Not to be a Debbie downer but man....it stuck out like a sore thumb live and on playback.
Early 2nd quarter, play gets blown up and Wiggs has to shoot the bail out midrange.
The ball bounces off the rim and to the other side. If Kuminga wasn't ball watching, he could have easily crashed the glass and tried to get us another possession.....instead he just stands there. The thing is this has been emphasized to him over and over and over again. Rebound. Box out.
You just cannot have that. At all. Even for all his athletic potential and the fact that he gives us a different dimension....he just doesn't have the chops yet for these important games when the margin for error is razor thin.
One thought/observation on the Kings offense and how to maybe slow it down some. Obviously live ball TOs are massive positives for their efficiency, but they also take pretty good advantage of missed and made layups especially when our player attempting the layup goes crashing to the floor (Poole, Curry, etc). They kinda remind me of the 2012-13 Nuggets with Lawson, Iguodala, Faried, etc. On top of that, if we send another non-Looney player to crash the glass, we put ourselves at an even higher risk of them getting out on the break with a numbers advantage. We have to live with our player attempting the layup to hit the floor, but I do feel like they could do a better job of getting back quicker (keep pace with the inbounder at least) and avoid complaining for a foul call. We might also want to be more judicious when we crash the offensive glass in order to get our defense set up. I trust Looney to make good decisions in that respect and Sabonis/Len are rarely the player hurting you in transition.
Another observation is how Klay drifts toward the baseline on his 3 point attempts while the ball is in the air, even ones from above the break. It doesn't look like he's trying to get in rebounding position but just holding up his follow through. That may be wasted time and space preventing him from getting back quicker.
Seeing Atkinson look like he got frustrated with JK not being aggressive going for the OReb reminded me: I never saw anything online about JMG yelling at Atkinson during G3. Anyone know what was up with that?
Got history: While still with San Antonio last season, Murray was fined $20,000 after he was ejected from a game at the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 28, 2022, for throwing a game ball off the legs of a referee.
Apr 24, 2023·edited Apr 24, 2023Liked by Daniel Hardee
Pheeeeewww!!!! Still not fully unclenched. I went into my partners bedroom after the game and she said "How'd the game go?". I collapsed onto a chair with a catatonic look as you can imagine. She said, "Just tell me who won then.". I mumbled we did and she was like "that's good" and turned over back to sleep... I was giving her the Lebron to JR meme inside. You folks are the only ones who understand the things this team puts us through. Should be calling this Dub Nation Head Quackery
Anybody understand why we have been so mistake prone this whole season? Gave away few games in RS and almost gave this one away. Poole TOV with game in hand, Steph snafu with game in hand.
And please don't say punchgate.
Also Poole - did you had to learn everything that Steph does? Those blaisie passes.
On the other hand, Poole been playing through swollen ankle and had a great game. Kudos, young man!!
I think part of yesterday's and the season's mistakes can be cleaned up with communication. The whole timeout ordeal was a breakdown in communication I think. A lot of the times it seems the Dubs end games with timeouts left, or they don't use their final one until Steve needs to call a play at the very end, or someone is in trouble and they use it to prevent a turnover. After you make that awful challenge and lose your last timeout, gotta make sure everyone is aware you have none left. The players have to be aware, but I wasn't surprised Curry didn't remember they didn't have a timeout left after being in the game from the end of the third to the end of the fourth.
I think some pointed out Steve and Dray pushed Poole to make that pass, because if it gets to Klay, it's a wide open three.
It was a 12:30 game with the white jerseys, so yesterday was bound to get weird.
The purpose of units of measurement like feet is to help with accuracy or to convey distance it can't otherwise be conveyed. It's completely unnecessary for ESPN to put up a little arrow that says "24 feet" or "26 feet" when someone shoots a three, because I can see with my eyeballs how far away it is. Adding a number doesn't convey more information.
When the say clutch play, with this definition thing of last five minutes 5 points or closer, apparently they are only referring to offense. They may have a clutch offensive player, but so do we.
E1P Request: Draymond's Defense down the stretch. His steal vs. Sabonis when the Kings had a 2 on 1. His block, of course, and the second half switch from Dray on Sab to Dray on Fox.
