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’s over, go home. A silver and black team’s about to remind Oakland of everything the Raiders aren’t.
It hasn’t been that simple, though. The Warriors are getting their 3s and the series is tied. For the vast majority of these 2 games, Golden State has led. And I’d say “Golden State has led comfortably,” except, Game 1 renders almost any lead less comfortable than a couch made from chicken wire.
What the hell is happening? Well, it would seem that the overall season stats didn’t take specific matchups into account. Within those matchups we spy something bizarre: San Antonio’s three best players are hurting them defensively.
Warriors are Weird
First, some thoughts on the Warriors. This is a weirdo team. They shot better than 40% from distance this season, all without the aid of regular dribble penetration. Unlike Miami, OKC, San Antonio, and New York, Golden State didn’t rely on a slasher or a 4-out (four 3-point shooters) approach to create these looks. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson tended to launch off floppy action sets, and transition opportunities. And yet, after the All-Star break, Curry and Thompson combined to hit more 3-pointers per game than 10 teams. If Steph and Klay were a franchise unto themselves, they’d be tied with the Bulls at 19th for most 3s after the All-Star break. Two guys. The duo needs little room and uses little conscience when letting it fly.
So, some of the 3-stopping principles San Antonio used prior to this might not be applicable. Take Stephen Curry. Most smart defenses are used to worrying about easy catch-and-shoot 3s. The problem is that Curry, he whose dribble evokes the cocking of a shotgun, is quite comfortable firing off the bounce.
The Duncan Adjustment
This is connected to San Antonio’s Tim Duncan issue. In his prime, Duncan hedged masterfully when defending the high screen and roll. Few big men were better when flashing out to scare guards above the 3-point line. He doesn’t quite have that mobility now, and the Spurs adjusted for it recently. Duncan now sinks back around the paint on screens, much like Andrew Bogut does for Golden State. That’s fine against a lot of teams, but it’s death when facing Stephen Curry. He just dribbles around Bogut’s screen and makes the net dance.
This is what happened in Game 1 and San Antonio decided to tinker with plans in Game 2. The result was that Duncan waddled up high and Curry knocked a 3 over him anyway. Later in the game, Duncan approached and Curry drove right past. Duncan is still a plus player, and forcing Curry to drive is still the right call (Curry did have a mediocre Game 2), but does San Antonio really want Timmy running around, expending even more energy while playing heavy minutes?
Where to Park Parker?
The Duncan issue is minor compared to the Parker issue, though. There’s no safe place for him to hide on defense, really. I don’t believe TP to be a poor defender, but here’s where we get into how Golden State is weird and how they goofy foot your defense. Parker’s skill is quickness and strength, which is great for stopping dribble penetration. Too bad that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are far more interested in just shooting over the top of him. So much of this series so far reminds me of the Indiana Jones “Sword vs. Gun” scene. The Warriors are very, “Why sweat when you can just pull a trigger?”
In Klay’s case, he’s recently developed a knack for posting on smaller guards. I hated when the Warriors started doing this, but Thompson is surprisingly effective at taking fadeaways over guys like Mo Williams. Leave it to Golden State to make a commonly bad process into a good one in the specific.
Since Parker can’t hide on Thompson (as Game 1 showed), he’s getting put on the even larger Harrison Barnes. I’m fine with this strategy from a San Antonio perspective…until they send help and the 3-point defense breaks down. Also, the other problem with this tactic is that creaky Manu Ginobili then finds himself marking the frenetic, peripatetic Klay Thompson off the ball. Poor Manu got burnt to ashes in the second quarter of Game 2. Thompson, by the way, had himself quite a night in going 8-of-9 from deep with 34 points. Even more staggering: His facial expression never changed.
Klay Thompson also brings the added benefit of causing Tony Parker problems on offense. With his size and span, Klay is the prototypical Parker-marker, and so far, he’s quelling San Antonio’s best offensive player. When you step back from this series, it’s mildly hilarious that a Thompson-Parker crossmatch is a disadvantage for San Antonio.
