“I knew they had some pieces, I knew they were definitely on the rise. Just coming there, seeing the front office, everyone’s in there every single day. Coaches expressed a lot of confidence in the players. They want to win and they want to win now. I’m glad I’m apart of this.”
- Harrison Barnes during summer league
These are the words of the first Warrior selected during this past draft, the first of three rookies that have contributed to this ongoing phenomenon that is the 2012-2013 campaign. Three rookies with three very different games contributing in three key areas for the newest and shiniest contender the league has. Back on June 28, the Warriors filled their void at small forward, backup center and rebounding all in one night.
The words of Harrison Barnes embodies what has become of the Golden State Warriors since the installation of Joe Lacob as majority owner of the franchise. While the entire statement above seems like standard prose for a rookie coming into the league, the Warriors aren’t like any other team in the league. A franchise so engrained with failure is now reaping the benefits of smart ownership, competent management and motivational coaching. Unthinkable just seasons ago, the Warriors have quickly become a model for other franchises to follow.
Yes, the Golden State Warriors are a franchise others want to become.
Hirings, firings, signings and trades are all part of the picture, but this past draft class is what is most impressive. Any team can overpay for talent and immediately see results, but not every team can draft players that fit a particular system. The Warriors did a fantastic job at misevaluating talent for decades. To see these picks culminate in immediate success is not only uncharacteristic for any team, but especially a Warriors team; a playoff team at that.
Another week of playoff action, another episode of the podcast! As the Spurs-Warriors series in full swing, we bring you three guests to get everyone ready for Game 3 and beyond.
In our first segment we welcome WarriorsWorld’s own Jesse Taylor as he discusses everything Jarrett Jack from Game’s 1 and 2. Jesse is doung a game-by-game analysis of Jack during the Spurs series.
We then welcome in former Warriors center and fan favorite Adonal Foyle as he talks the SA-GSW series, Stephen Curry, how the 2007 team compares to the 2013 team, the state of the center position in the NBA and more.
Lastly we welcome lifelong Warriors fan and rapper Mistah FAB to the show talking the atmopshere at Oracle Arena, the development of this current Warriors team, his officiating in the WarriorsWorld tournament and whether he’s changed his mind on the Monta Ellis-Andrew Bogut deal.
As always, you can listen to the podcast, subscribe and rate us on iTunes here.
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 reasons for inspiration than there were prior to that crushing Game 1 giveaway–two, specifically.
Klay Thompson does a good job on Tony Parker
As Andrew McNeil pointed out, Tony Parker is an awkward fit in this series, early on . He can’t guard Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson can easily shoot over him. Not only that, but Thompson did a fantastic job bothering Parker, right up until the point where Klay fouled out, and Parker got loose. Tony was 4-of-15 at the Thompson foul out; He finished 11-of-26. Perhaps TP will figure out a way to play better against the second year wing, but if “Klay mutes Parker” is real, it has real implications for the series. The Spurs are carried by their collective approach, but they still need Parker’s slashing and scoring to function. When he’s played poorly, San Antonio’s lost playoff series.
Tim Duncan does a poor job on Stephen Curry
This was the strangest subplot of Game 1: The Spurs did so much better after an ailing Tim Duncan trudged off the court. Latter career Timmy hedges less above the three-point line on pick and roll defense than ever before. Against many teams, this isn’t an issue. Against the Warriors, this can be a giant problem. Most players can’t efficiently uncork three-pointers off the dribble, but with Stephen Curry, the bounce of his dribble evokes the cocking of a shotgun. If Tim Duncan keeps sinking back towards the paint when Curry’s defender gets screened, the Warriors will have plenty of open above-the-break 3s for their star.
So there you go, San Antonio’s two best players offer two big reasons for optimism. Of course, Golden State’s porous three-point defense might negatively outweigh those advantages, but we’ll just have to see.
From Klay Thompson’s one-on-one with WarriorsWorld’s Jesse Taylor last month:
When did you notice the difference in your defense and realize that you were able to stop some really good players?
I’ve always thought I could play defense, going back to high school and then college. I think my shooting and scoring always outshined it.
As for the NBA, it was probably midseason this year when I thought, “Oh, I can actually guard some of these guys.” That’s when the confidence really came.
Was there a certain player or a certain game where it really hit you?
Yeah, I’d say when we played the Spurs at home and wore those T-shirts. Remember that game?
Yep. Who can forget the yellow jerseys?