The Minny/Denver series reminds me a lot of the 2016 series between the Dubs and the Rockets. Dubs led that one 3-0 and then Harden made a game-winning bucket in Game 4. No one on the Rockets was particularly celebratory - they were already checked out and then the Dubs won Game 5 easily. Tonight the Wolves were simultaneously victorious and demoralized. Game 5 will be a formality.
Edit - not as similar as I thought. Rockets actually won Game 3 by one point on Harden's late bucket then the Dubs easily won Games 4 and 5. But I do remember the Rockets not celebrating their Game 3 win. They also had Dwight Howard who played horribly and was a really bad fit that year. Steph got hurt in Game 1, missed games 2 and 3, and then got hurt again in Game 4. He didn't come back until Game 4 of the WCS against the Blazers.
Not to be a Debbie downer but man....it stuck out like a sore thumb live and on playback.
Early 2nd quarter, play gets blown up and Wiggs has to shoot the bail out midrange.
The ball bounces off the rim and to the other side. If Kuminga wasn't ball watching, he could have easily crashed the glass and tried to get us another possession.....instead he just stands there. The thing is this has been emphasized to him over and over and over again. Rebound. Box out.
You just cannot have that. At all. Even for all his athletic potential and the fact that he gives us a different dimension....he just doesn't have the chops yet for these important games when the margin for error is razor thin.
It was no surprise we didn't see him again.
We haven't played a game 7 since the Rockets series. I have a gut feeling we're headed towards that path. Doubt either team will go out in 6.
One thought/observation on the Kings offense and how to maybe slow it down some. Obviously live ball TOs are massive positives for their efficiency, but they also take pretty good advantage of missed and made layups especially when our player attempting the layup goes crashing to the floor (Poole, Curry, etc). They kinda remind me of the 2012-13 Nuggets with Lawson, Iguodala, Faried, etc. On top of that, if we send another non-Looney player to crash the glass, we put ourselves at an even higher risk of them getting out on the break with a numbers advantage. We have to live with our player attempting the layup to hit the floor, but I do feel like they could do a better job of getting back quicker (keep pace with the inbounder at least) and avoid complaining for a foul call. We might also want to be more judicious when we crash the offensive glass in order to get our defense set up. I trust Looney to make good decisions in that respect and Sabonis/Len are rarely the player hurting you in transition.
Another observation is how Klay drifts toward the baseline on his 3 point attempts while the ball is in the air, even ones from above the break. It doesn't look like he's trying to get in rebounding position but just holding up his follow through. That may be wasted time and space preventing him from getting back quicker.
There with the balance of the the game in his hands, Harrison Barnes rose up for a three that finally sealed the victory for the Warriors.
Seeing Atkinson look like he got frustrated with JK not being aggressive going for the OReb reminded me: I never saw anything online about JMG yelling at Atkinson during G3. Anyone know what was up with that?
Dray talked about it on his Pod. Dray was happy to see that JMG was passionate enough to be pissed about having to come out.
Lakers-Grizz series schedule oddity at nba.com:
G5 and G6 are B2B (4/27, 4/28). What??? Has that ever happened in playoffs?
https://www.nba.com/lakers
I see 4/24, 4/26, 4/28
Probably a mistake. They play today and then Game 5 is Wednesday.
Don't recall that ever happening, especially travelling halfway across the country. Gotta be due to ESPN / ratings.
G5 - 4/27 game is at Grizz. Check schedule on nba.com
So schedule going forward is:
G5 - 4/26: Wed
G6 - 4/28: Fri
G7 - 4/30: Sun (hopefully not needed because we already won the series)
WCSF: G1 - 4/30 or 5/2
Let's close in G6.
In honor of Steph's brain fart, I've decided to overdraw my account today.
I'm fairly sure my bank will just assess a one-shot technical.
Well, hopefully you don't also lose possession....
Of my faculties? Happened long ago.
Dejounte Murray gets in the refs face and bumps him after Game 4 vs Celtics 😳
https://youtu.be/2T-12HY7B1M
Got history: While still with San Antonio last season, Murray was fined $20,000 after he was ejected from a game at the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 28, 2022, for throwing a game ball off the legs of a referee.
