So Big Ball vs Small Ball. Small Ball wins. Easy storyline right? Not so fast.
The one part of Big Ball vs Small Ball that has always been cited in the past is the fear that the Big Guys will beat up the Small Guys resulting in injuries and wear & tear. Although there were no injuries tonight, one of the Small Guys, Jordan Poole, came up limping a couple times. He also took multiple shots to the head throughout the night.
Given that JP plays such a crucial role in the revamped Warriors' lineup, this seems to be a cause for concern, and for ongoing monitoring. This was one game. Can JP handle getting beat up like this over the course of a season?
What about any of the other smaller matchups? Curry getting beat up has been an ongoing storyline over the years. Will he take more wear & tear, if there's no POA defender to take on the opponents' top guard? What about Bjely taking a beating at the 5 by Jokic, Embiid, KAT, and others?
We won't know, but it's enough that I'm def. hesitant to declare this as an easy victory of Small Ball over Big Ball over the course of 82 games.
So many games tonight... so many not very interesting games...
Suns/Nuggets is on ESPN and should be a good one, but I can't really imagine staying up to watch more than the first half, especially with a Warriors game in the same slot on Thursday.
That last shot chart could use a label of some sort indicating that it's Russ' chart, or a phrase in the previous paragraph referencing it. I couldn't figure out whose shot chart it was until I saw the 4/13.
Is it just me or is Porter pretty big and slow? The shooting and touch look great but I think he's almost exclusively a big at this point (not a bad thing).
OT: does anyone have recs for good sports bars in Oakland that play dubs games WITH SOUND? My work is trying to do some game watching happy hours and we're having trouble finding spots...
On a side note, does anyone else find it odd that Wiseman was terrible last year according to advanced stats yet apparently the front office + countless NBA players have been counting his return as a genuine positive for the Warriors?
Perhaps the eye test is just deceiving when it comes to Wiseman since he's an athletic 7 footer who averaged double digits his rookie year, hiding his lack of effective moves/terrible defense?
My random way too early comp for Bjelica....Magic Johnson.
Except it's the 36 year old Magic who came back to the NBA as a 260 lb PF five years after he retired due to HIV. He was super slow, but he still was just brilliant. I think that was considered an ill-fated comeback, but honestly, it was great. So much fun.
Every Bjelica pump and go looked like fun. Just continually made good to great decisions off of shockingly snazzy ball fakes. You don't want to overrate one game...but why wouldn't he get better, and more comfortable in this system the more he plays? What little games can he, Steph, and Poole create that even Dray can't do because he doesn't have the same shooting?
I know that Bjelica is a great perimeter shooter, but I didn't know he was a great passer as well. Not only am I surprised that he's a great fit for us, but the previous teams (T-Wolves, Kings, Heat) didn't use him to his full potential.
Now I know what Green meant when he said that he "didn't know he (Bjelica) could make plays like that."
Having Andre back with us is just so right. Watching him hit those crucial 3s in the first half and celebrating at the end of the game was awesome. Just need HB so we can run it back (seriously needs to happen)
Hot take: Bjelly should start in place of Loon. Kerr said he will start 5 best players when justified Pool starting. Bjelly was better last night. Who says no? (Small sample size acknowledged)
This game was like adolescent literature in which a bunch of bigger bullies keep picking on the likable smaller kids; and then the small kids learn wisdom from some shaman and stick up for themselves and humiliate the bullies. Starring Dwight Howard as The Big Jerk
In less artistic terms, we got exactly what Duby promised us in the preview: a test of small ball vs. big ball theories, and small ball won this round. One thing I've been thinking about is the issue of style and fit for a player. Bjelica is no fluke. The guy was Euroleague MVP. Yet in the NBA no one has been blown away. Maybe he just needed a pace and space team that encourages his skills. Looks exactly like that to me, which means he can keep it up. Almost exactly the opposite: Westbrook needs the ball in his hands to initiate offense and frenzied drives. He doesn't know what to do when LeBron and AD have the ball, which is always. Ever hear Harlan scream out "OH WHAT A PICK BY WESTBROOKKK!!??" Yeah, me neither. And Iguodala further confirms this theory. His minutes were classic doesn't blow up the box score but vital contributions on defense and moving the ball on offense. Being in the right place really matters.
First game of the season and all that, but the Warriors just felt like the better team out there.
Lebron and AD are incredible, of course, but it really seemed like they stayed in the game by hitting a ton of tough contested jumpers, especially early on. We missed a lot of bunnies and open 3s. This almost could have been a blowout. Also, we don't have that boat guy back yet.
There were at least a few possessions for LA where Russ had the ball on the wing, the paint was all gummed up, and he just kind of stood there with it. Given his game/strengths, I couldn't even imagine what plays he could possibly make. Just the weirdest roster fit ever.
Watching Oubre for my fantasy right now. Still hounds ball handlers but still trash at 3s lol
So Big Ball vs Small Ball. Small Ball wins. Easy storyline right? Not so fast.