Shooting: Unleash the Threast
It’s also mildly hilarious that the Golden State Warriors are playing this well against the San Antonio Spurs, just on the face of things. It’s funny, but there is sense to be made from it. There’s much talk of, “HOW ARE THE WARRIORS SHOOTING LIKE THIS,” even though this is, largely, how the Warriors shoot. Golden State averaged a shade over 40% from deep this year. In the playoffs, they’ve shot a shade over 40% from deep. Against the Spurs, it’s crept up to 41.5% from distance. Hello East Coast, hello national viewers. This is how the Warriors splash.
The difference is that they’re shooting more from deep than ever. Over the season Golden State tried 19.9 3-pointers per game; In the playoffs, they’ve attempted 24.9.
Remember, the Warriors were shooting a magnificent regular season percentage while not operating with a lot of space. When Lee went down, GSW went small, spread the floor and unleashed The Threast. The result was George Karl accepting his Coach of the Year award while looking glum. The result was a road win in San Antonio. The result was Golden State beating eight Las Vegas spreads in a row.
Is it sustainable? Over the long haul next season, probably. Within this series, who knows? Also, the Spurs missed a lot of open 3s on Wednesday night. Brace yourself for those falling soon. And get hyped for the East Oakland Madhouse on Friday night.
Stephen Curry is not a “kid”
One digression regarding this sudden national media coverage of the Warriors: Stephen Curry is not a “kid.” I keep hearing him referred to this way, even though Steph has a wife, a child, and a four year track record in the NBA. While I understand that he looks quite young, the dude’s older than Kevin Durant. While I understand that average sports fan stopped thinking about him after Davidson, Stephen Curry did indeed age in those intervening years. I know, because I wrote about a lot of bad things that happened in those years. Really bad things. Things like Keith Smart benching Stephen Curry for Acie Law a lot. Let us celebrate Curry’s tooth-and-claw rise from the muck, for once.
Dwarf Quarter
The Warriors shrunk again in the 4th quarter, nearly (again) squandering a big lead. In the series, they’re shooting 30.6% from the field in the final stanza. Some of this is standard regression (You can’t shoot wonderfully all the time), and some of it is just poor execution. I believe that Golden State has hurt themselves by slowing down towards the end and trying to exert control over possessions. Maybe it’s tough to stay loose and liable to launch in the nervy moments, but the Warriors could stand to try it. My heart can only take so many Jarrett Jack isolations.
For those familiar with the Warriors this season, these last two meltdown games are nothing new. Squandering a big lead only to hold on for the win? Been there. Give up a huge lead and lose the game? Done that.
The Warriors are the Bizarro Comeback Kids. They give up big leads and allow the other team to comeback.
So it should be no surprise that the Warriors closed out the Nuggets round 1 playoff series by going up 18 in the fourth and holding on by the hair on Andris Biendrins’ chin.
Up 18 in the opening game of Round 2 against the Spurs, I texted my friend, “Still not comfortable. We could lose this.” And, of course, they lost. Still, it was shocking. That one stung the worst. The welt may leave a permanent scar.
But what fostered my uneasy text was that, by my count, the Warriors had an astounding 19 similar games during the regular season. I can’t imagine any other team came close to 19.
Even more surprising, they went 14-5 in those games, winning their first 8 before finally running out of luck on December 22 against the Lakers. And after that Nuggets playoff win, karma came back on got them again Monday against the Spurs.
Fifteen of the 19 games came in the season’s first three months. The Warriors seemed to fix the issues with no big opponent comebacks in February, before experiencing four such games again in the final one-and-a-half months. And now we get two more in critical playoff games.
Here are the details by date:
1. Led by 17 against Suns on opening night in Phoenix (10/31). Won 87-85.
2. Led by 14 against Clippers in Los Angeles (11/3). Won 114-110.
3. Led by 13 against the Hawks in Oakland (11/14). Won 92-88.
4. Up 15 in the fourth at Minnesota (11/16). The Timberwolves cut the lead to three with four minutes left before the Warriors recovered and won 106-98.