Dumars probably blocking calls from Adam Silver 😂
Point differential by game:
1. Kings +3
2. Kings +8
3. Warriors +17
4. Warriors +1
Net: Warriors +7
Overall it's been a helluva series so far. It's been so tough because the Kings always seem to be hold on when we're trying to put them away.
But ultimately I think the keys to the series are going to be:
1. Defend without fouling
2. Limit turnovers
3. Make 3-pointers
Not exactly news but when you're this many years into the dynasty it's pretty clear how things work.
That's only +1.75pts per game for Dubs, literally every basket/foul/rebound/turnover matters.
Pheeeeewww!!!! Still not fully unclenched. I went into my partners bedroom after the game and she said "How'd the game go?". I collapsed onto a chair with a catatonic look as you can imagine. She said, "Just tell me who won then.". I mumbled we did and she was like "that's good" and turned over back to sleep... I was giving her the Lebron to JR meme inside. You folks are the only ones who understand the things this team puts us through. Should be calling this Dub Nation Head Quackery
I may never unclench after Steph’s time out call. After that moment I curled up into a ball and wept uncontrollably.
For us, every game is dubbed.
Anybody understand why we have been so mistake prone this whole season? Gave away few games in RS and almost gave this one away. Poole TOV with game in hand, Steph snafu with game in hand.
And please don't say punchgate.
Also Poole - did you had to learn everything that Steph does? Those blaisie passes.
On the other hand, Poole been playing through swollen ankle and had a great game. Kudos, young man!!
I think part of yesterday's and the season's mistakes can be cleaned up with communication. The whole timeout ordeal was a breakdown in communication I think. A lot of the times it seems the Dubs end games with timeouts left, or they don't use their final one until Steve needs to call a play at the very end, or someone is in trouble and they use it to prevent a turnover. After you make that awful challenge and lose your last timeout, gotta make sure everyone is aware you have none left. The players have to be aware, but I wasn't surprised Curry didn't remember they didn't have a timeout left after being in the game from the end of the third to the end of the fourth.
I think some pointed out Steve and Dray pushed Poole to make that pass, because if it gets to Klay, it's a wide open three.
It was a 12:30 game with the white jerseys, so yesterday was bound to get weird.
Old age
Great shout out to JP. He broke through in this one for sure
The purpose of units of measurement like feet is to help with accuracy or to convey distance it can't otherwise be conveyed. It's completely unnecessary for ESPN to put up a little arrow that says "24 feet" or "26 feet" when someone shoots a three, because I can see with my eyeballs how far away it is. Adding a number doesn't convey more information.
Maybe they should say “from [name of local landmark]” like Fitz.
For the statisticians who haven’t shot a basketball and haven’t calibrated the eyeball, I think it helps.
When the say clutch play, with this definition thing of last five minutes 5 points or closer, apparently they are only referring to offense. They may have a clutch offensive player, but so do we.
And we have some massive clutch defenders.
E1P Request: Draymond's Defense down the stretch. His steal vs. Sabonis when the Kings had a 2 on 1. His block, of course, and the second half switch from Dray on Sab to Dray on Fox.
That steal was HUGE. When it looked like the wheels were falling off (before it REALLY looked like wheels were falling off)
Before our good friend HB said "I've got some history of my own!"
The Minny/Denver series reminds me a lot of the 2016 series between the Dubs and the Rockets. Dubs led that one 3-0 and then Harden made a game-winning bucket in Game 4. No one on the Rockets was particularly celebratory - they were already checked out and then the Dubs won Game 5 easily. Tonight the Wolves were simultaneously victorious and demoralized. Game 5 will be a formality.
Edit - not as similar as I thought. Rockets actually won Game 3 by one point on Harden's late bucket then the Dubs easily won Games 4 and 5. But I do remember the Rockets not celebrating their Game 3 win. They also had Dwight Howard who played horribly and was a really bad fit that year. Steph got hurt in Game 1, missed games 2 and 3, and then got hurt again in Game 4. He didn't come back until Game 4 of the WCS against the Blazers.