The one part of Big Ball vs Small Ball that has always been cited in the past is the fear that the Big Guys will beat up the Small Guys resulting in injuries and wear & tear. Although there were no injuries tonight, one of the Small Guys, Jordan Poole, came up limping a couple times. He also took multiple shots to the head throughout the night.
Given that JP plays such a crucial role in the revamped Warriors' lineup, this seems to be a cause for concern, and for ongoing monitoring. This was one game. Can JP handle getting beat up like this over the course of a season?
What about any of the other smaller matchups? Curry getting beat up has been an ongoing storyline over the years. Will he take more wear & tear, if there's no POA defender to take on the opponents' top guard? What about Bjely taking a beating at the 5 by Jokic, Embiid, KAT, and others?
We won't know, but it's enough that I'm def. hesitant to declare this as an easy victory of Small Ball over Big Ball over the course of 82 games.
So many games tonight... so many not very interesting games...
Suns/Nuggets is on ESPN and should be a good one, but I can't really imagine staying up to watch more than the first half, especially with a Warriors game in the same slot on Thursday.
That last shot chart could use a label of some sort indicating that it's Russ' chart, or a phrase in the previous paragraph referencing it. I couldn't figure out whose shot chart it was until I saw the 4/13.
Is it just me or is Porter pretty big and slow? The shooting and touch look great but I think he's almost exclusively a big at this point (not a bad thing).
OT: does anyone have recs for good sports bars in Oakland that play dubs games WITH SOUND? My work is trying to do some game watching happy hours and we're having trouble finding spots...
On a side note, does anyone else find it odd that Wiseman was terrible last year according to advanced stats yet apparently the front office + countless NBA players have been counting his return as a genuine positive for the Warriors?
Perhaps the eye test is just deceiving when it comes to Wiseman since he's an athletic 7 footer who averaged double digits his rookie year, hiding his lack of effective moves/terrible defense?
My random way too early comp for Bjelica....Magic Johnson.
Except it's the 36 year old Magic who came back to the NBA as a 260 lb PF five years after he retired due to HIV. He was super slow, but he still was just brilliant. I think that was considered an ill-fated comeback, but honestly, it was great. So much fun.
Every Bjelica pump and go looked like fun. Just continually made good to great decisions off of shockingly snazzy ball fakes. You don't want to overrate one game...but why wouldn't he get better, and more comfortable in this system the more he plays? What little games can he, Steph, and Poole create that even Dray can't do because he doesn't have the same shooting?
I know that Bjelica is a great perimeter shooter, but I didn't know he was a great passer as well. Not only am I surprised that he's a great fit for us, but the previous teams (T-Wolves, Kings, Heat) didn't use him to his full potential.
Now I know what Green meant when he said that he "didn't know he (Bjelica) could make plays like that."
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1256949/draymond-green-impressed-with-nemanja-bjelica-i-didnt-know-he-could-make-plays-like-that/
Proposed Warriors 2021-22 motto from a poster on the Fastbreak blog:
“They’re real … and they’re spectacular.”
Having Andre back with us is just so right. Watching him hit those crucial 3s in the first half and celebrating at the end of the game was awesome. Just need HB so we can run it back (seriously needs to happen)
Lakers are so old that their medical staff still uses bloodletting.
Hot take: Bjelly should start in place of Loon. Kerr said he will start 5 best players when justified Pool starting. Bjelly was better last night. Who says no? (Small sample size acknowledged)
This game was like adolescent literature in which a bunch of bigger bullies keep picking on the likable smaller kids; and then the small kids learn wisdom from some shaman and stick up for themselves and humiliate the bullies. Starring Dwight Howard as The Big Jerk
In less artistic terms, we got exactly what Duby promised us in the preview: a test of small ball vs. big ball theories, and small ball won this round. One thing I've been thinking about is the issue of style and fit for a player. Bjelica is no fluke. The guy was Euroleague MVP. Yet in the NBA no one has been blown away. Maybe he just needed a pace and space team that encourages his skills. Looks exactly like that to me, which means he can keep it up. Almost exactly the opposite: Westbrook needs the ball in his hands to initiate offense and frenzied drives. He doesn't know what to do when LeBron and AD have the ball, which is always. Ever hear Harlan scream out "OH WHAT A PICK BY WESTBROOKKK!!??" Yeah, me neither. And Iguodala further confirms this theory. His minutes were classic doesn't blow up the box score but vital contributions on defense and moving the ball on offense. Being in the right place really matters.
If you're Vogel how do you adjust so that Lakers beat the Warriors next game? And if you're Kerr how do you adjust to their adjustment?
First game of the season and all that, but the Warriors just felt like the better team out there.
Lebron and AD are incredible, of course, but it really seemed like they stayed in the game by hitting a ton of tough contested jumpers, especially early on. We missed a lot of bunnies and open 3s. This almost could have been a blowout. Also, we don't have that boat guy back yet.
There were at least a few possessions for LA where Russ had the ball on the wing, the paint was all gummed up, and he just kind of stood there with it. Given his game/strengths, I couldn't even imagine what plays he could possibly make. Just the weirdest roster fit ever.