5. Up 20 in the fourth quarter in Detroit (12/5), the Pistons cut lead down to three with one minute left before the Warriors recovered and won 104-97.
6. Up 8 with two minutes left in the fourth in Washington (12/8), the Wizards cut the lead to one and then had a chance to tie the game on their last possession before the Warriors hit free throws for the 101-97 win.
7. The Warriors led by 21 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, at Charlotte (12/10) before the Bobcats cut the lead to six. The Warriors won 96-104.
8. Up 12 with seven minutes left against the Hornets in Oakland (12/18), New Orleans tied the game late in the fourth before the Warriors pulled out the 103-96 victory.
9. Up 14 in the fourth quarter against the Lakers in Oakland (12/22), the Warriors watched Los Angeles come back and win 118-115.
10. Leading by 20 in the second half against the 76ers in Oakland (12/28), the Warriors allowed Philadelphia to cut the lead to two twice in the fourth quarter before hanging on 94-89.
11. Up 22 against the Celtics in Oakland (12/29), Boston cut the lead to 8 early in the fourth before the Warriors pulled away again, winning 101-83.
12. Leading by 20 against Portland in Oakland (1/11), the Trail Blazers cut the lead to 3 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors held on for a 103-97 win.
13. The Warriors led by 10 with under a minute left in the third quarter at Denver (1/13) before being blown out in the fourth, losing 116-105.
14. Up 16 in New Orleans (1/19), the Warriors fell behind by 7 in the fourth before coming back and winning 116-112.
15. Up 13 with under nine minutes left to play against the Mavericks in Oakland (1/31), Dallas came back to tie the game before the Warriors won 100-97.
16. Led by 16 in Philadelphia (3/2) before losing 104-97.
17. Squandered a 13-point lead against the Rockets in Oakland (3/8), losing 94-88.
18. Up 25 in the third quarter and 20 with 8 minutes left in the fourth against the Lakers in Oakland (3/25), Los Angeles trimmed the lead to six twice in the final minute. The Warriors held on for the 109-103 victory.
19. Up 9 in Los Angeles with six minutes left in the game (4/12), the Warriors and the refs allowed the Lakers to come back and win 118-116.
So what went wrong? The early season woes can be blamed on a second-year coach adjusting to a team with three rookie rotation players (two starters in Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli with no Brandon Rush or Andrew Bogut), a raw second-year starter in Klay Thompson and the team’s top player trying to figure out if he still had ankles.
Late in the season, the blame shifts to a now-stable Curry and veteran Jarrett Jack. Their defense in the fourth quarter of games has been detrimental to the team, as have their turnover issues. Mark Jackson likes to go with the three-guard lineup down the stretch of Curry, Jack and Thompson. Only Thompson is a good defender. Curry and Jack are regularly beaten. And oh yeah, when David Lee was healthy his defense wasn’t too hot either.
Mix this with some rookie mistakes and shaky coaching decisions, and you get 21 heart-attack inducing games for Warriors fans. Many of the issues can be fixed with coaching and player experience. While Lee’s defense is probably about as good as it’s going to get, Curry could benefit from an offseason of healthy ankles and joining Klay during his one-hour a day defensive regimen. Curry also needs to improve on his careless turnovers.
It’s been a crazy roller-coaster season for Warriors fans, with far more highs than expected. It’s only fitting that they continue this irrational style in the postseason. But let’s end it there and hold onto leads better next season. Cool? Cool.
We’re foregoing the usual preview format today. Instead, I’ll be redirecting you to 48 Minutes of Hell, the San Antonio Spurs ESPN TrueHoop Affiliate blog.
Andrew McNeil reached out to me for the sake of discussing Game 1 and also projecting the remainder of the series. We discussed Stephen Curry, Tony Parker versus Klay Thompson and a host of other topics.