Tony Parker came into that game really hot, averaging like 24 and 10, and shooting high 50s from the field. (note: Parker was averaging 29.3 points on 57% shooting in his previous six games and 9.1 assists in his previous seven games)
I thought I did a great job against him in that game on national TV. I thought people finally noticed then that I could be a versatile player, not just an offensive guy.
Klay Thompson’s game is far from a finished product, but in his second season as the Warriors starting shooting guard he’s proved to be an invaluable piece to the Warriors ever-changing puzzle. Thompson was third in the NBA this season in three pointers made with 211 — behind only Stephen Curry’s NBA record (272) and Ryan Anderson (213) — and is often in the discussion for best shooter not named Curry in the league.
His decision making on the offensive end, layups and turnovers gets the criticism, and deservedly so. But Thompson has proven throughout his early career — especially this season — that his defense is what matters most to this team’s success. He’s much more than a shooter. He knows he’s gotten better in this area and he knows his team needs his presence on the defensive end to compete to the best of their ability.
What happened at the end of Game 1 was a series of unfortunate events, many of which could’ve been avoided.
Thompson picked up two fouls in the first quarter, limiting his aggressiveness on the defensive end the rest of the night. Facing the likes of Tony Parker, Thompson would need all the fouls he could get against Parker’s aggressive style of play. Thompson is starting to understand certain player’s moves and tendencies, as he explained in his previous interview on this site. Foul count is important in any game, but in a road playoff game against San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, there’s no greater importance.
Thompson is the LeBron James of this team on the defensive end, for lack of a better term. He’s constantly thrown on the opposing team’s best perimeter player with the hopes of shutting him down or limiting him any way possible. This idea of “position-less” players on either end can be attributed to the flowing landscape of the league. A league where position titles (PG, SG, SF, etc) are becoming less and less important, the need for intangibles, size and smarts have proven much more important. Like the tired “Is Curry a PG or SG?” argument, the discussion is moot. Play your role, not your position.
Thompson is playing his role, and without him on the floor the Warriors were lost, confused and outmatched the final four minutes of Game 1. Thompson picked up his fifth foul with 8:02 left in the game when he gave Kawhi Leonard a slight hand check in the back on a rebound attempt. His sixth foul — and the beginning of the Spurs 18-2 run — came with 3:57 left when Parker drove to the paint and into Thompson, falling to the ground under the basket and drawing the foul. Both of these questionable calls that could’ve gone either way, but the Warriors haven’t built enough report with the league yet and being as the game was in Texas, the call wasn’t going their way.
Parker had 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting in 33 minutes when Thompson fouled out. He finished with 28 points on 11-of-26 shooting (6-6 FT), eight rebounds and eight assists
Thompson was key in the Denver series as he was matched up with Ty Lawson and will be of greater importance as the San Antonio series progresses. Thompson will shade Tony Parker throughout, and as the Spurs grow increasingly older by the day the need to keep the frenchman in check will prove vital. Sharp cuts, positioning and ball movement will all be there from the Spurs, and while Thompson can’t play every second of this series (at least I don’t think he can), he will effect in one way or another how the team performs in all these given situations.
Whether he’s playing on-ball or off-ball, Thompson’s physical gifts and work ethic is what has propelled him to this status as defensive stopper. He has the lateral quickness to keep up with most guards and physical stature to check most forwards. He’s worked tremendously hard both on the court and off with help from coaches and players and equally as important, has learned to understand defenses, schemes and tendencies. This evolution was visible earlier this season, but as the postseason is upon us and possessions become increasingly important, his presence on the defensive end of the floor has become beyond pivotal.
The Warriors loss isn’t all on Thompson’s absence in the last 3:57: Jarrett Jack had defensive lapses and the offense became sluggish. Still, do the Warriors win this game if Thompson plays the entire last stanza? I believe so. Thompson acknowledges he was maybe too aggressive in his defense of Parker, but it’s hard to argue that being aggressive is ever a bad thing. Smart aggression is beautiful, reaching into the lane while a defender is dumb aggression. That isn’t Thompson, and while others may look at his dumbfounded looks on the court or lack of personality as signs of this, they couldn’t be further from the truth.
Points get the highlights, and Thompson’s offensive output is still important to this team. With that said, this team can still win games with bad offensive games from the second year guard (See: Game’s 3-6 against Denver). It might take another Curry 3Q barrage or collection of Jarrett Jack midrange shots, but this team can win games with a bad shooting night from Thompson. Conversely, the Warriors can’t win without him playing his quality of defense for the majority of the game. He’ll naturally become more aware of his fouls because of what happened Game 1, so unless the officiating crew consists of three Bennie Adams, Thompson will out there. His importance on that end of the floor can’t be overstated, and it’s time all become aware that his defense is a far more important asset to the Warriors than his shooting is.
