping him out.
Good observations which I agree with. My opinion is that Poole is not really the starter they need. He is better off the bench. He is still a developing player after 3 seasons. It looks like DLee is ready to step up and I do like the size of OPJ but he's probably not fast enough for the youth of this league.
Have you noticed no one is talking about JW?
I talk to myself about JW daily
You need help!😀
There's several people in this thread saying exactly what you're saying...
lol I assume that was a joke in my poorly executed delete, reply, delete, reply (aka the substack shuffle)?
Yeah, it was funnier before you deleted all those copies...
I’m watching the high(low)lights of the first half. Every single OKC highlight so far either involves Poole getting cooked one on one Poole being out of position or Poole rotating way too late.
Always looks so surprised when his man blows by him
Gotta wonder if Kerr is considering starting Lee. He's gotta keep Poole there for now for political reasons, but maybe like 5 games from now he makes the switch if Poole still isn't up to snuff on the defensive end?
Seems like it'd be better for Poole to come off the bench too.
Idk if there's actually any political reason to start him. From Lacobs interview during that one game, I didn't get the same sense of pride over Poole as he does with Wiseman. Like obviously he was happy but it wasn't like he needs to start.
I'd say regardless of Lacob, taking Poole out of the starting lineup 4 games into the season could send the wrong message to Poole. I think they need to let him fail a bit more (or perhaps succeed and justify having the spot).
never felt comfortable with Poole starting alongside Curry
I felt that way before the preseason, but Poole was dynamite in those 5 games. I agreed with Kerr that he had earned the starting role. But in this regular season, he's definitely been up and down, up and down -- and Lee has been excellent.
at least not yet
Lakers beat the Spurs.
Poole's shot for a couple games looks as bad as his worst rookie stretch, which is some major whiplash after looking crazy good in preseason. Part of what's frustrating is he hasn't been finding many easy shots from distance, despite seeming to figure out during preseason and last season how to find and take more easy perimeter shots. Maybe a new level of green light has been messing with him.
But one good thing about his game... 7 assists and 1 turnover. Meanwhile Dray had 8 assists and 4 TOs, Stepth had 4 assists and 4 TOs (and a lot of passing out of double teams, of course).
he seems to be trying to come off screens at Curry speed and shoots too quickly
I think he's been playing very well despite the shooting. Teams are game planning against him now. I feel the shooting will come around once he finds a rhythm as he gets used to the attention he's receiving by opposing defenses
yep, he's getting a lot more attention
Feels like a mental thing
Shit Jokic hurt his knee
A knee bump so hopefully nothing serious
Steph a game-high +15 btw
DLee was +16.
Well yeah, of course!
(Oops)
Spurs-Lakers game heading to overtime
Didn’t realize LeBron was sitting this one out
Guess this is the Westbrook making sense as much as it can scenario; LeBron sits and Westbrook has 29 on relatively efficient shooting.