Here’s a quick look at a response I provided Andrew with concerning my general thoughts on Game 1:
For roughly 44 minutes, the Golden State Warriors were able to play the game on their terms. They made a few mistakes here and there, but ultimately looked like the better team. And then, they completely melted down. To be fair, when a team self-combusts in the playoffs, the team that made a huge run to get back in the game rarely gets enough credit. There’s something to be said about San Antonio’s resolve. They needed the Dubs to falter, but they certainly took advantage of every break that came their way.
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.
Ragnar Carlson, warriorsworld.net From San Antonio
Maybe you’ve never been as excited for a basketball game as you are right now. Maybe you have. Maybe you’re not excited at all. Maybe it’s more like dread. Dread at the emotional consequences of Monday night’s murdered victory. Dread at what the Spurs will do with a new lease on life, with a healthy Tim Duncan. At another test of Mark Jackson’s strategic capabilities. At the thought of another big late lead.
That’s cool. Just know that the vibe coming from the Warriors Tuesday was somewhere in between. They didn’t sound like world-beaters. This isn’t a comic book, as even their bravado-borne coach understands. Golden State got beat Monday night. That said, this team does not sound beaten.
The Warriors took practice late this morning. It wasn’t really morning, more like 2 o’clock, but it felt early to all involved. If there was a dejected Warrior at that hour it was Klay Thompson, who was also the most frank in his assessment of Monday night’s events.
“I’m still thinking about it, yeah. I’ll probably be thinking about that game until tip-off tomorrow. We played a great game for almost 4 quarters, but you have to play great for all 48 minutes against a team like that.”
Maybe. Great for 44 minutes and halfway decent for 4 would have gotten the job done, and the rest of the organization seemed to know it. Stephen Curry said post-game that the Warriors had gotten too predictable late, and that a lack of movement on the backside of the offense had caused the team to struggle. Jackson wasn’t ready to buy that Tuesday, but he did see some problems on the floor.
“I thought it was more that guys were getting the ball and not ready to shoot or execute. When you give the Spurs that extra second, they’ll stop whatever you’re trying to do. Steph was so good, sometimes it becomes like high school, you know (He means it becomes like when he and Curry played in high school, not like when you did: a lot of standing around and watching. )
Jackson may have disagreed up front, but that last bit sides with Steph, and so does the videotape. In those 4 closing minutes of regulation, the Warriors offense looked like a 2-on-5 practice gauntlet: one man with the ball and one man moving, three men doing something like the lazy Vogue. That’s not to put it all on Curry’s teammates: down the stretch he was as much a spectator as anyone else, as Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry tried and failed to summon some of the magic Curry had left on the 3rd quarter floor.
Andrew Bogut wasn’t around to help, but he was available. Bogut sounded sincere in his respect for Jackson – “the main reason we’re here” – and his decision to stay with a small lineup through most of the endgame. As he has since returning to the lineup, Bogut did have a problem with the team’s defensive effort. “We can have scoring droughts, but we can’t give up 16 straight points. It’s about getting it done on defense [in the closing minutes] that’s the problem.”
Thing is, though – and this was at the heart of both the comments and the overall spirit from every Warrior on Tuesday save possibly Thompson – those last four minutes weren’t the last four minutes after all. After squandering a 16-point lead in what should have been garbage time, the Warriors looked dead in the water Monday night. Curry said as much, repeating several times that he was gassed in the first overtime period. It was the end. But maybe the unlikeliest development on one of the wildest NBA evenings we have ever seen was what happened next. The Warriors fought back. Every observer knows that when a team blows a big late lead, it’s a virtual lock to get blasted in overtime, but that didn’t happen Monday night. Golden State ran out to a 5-point lead in the first extra period and was in a position to win with 3.8 seconds left in the second OT.
There may be dread in Danville, but there was none on display at AT&T Center on Tuesday. These Warriors looked a little beat, and for sure they’re beaten up – David Lee was overheard saying his knee feels “much better,” but he is still complaining about its strength – but they neither looked nor sounded beaten.