“It was killing me to watch from the sidelines,” Thompson said. “I’ve got to be smarter than that. I play aggressive, but maybe limit to three or four fouls a night, just for the sake of our team because I need to be out there.”
“We don’t like each other, we shouldn’t like each other, there’s pain and anguish to every win and loss. Competitive spirit.” – George Karl
This is fun, isn’t it?
On the eve of Game 6 of the first round of these Western Conference playoffs, the Warriors and Nuggets have grown a keen disdain for one another. Before these last five games, there was no such hatred or questioning between the two teams. They were similar Western Conference foes with the ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship, whether practical or not.
So what happened?
Playoff basketball happened. The heat-of-the-battle cliché has proven to be true; the playoff atmosphere presented to these two franchises has brought about a side from each we’ve never seen before. It’s fun more than anything. The reactions from national media, local pundits and social media to the shenanigans following Game 5 have been a sight to behold.
Mark Jackson, George Karl, Stephen Curry, Kenneth Faried and even JaVale McGee have made headlines the past two days for their comments following a chippy Game 5. Faried made what could be described as a dirty play — depending on who you ask — as he stuck out his right hip/knee/foot/leg while Curry was strolling through the painted area. Note: the move was directed towards Curry’s right side, which includes his precious surgically repaired right ankle.
The discussion about this play has been exhausting. Whether dirty or not, the overlying theme of this series has transformed into detestation. These teams simply don’t like each other at this point. Sure, they might claim to be friends outside the field of play, but the actions of both teams — both on and off the court — have escalated the teams to clear “rival” status.
Whether it be the Clippers, Lakers, Pacers or Nuggets, the Warriors have made their physical play become a known entity this season. Not since the 2007 “We Believe” team have we seen such competitiveness on a game-by-game basis — only to cultivate in an increased presence come the postseason. It’s good, hard playoff basketball, and with the exception of Faried’s hip check in Game 5 it’s all been fair game.
The Warriors got into it with both their Los Angeles rivals this season. The Clippers, well renowned for their floptastic techniques, got under the Warriors skin. The Lakers, being the most hated team by Warriors fans, irked everyone with their OT comeback on December 22. These two teams are more natural rivals: Los Angeles — from all Bay Area franchises — is all that is wrong with the world. It’s safe to say Bay Area pundits and fans don’t mind seeing the Lakers get swept by the Spurs, or the Clippers on the verge of a first round exit.
The new unnatural rivals: Pacers and Nuggets. Indiana is often regarded as a hard-nosed, blue collar, physical team. Golden State, conversely, has had a long-standing reputation — whether warranted or not — of being soft. While this reputation is no longer valid, the events that took place during the Warriors-Pacers game in February have a lot to do with their new standing in NBA circles. The scuffle began mid-4Q when David Lee pushed Roy Hibbert on a rebound attempt and ended with all ten players on the floor in the first row.
This brawl led to Hibbert and Lee no longer becoming besties and quite possibly the funniest quote from someone not named J.R. Smith this season:
“Seriously, I didn’t even feel him,” Hibbert said of Curry. “I saw some light-skinned guy. I don’t know if it was Klay Thompson or Steph Curry, I just knew there was a light-skinned guy by me.”
Fun times.
This leads me to the Nuggets, the Warriors freshest and newest antagonists. This won’t reach Los Angeles levels of antipathy, but fans don’t forget the pleasantries. Just like Roy Hibbert will be booed next time he steps foot into Oracle for pushing Stephen Curry to the ground back in February, the Nuggets will be remembered as the team who attempted to injure Curry with a questionable move. This isn’t the beliefs of everyone, understood, but the majority of Warriors fans.
We can agree the playoffs are awesome, and with the Warriors participating this season the attentiveness towards every minute detail has risen incredibly. Nuggets players have hit Warriors players and vise versa, players and coaches have taken jabs at each other through the media and both teams have claimed each other to be dirty. Being the playoffs — and the first series for the Warriors in six years — this won’t be taken lightly.
For all the buffoonery that George Karl has said this series, he was sure right about one thing: we don’t like them.
Courtesy of perennial warriorsworld forum troll and Boston fan, Buzz.
1. The Greeting. “Who we playing? Oh, they OK. I have a cousin who lives there. Good people in that city. May the best team win.”
