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.
Dec 14, 2021Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
ANY team that gets Bradley Beal is automatically headed to the NBA Finals. That's just been proven so many years in a row that I don't need to beat a dead horsie.
The guy they want is Jeff Teague who is in the playoffs like every friggin year and was a champion with the Bucks last year. As near as I can tell he isn't even signed to any team this year so they can get him cheap but they should probably trade Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody anyway for another "proven veteran leader" to clear some roster space and save some luxury tax money.
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.
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.
I think this is going to be fun to watch over the years and I hope you're right about Wiseman. I think we've pretty much seen the other guys' ceilings, so let's see what Wiseman can show us. I have to say though that even though I already coveted Sabonis, he really played pretty amazing ball last night. Super efficient. 30 points 11 rebounds on 70% FG is a pretty good benchmark for Wiseman to aim for. Go for it young dude.
Sabonis got his points on offense but was pretty bad on the defensive end, even though the Pacers actively tried to hide him with hedges and blitzes and other looks. His lateral movement is poor and he got exposed several times by Steph driving past him. There is a reason that Indiana didn't switch a lot with Sabonis on the floor, they didn't want to risk him defending Steph or Poole by himself. I certainly hope Wiseman doesn't follow Sabonis in his defensive tendencies because if Sabonis was a better defender, the Pacers would have likely won that game.
Based on a sample size of one game, Sabonis is really good at getting into the dunkers spot, had good hands, and is strong enough and knows enough to get the ball into the hoop once he has it in his hands. The rest of his game isn't all that impressive. He doesn't really block many shots and doesn't have much of an outside game. Another one of those very good basketball players that a wouldn't trade away the future for especially since these are skills that should be the easiest for Wiseman to learn.
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?"
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.
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".
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.
According to the NBA's study, after 2 months is when the J&J recipients should receive a booster. I expect most of the people on the team who got the shot will get the booster, but I doubt Wiggins will and that's not ideal considering the roster is built with the assumption that he will play 70+ games.
Are the knicks going to be able to field a team? The only played 9 players against the Bucks including Grimes. So it will be the weary Warriors against the hard knocks knicks today.
I saw that OKC isn't requiring vaccination or even testing and is only "encouraging" masks in their arena. I assume that includes the courtside fans who are right behind the player benches too, but I don't know. The Warriors luckily got one of their OKC games out of the way before the restrictions were loosened but the rematch on February 7th has me nervous.
All-Star game is the 20th, which means the All-Star break is around that, which means... IF something happened we might be able to absorb it during the AS break. Which would really suck for the players, but would probably suck less than forcing makeup games with shitty scheduling.
Presumably Miami and Orlando are not allowed by executive order to require vaccination but so far, they seem to be getting away with it. I doubt it will last for the entire season. It would be a reall kick in the head for a team to make the playoffs and then lose a couple of key players to covid protocols.
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
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.
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).
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…
I think there would be a riot if Steph doesn’t play or a fine from the League, although I wouldn’t mind if he sat out. Maybe it will send a message to the League that Steph has to be protected from injuries, especially since the refs rarely ever give him calls when the opposing player fouls him.
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.
When i grow up i wanna have Draymond’s IQ
Ps. I’m almost 40 years old 😅
You can have the IQ, I'd rather have his salary.
I mean… I’d take even a vet min salary lol
Where's the line forming?
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.
could have been better if only they traded everybody for Beal
https://c.tenor.com/1jmD4GDu6AEAAAAC/everyone-angry.gif
Hahahhahah
I just rewatched this a couple nights ago
And apparently some combination of Loon, JK, Moody, and Wise for Myles Turner,
ANY team that gets Bradley Beal is automatically headed to the NBA Finals. That's just been proven so many years in a row that I don't need to beat a dead horsie.
The guy they want is Jeff Teague who is in the playoffs like every friggin year and was a champion with the Bucks last year. As near as I can tell he isn't even signed to any team this year so they can get him cheap but they should probably trade Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody anyway for another "proven veteran leader" to clear some roster space and save some luxury tax money.
NBA legend Patrick McCaw has like 4 rings over the course of his 6 year career. Looks to be out of the league now too, so damn cheap!
Why not both?
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.
I'm still gonna ask you what you've been smoking.
What have you been smoking?
If you'd said all that a few years ago, I would have said "Who with the what where now?"
Took the Knicks at +5 earlier this morning to soften what I’m expecting will be a frustrating schedule loss
Heresy
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.
I think this is going to be fun to watch over the years and I hope you're right about Wiseman. I think we've pretty much seen the other guys' ceilings, so let's see what Wiseman can show us. I have to say though that even though I already coveted Sabonis, he really played pretty amazing ball last night. Super efficient. 30 points 11 rebounds on 70% FG is a pretty good benchmark for Wiseman to aim for. Go for it young dude.
