The Warriors, as presently constructed, are a much better team than they were at the beginning of last season. Perhaps you disagree. Perhaps you fret over what was lost in Jarrett Jack heading East, or in Carl Landry heading up the I-80. I'm here to assuage those fears to the point where your computer screen might give off the faint, homerisitic musk of Warriors Optimism.  The first (understandable) fear is ...

I've long been a proponent of giving Harrison Barnes more run at the power forward slot. Golden State badly needs the spacing, since nobody on the team is especially adept at getting to the hoop. So, I was delighted to see Barnes-at-the-4 take off in the Denver series. After spending almost no time at power forward, Barnes found himself playing the 4 in what was Golden State's most used lineup against Denve ...

I wanted to break down exactly how and why San Antonio took over this series, but it's a duller story than how Golden State briefly came alive at the beginning. Explaining why the Warriors are good is like unveiling a sudden mystery. Exciting! Explaining why the Spurs are good is merely to repeat what's been said for nearly two decades. Moderately less exciting! The hope is that I can explain some of what's ...

In Game 1, Curry hit a few 3s off Bogut screens, while Duncan stayed within the paint as though compelled by shock collar. As I wrote after Game 2, the Spurs switched up tactics and asked Timmy to venture far outside his usual rim-protecting defensive duties to contest Curry off of screens. At Warriors practice, I asked Curry if he was surprised to see Tim Duncan race out to challenge him on the perimeter. ...

Look, I'm staggered. The Denver series at least made sense. The Nuggets were bad at defending 3s, the Warriors were great at shooting them. What happened was less an upset than a series that Golden State probably wins again if you run it back. In theory, this meant that a playoff matchup against the almighty Spurs would ruin everything. San Antonio gives up the 5th least 3-point attempts in basketball. Fun' ...

To be clear, I do not expect Golden State to win this series. I never did. That much hasn't changed, but I have noticed some things that at the very least, make me less pessimistic. Yesterday, Henry Abbott asked if I was more or less inspired by the notion that Golden State could win this series. I responded "No," because it's better to get the win than to play well. Upon review, however, there are more rea ...

Look, I'm not lecturing you on how to experience this crushing Game 1 loss. If you want to rail against Mark Jackson in the wake of disappointment, fine. That's your process, and it's probably no better than my own. But, if you want something that analyzes the collapse without jumping to conclusions on how Jackson is "overmatched" or how he's merely "good at motivation," this isn't the article for you. When ...

Did the Warriors win an "upset" over perception, or did they actually beat a better team? After watching the series and reflecting upon it, I'd conclude that Golden State was only a nominal underdog, not an actual one. The Warriors sans David Lee should beat the Gallo-less Nuggets. Were this series played out again, I'd pick the Warriors to take it 60%-70% of the time. Forgive me for dwelling on the past as ...