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Dec 14, 2021Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee

When i grow up i wanna have Draymond’s IQ

Ps. I’m almost 40 years old 😅

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Dec 14, 2021Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee

27 games into the season is just about one third of the way there. So how are the Warriors doing in some key stats?

Traditional

3rd in points per game

3rd in rebounds per game

1st in assists per game

2nd in steals per game

3rd in field goal %

4th in 3p made

5th in 3p%

1st in +/-

Advanced

4th in Offensive Rating

1st in Defensive Rating

1st in Net Rating

1st in Ast%

10th in Ast/TO ratio

1st in Ast Ratio

10th in OReb%

1st in DReb%

2nd in Reb%

2nd in eFG%

2nd in TS%

1st in Player Impact Estimate (PIE)

Defense

2nd in Opponents eFG%

5th in Opponents Tov%

1st in Opponents Oreb%

2nd in Opponents 2nd chance points

7th in Opponents fast break points

2nd in Opponents points in the paint

The Warriors remain at or near the top of a plethora of important stats on both sides of the ball, even after a recent stretch of games in which they have not been as explosive on the offensive end. Their defense has been stellar all year. Out of the teams in serious contention this season, they remain the most balanced and most versatile. They have enviable depth and are getting contributions from different guys every night. This does not look like a team that needs to make a big or flashy move in order to remain in contention. And through all this, Klay as well as Wiseman have yet to see the floor. I don't understand people who fear other teams because this team's name is the one opposing fans fear when they look at the calendar.

All stats are from NBA.com.

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Dec 14, 2021Liked by Daniel Hardee

This is definitely a weird game day. If I'd told you a few years ago that the Warriors were going to fly the same day from Indiana to NY, play a game in which multiple players would be held out due to a global pandemic, not have Klay Thompson or KD, yet sport a 22-5 record to lead the league, and be enthusiastic about playing in MSG because Steph Curry was about to break the all-time record for threes, so were a bit tense yet anticipatory, but still basking in the thrill of a game in which Kevon Looney's offense won it for them, and blew away Myles Turner, you'd probably ask me what I'd been smoking.

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Took the Knicks at +5 earlier this morning to soften what I’m expecting will be a frustrating schedule loss

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While I like both of them, I still say Wiseman has a higher ceiling than Sabonis or Turner and want to stay the course with our short, mid and long-term plans.

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Thinking about Draymond reminds me of an exchange that happened about 4 years ago or so...

My 5 yr old daughter (at the time) and I went to an "event" that had a local politician there to make an appearance. My daughter saw that the politician's youngest son was wearing a Steph jersey, my daughter instinctively pounds her chest twice and points to the sky.

The politician goes "Oh, is Steph Curry your favorite basketball player?"

She goes "No, I like Draymond."

My proudest father moment.

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Dec 14, 2021Liked by punk basketball

I just watched an older video that Thinking Basketball put out on Draymond from 2019. A point that was mentioned coincided with something I have always wondered "How does Dray always contest layups without fouling? There are guys that go vertical and still get the foul?" Something I noticed and it was pointed out in the video was Draymond stands vertical BUT he jumps backwards at the same speed of the offensive player. It is really incredible to see where he takes off and where he lands and the offensive player is completely blocked the entire time. I don't know where Dray developed his IQ but it is savant-like. We are so lucky to witness Steph and Klay -- but damn I love Draymond.

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substack seems to have a major problem with double posting today

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Dec 14, 2021Liked by punk basketball

Nice marital harmony booster: Me (at 1:33 left) "Well, they won't win this one", Her "They'll come back!". Two minutes later, Her: "I was right and you were wrong!" (neener-neener implied), Me: "You're right, Dear".

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Apparently RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin are out due to Health and Safety Protocols. It's kinda wild that the Warriors haven't been affected by this yet (this season), feels inevitable given how it's spreading across the league.

Warriors do have a huge "homecourt advantage" in terms of Bay Area vaccination rates though.

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I really hope moody and kuminga can get almost 20 minutes tonight, I will be fully fine losing games if we get our starters rest and our rookies more experience, the team is tired and they could use the youth boost, give dowtin some minutes too. I do not like that we exerted so much energy in a game against the Pacers in December, especially when kuminga was a plus 11 in 6 minutes

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Tense little game last night, but the W's pull out a nice win at the end. Feels like the Pacers always play the Ws pretty tough. They're a good (not great) team. If they ever get Warrior killer T.J. Warren back, watch out.

Ray Allen still atop https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg3_career.html, but not for long! Posting this graphic (hopefully) one last time, for posterity's sake: https://imgur.com/a/9JAmT03

If Steph can keep making at least one three per game, he'll break his record for consecutive games with a made three on Christmas Day at Phoenix (unless he gets one or more rest days).

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Took a glance for fun at ticket prices for the Curry coronation at MSG tonight … cheapest I could see was $400 for the above-the-rafters nosebleed seats. Think I’ll watch from my comfy, covid-free sofa…

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Lost in all the noise about trading for an impact center is that failure to recognize that when Looney is healthy, he is actually good. And Cheap. Yes, it would be nice if he could reconnect with his long lost jump shot and make some free throws, but it is hard to fault him otherwise.

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That ending was Loony.

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Well, everyone knows Kevon Looney is the go-to guy when you need one bucket to win the game, right? Right???

Maybe we be nice to the Pacers and offer them a Kevon-Looney-Myles Turner trade straight up?

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