Sabonis got his points on offense but was pretty bad on the defensive end, even though the Pacers actively tried to hide him with hedges and blitzes and other looks. His lateral movement is poor and he got exposed several times by Steph driving past him. There is a reason that Indiana didn't switch a lot with Sabonis on the floor, they didn't want to risk him defending Steph or Poole by himself. I certainly hope Wiseman doesn't follow Sabonis in his defensive tendencies because if Sabonis was a better defender, the Pacers would have likely won that game.
Based on a sample size of one game, Sabonis is really good at getting into the dunkers spot, had good hands, and is strong enough and knows enough to get the ball into the hoop once he has it in his hands. The rest of his game isn't all that impressive. He doesn't really block many shots and doesn't have much of an outside game. Another one of those very good basketball players that a wouldn't trade away the future for especially since these are skills that should be the easiest for Wiseman to learn.
Sabonis does a lot of things well, but last year Wiseman matched Sabonis’ career 3pt% and can be a much better all-around defender.
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.
Dude, your daughter is awesome
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.
> Draymond stands vertical BUT he jumps backwards at the same speed of the offensive player
My guy Biedrins had his defensive career majorly defined by his inability to get this exact move right
OGB coulda been a contenda
He is one of the most brilliant minds to ever play the sport, and Steph and Iguodala are not that far behind
substack seems to have a major problem with double posting today
been that way for a few days now...
agreed
agreed
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".
Well done!
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.
What concerned me in the Indiana game is Steph socializing and hugging with some audience people who were NOT wearing masks.
I'm curious what the team's vax and booster rates are.
I know a bunch took the J&J last year, so hopefully they've gotten boosters since.
According to the NBA's study, after 2 months is when the J&J recipients should receive a booster. I expect most of the people on the team who got the shot will get the booster, but I doubt Wiggins will and that's not ideal considering the roster is built with the assumption that he will play 70+ games.
Or I guess earlier this year, but last season is when they got the shots.
knock on wood
Add Quentin Grimes to the H&SP list, apparently. Scored 27 in the most recent Knick game.
Are the knicks going to be able to field a team? The only played 9 players against the Bucks including Grimes. So it will be the weary Warriors against the hard knocks knicks today.
They are getting Alec Burks back (was out due to the birth of his kid, I believe)
High vaccination rate and they won't let you into the arena without being fully vaccinated or having a recent negative test.
For sure.
I saw that OKC isn't requiring vaccination or even testing and is only "encouraging" masks in their arena. I assume that includes the courtside fans who are right behind the player benches too, but I don't know. The Warriors luckily got one of their OKC games out of the way before the restrictions were loosened but the rematch on February 7th has me nervous.
It is scary out here in the land of covid-idiots. I rarely leave the house except to re-stock the pantry.
you should see what the pit looks like at a punk show these days! It's shocking how many people are just like "I'm probably ok with no mask"
Meanwhile, I'm wearing two on top of each other . Wild how little concern some have for this
I've been wearing two side-by-side, I should probably try the "on top of each other" method.
> the rematch on February 7th
All-Star game is the 20th, which means the All-Star break is around that, which means... IF something happened we might be able to absorb it during the AS break. Which would really suck for the players, but would probably suck less than forcing makeup games with shitty scheduling.
Presumably Miami and Orlando are not allowed by executive order to require vaccination but so far, they seem to be getting away with it. I doubt it will last for the entire season. It would be a reall kick in the head for a team to make the playoffs and then lose a couple of key players to covid protocols.
It will happen.
Geez, who'd have thunk it...
NY has already done so.
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
Agree with this if we can edit "fully fine losing games" to "reluctantly willing to accept losing games"
I'm OK with winning by a smaller margin.
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).
Corrected link: https://ibb.co/HNHQFkQ
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…
$400 min a ticket, and then the Warriors gonna rest Steph and Dray because of the plane issues last night lol
I think there would be a riot if Steph doesn’t play or a fine from the League, although I wouldn’t mind if he sat out. Maybe it will send a message to the League that Steph has to be protected from injuries, especially since the refs rarely ever give him calls when the opposing player fouls him.
There should be some kind of insurance claim that the league pays teams if players get injured doing stupid shit that the league imposes on them.
I mean, road SEGABABA and they fly in a few hours before the game?
Just say Curry has sore ankles or something lol
Back spasms
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.
His lower body seems to be connected by rubber bands, marbles and bubble gum- but I love Looney Looney... maybe not always as a starter though...
Could be that the hip surgeries that have allowed him to play also have negatively affected his ability to jump straight up.
I'm wondering if he is still dealing with neuropathy to some extent and literally doesn't have the "feel" to be a consistent shooter.
eesh.. right. Yeah that makes me sad to even think about.
That ending was Loony.
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?
I love Loon and wouldn’t want that trade.