2. The Recognition. Hits around Game 3-4. “Hmm… these guys are kind of annoying, actually.”
3. The Annoyance. Game 5-6. “These guys play dirty, and their fans are dumb as fu$%. Who would even live in that shithole anyways?”
4. The Irritation. Game 7. “I don’t like anything about these pu&^$%. My lunch didn’t even taste that good today, just thinking about them. I can’t believe that Stern pushed this series to 7.”
5. The Respite. After the series is over, win or lose, all the way until you meet in the playoffs again. “Glad we don’t have to play those bitches anymore. I was sick of looking at them. They suck, their fans suck, their moms suck, even their faces suck. Fu$% them.”
6. The Second Series. “Oh, not these fu$%#^s again. I can’t stand these fu$%#^s. We CANNOT lose to these assholes. We just can’t. We got one of their fans at work and he gives me a big shit-eating grin in the morning every time they beat us.”
7. The Pure Hate. Starts with the first jump ball and lasts until the end of time. “I cannot believe that I ever liked or respected Dwayne Wade as a basketball player or a person. Fu$% that guy. I hate the way he looks, I hate the way he plays, I hate his facial expressions, I hate his steroid jaw, I hate the way he kicks his legs out on the drive and I hate that little move he does where he pushes off, that the refs never call for some really annoying fu$%^&g reason. I don’t even respect him for being a single dad, really, because it’s his fault he married a groupie, and you know a nanny is raising those kids anyways and they are just gonna grow up to be even more spoiled versions of the douche that he is every second of his entire life.”
8. The Fake Respect. Many years later. “Remember those battles our teams used to have? Yeah… those were the days. BTW, fu$% you.”
9. The Lakers. “fu$% them. fu$% their fans. fu$% their faces. fu$% their moms. fu$% their fans’ moms’ faces. I hate the color purple, and want to bumrush every fu$%#^g douchebag I see in a Lakers jersey, even 10 years later.”
10. The Anti-Christ. Bill Laimbeer. I’d kill him right now. In front of a cop. And if that cop was from Boston, nobody saw nothing.
This wasn’t a last ditch effort in the second half of the season nor a surprising outcome come the final whistle of Game 82. This was a playoff team through and through, something the “We Believe” team never fully grasped until the final game of the regular season and even into the first series with the Dallas Mavericks.
The 2007 Warriors were very much a spurt of great luck, smarts and grittiness never seen before in such a short amount of time. The stars aligned for what was the most memorable moment in recent Warriors history. It felt rushed in a sense, considering the roster that began that season to the one that finished it in Utah.
Where “We Believe” was a shot-in-the-arm for the Bay Area, a sudden realization that postseason basketball can in fact be a reality in what was otherwise basketball misery, this season’s Warriors squad feels like the start of something permanent. 2007’s team was new, vibrant, flashy and eventually a tease. Now, the heightened sense of youth, togetherness and harmony can be seen both on and off the court.
Warriors fans have seen this team grow to what it is today. Whether through drafting, trades or hirings, this team was constructed with the long-term in mind. Fans are reaping the benefits now, possibly earlier than expected. This is a young team — the sixth youngest in the NBA — which presents every Warriors fan with a growing sense of satisfaction, a “this is our team and we’re here to stay” mentality.
Much has changed since 2007, and you’ll be hard pressed to find many similarities between this franchise from then and now. There is, however, one constant. This constant wasn’t known before the 2007 season began, but was beautifully seen (and heard from) again Friday night: Oracle Arena.
The Pepsi Center in Denver was a much discussed topic before the series began: altitude, crowd noise and the Nuggets increased effort at home all poised great threats to any potential Warriors win. It’s been a week since Game 1 and those threats couldn’t be any less important at this very moment.
Oracle Arena is its own animal, a beast that can’t be tamed and the leader of the NBA pack. The crowd Friday night rivaled 2007 and every memorable moment Oracle has ever seen. Game 3’s crowd was incredible and once again pushes every other crowd to be better, to be more like Golden State. The Warriors proved once again why they have one of the best home advantages in the NBA.
The Warriors wanted to be more like their Game 2 selves Friday night, and why wouldn’t they? Not that they played a particularly bad Game 1, but a near 65% shooting night that included 131 points of offense was historically great and something this team now knows it could do. The anticipation for Game 3 rivaled anything seen at Oracle this season, and the game delivered in every it could.
In what is one of the worst first rounds in NBA history, this Nuggets-Warriors series has captivated the eyes of any and all basketball fans with a pulse. There isn’t a more entertaining (or more competitive) series in the first round, which only enhances the buzz that comes with each of these games. Two systems prone for high scoring outputs through run-and-gun offenses can have this effect. This is what the NBA playoffs should be.
Playoff basketball is known to get chippy, and as the games have progressed so has the disdain from both teams. Jarrett Jack re-iterated this thought post-game: “When you’re playing a team multiple times you’re gonna grow to not like each other. That’s playoff basketball.” This isn’t exactly Clippers-Warriors level of hatred yet, but there is a growing sense of physicality and irritation coming from both teams as we head towards Game 4.
Game 3 was corporeal in its own right. There is a newfound feud between Stephen Curry and Corey Brewer and another feud that includes anyone who comes in contact with Andrew Bogut. It’s refreshing for a Warriors team to have enemies and for the Warriors to back up talk with their play. Even without their sneaky goon active (David Lee for those who didn’t know), the Warriors have embraced playoff physicality and emotions.
The Warriors 110-108 victory over the Nuggets was a true test of both physical and emotional strength. Physically, Curry and Bogut were essentially playing (and starting) hurt, toughing out what might normally be missed games in the regular season. Emotionally, the team is coming off the best shooting performance in NBA playoff history and is surrounded by new pieces (including three rookies). Every win is truly a team effort.
The first half was rough for the Warriors. Denver forced Curry and Jarrett Jack into numerous traps beyond the three-point line, daring any other Warriors players to hurt them. Normally, feeding David Lee of the pick-and-roll is a dependable option as Lee can create for himself off the dribble or pass out of it if need be. The Warriors struggled with this tonight due to the Nuggets assertiveness with their P&R defense.
The result was 13 first half turnovers and a 12 point deficit at halftime. The Warriors answered the Nuggets stout defense with increased ball movement and when the opportunity presented itself, penetration of the Nuggets interior before the double could come. Jack also made a noticeable effort not to dribble into corners, a brutal flaw in his otherwise dependable offensive game.
Klay Thompson had an off night offensively, but his importance defensively is nothing short of critical. With Brandon Rush out, Thompson has proved to be the Warriors best perimeter defender and as a result is often matched up with the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer. With Denver essentially playing position-less in an effort to keep up with the Warriors, Thompson was matchup up with Ty Lawson a lot in the second half. Lawson was unconscious in Game 3, but cooled down slightly with a modest 5-for-13 in the second half.
Many wondered how serious Curry’s left ankle was pre-game: was Jackson (and Curry) just posturing to keep Denver guessing or was Curry’s status really in question? He played, and oh how impressive he was. It wasn’t Game 2, but no one expected an identical performance. Considering the pain Curry did indeed play through, 29 points and 11 assists was an incredible feat. Most importantly, when the fourth quarter came Curry showed a willingness to control the offense. If there is one flaw in Curry’s offensive game it’s his submission to Jack running the offense, especially in crunch time. This wasn’t the case Friday night as Curry drove on multiple occasions and ran the offense with aggression in the fourth quarter.
Every win in the playoffs requires multiple efforts and Game 3 was no different. Jack held his own with 23 points, seven assists (7 TO’s) and one atrocious inbounds sequence. Barnes followed up his career night with another solid performance that included 19 points, seven rebounds and multiple run-stopping buckets. Carl Landry had his best output of the playoffs so far with 19 points off the bench. Draymond Green made one three (Yes!) and once again brought solid pressure to whoever was put in front of him on the defensive end. Finally, Bogut brought his sternness and defensive awareness to the paint once again, proving to be the most important Warriors defender.
This team has resiliency, as shown in every game this series and once again shown in the second half of Game 3. A young team with so much composure is rare, and credit goes to Mark Jackson, the veterans and the maturity of said young players. This series could easily be 3-0, but 2-1 isn’t a bad position either. The Warriors know the job isn’t done and the team stressed their attention to Game 4 in the post-game interviews. There are no dualities with this team, just one succinct goal: to win the way Warriors win.
Game 3 was Bay Area basketball at its finest. The Warriors came out to play and so did their opponent, resulting in a two-point win for the home team. Oracle was near perfection on Friday night: a sea of yellow covering nearly every spec of the arena, chants echoing the rafters (“Warr-iors!” and “M-V-P!”), passion in the air and a desire for more from their lovable Warriors. Luckily, they aren’t the only ones:
“There’s nothing like being as good as advertised. The great thing about it is that when you are a part of an environment like this, you want more.”
Andrew Bogut has been the topic of much discussion this season. The talk around the Warriors big man revolved around the gross mishandling of his injury news on behalf of Warriors management and public relations department.
That wasn’t Bogut’s fault. The Warriors wanted their big man, their prime acquisition of the previous trade deadline, their centerpiece in what they were hoping was a playoff season and their big man that this very franchise has needed for years.
As Bogut began getting minutes criticism undeservedly increased. Fans clamored for more points, more rebounds, quicker switches and increased minutes. As is the case with many fans, their expectations were simply too high for such a delicate product. The idea of tame production as a placeholder for future success didn’t exist.
Bogut was never going to be 100% this season and is still not 100% entering the Warriors first round series with the Denver Nuggets. That doesn’t mean his presence isn’t any less important. In fact it only heightens, especially after the injury to fellow big man David Lee.
The Warriors aren’t looking for offense from Bogut, nor should they be. Any production on the offensive end is an extended bonus, at least until Bogut feels comfortable making his own moves down on the block. This aspect of his game, according to Bogut himself, most likely won’t be shown on the floor until next season.
With David Lee out with a torn right hip flexor, the dynamic passing between both Warriors bigs leaves as well. One of the more underrated aspects of a player’s game is his ability to pass. This skill is especially rare for a big man, and the Warriors were lucky to have two very capable (and willing) passers down low. Without Lee, Bogut’s ability to pass out of the block and make plays for others increases.
Where a lot of big men are one-and-done on the offensive end — deciding what they’re doing before they actually start their move — Bogut has the skills to pass out of every situation and make plays for other players when needed. On a team so dependent on shooters — even more now with Lee out — this will be crucial for the rest of the series.
With each possession increasingly important, the playoffs are often decided by turnovers, rebounds and increased possessions. Bogut only had nine points in Game 1 (also carried a team high +10), but will surely get more looks as the series goes on simply by default. Whether that means more set plays for the Aussie is an unknown, but his importance on putbacks and on the offensive glass stays vital for a team now missing their most productive offensive force down low.
It’ll be interesting to see how Mark Jackson approaches the hole in the frontcourt as the series progresses. First instincts point to Carl Landry sliding into the starting lineup with some combination of Green/Barnes/Ezeli sharing time at the 4. Landry and Bogut have only shared the floor for 53 minutes together this season, something I asked Landry about in my one-on-one with him just last month. Landry expressed confidence in more potential floor time with Bogut. This wasn’t any shock, but the proposition is a scary one considering the circumstances.
Lee loved to work off the pick-and-roll with Stephen Curry, something we haven’t seen Landry do much at all this season (Jack is often handling PG duties when Landry is on the floor). The Landry-Bogut duo could work simply because Landry can score for himself and is physical inside. Landry will have to work off the P&R more than he’s used to and start hitting the midrange jumper we became so accustomed to him hitting early on this season.
While Klay Thompson had an impressive game and Curry hit the game tying three with seconds to go, Bogut might’ve been the most important Warrior on Saturday. 14 rebounds (5 offensive) and four blocks are the stats, but his presence down low can’t be overstated (nor recorded). He adjusts shots nearly every possession by either altering shots themselves or forcing passes out of drives or the block. We saw a taste of this in the regular season, but to see it in the playoffs has been huge for an otherwise mediocre defensive team.
Lee’s struggles on the defensive end have been well chronicled, and Bogut is often the linchpin in covering up many defensive deficiencies from both Lee and everyone else on the floor. With that said, the defensive end is where Lee won’t be missed as much. Not that Landry is a superior defender, just a more than adequate replacement. Similar size and weight, both aren’t your ideal post defenders, but Landry is slightly more aware of his defensive surroundings than Lee is. Not losing your man on back cuts or being between your man on the basket are simple but highly important traits for a defender. Lee often failed at both.
Since Bogut’s insertion in the lineup he has been the on-court leader the Warriors hoped he’d be. In addition to being the best inside defender on the team, Bogut is vocal. He leads by example and isn’t afraid to call other players out on the court if need be. While this isn’t a breaking development, it may be new for Landry, who as noted hasn’t shared much time with Bogut on the floor. They know each other’s games, but playoff minutes is entirely different that practice time in downtown Oakland.
Bogut has always been an important member of this team, whether on the floor or not. Now, as the playoffs are upon us and his backcourt-mate no longer here, it’s up to Bogut to anchor the defense and make his unique passing abilities and aggressiveness on the glass a known commodity. The Warriors won’t go down easy in this series, and Bogut will be a big reason why.
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