Someone asked how it could be an easy bounce-back, not just emotionally but physically, after so many key Warriors logged season-or-career-high minutes Monday night. “It is for us. You’ve got to ask [the Spurs] the same thing.”
Curry pointed out that the team has been here – or somewhere like here – before, and recently. “We lost a heartbreaker in Game 1 against Denver too, on Miller’s layup. We know how to do this.”
As he did Monday night, Jack took the last shot.
“Things happen. We still come in here with our spirits raised. We weren’t supposed to be here anyway. So we’re just coming in here trying to put our best foot forward and trying to make the best of the moment.”
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.”
I used to talk back to my mom when I was little. I was a smart ass, and it drove my parents nuts – especially my dad. Whenever I did it, he would shoot me this terrifying glare and I’d freeze. It was like an antelope spotting a cheetah in the distance. There’s that two second pause, and then BOOM, you’re off and running. I never really knew where I was going. I just took off once I saw the glare. But I never got away. He was too fast.
I needed to adjust.
So one day, I decided to try something new. Dad comes home from work, Mom tells Dad how I’ve been acting, glare, pause, AND WE’RE OFF!!! Except this time, instead of running around aimlessly like an idiot, I went for the bathroom. I darted out of the kitchen, took a hard right – 10 feet later, my drawers were down and I was plopped on the toilet.
My Dad was frozen. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t drag me off the seat, what if I was “going?” He was helpless. Like a dog who’s favorite toy had just rolled under the couch. He had no play.
I knew the bathroom was the unspoken safe zone, and that all “bathroom activities” exceeded the importance of any punishment. So if I could make it to the bathroom before he caught me, I’d have him beat.
* * * * * * * *
When something isn’t working, you adjust. In my case, I was never going to out run my Dad.
I had to adjust. I had to do something different because my original plan wasn’t working.
Last night, Mark Jackson kept running aimlessly, and he kept getting caught.
I don’t even care about the blown 16 point lead. We saw that coming from a mile away. I don’t care about Jefferson’s missed free throws, and I don’t care about the over-the-back call on Landry. Those things happen. Guy miss free throws and refs make bad calls. I want to talk about the two overtime periods, and how Mark Jackson made ZERO adjustments to what the Spurs where doing, over and over and over.
Question 1:
“Why is Bogut starting OT? The Spurs are going to PnR him to death!?!?”
Note: Similar to the David Lee and Klay Thompson Watches during the regular season, WarriorsWorld will spend the Round 2 Playoff Series versus the Spurs examining the play of Jarrett Jack. Why Jack? Like Lee, fans have a love/hate relationship with Jack, who can look great and terrible in the same game; even the same possession. He has led the Warriors to many victories this season as a key sixth man, but it can also be argued that he’s caused a few defeats. He is a free agent at the end of the season, and his performance in the Spurs series will play a major role in deciding whether or not Jack will be back with the Warriors next season.
We are providing an unbiased look by watching Jarrett Jack, and only Jarrett Jack, on both ends of the floor for the entire series. This first installment covers Game 1 in San Antonio.
First Quarter:
Jack is the second player off the bench after Draymond and doesn’t check in until 4:23 of the first. Barnes out. 17-11 Warriors lead. He’s assigned to Neal on defense.
Jack immediately runs the point with Curry and Klay coming off screens.
After a Curry missed runner, in transition, Draymond picks up Manu and Jack retreats into the lane where Bogut and Curry are already situated. Jack leaves Neal wide open for a made corner three. With rim protection, there was no reason he shouldn’t have gotten right up on Neal. 17-14 4:02 left in the first quarter.
Later, Jack has Neal, who stands in the corner, waiting for a pass. Off a pick and roll, Manu gets in the lane but is guarded perfectly by Landry and Klay. Without a driving lane for Manu, Jack still decides to sag in the lane to help on the drive. Manu finds Neal wide open and he hits the corner three. Jack unnecessarily sagged off him. 22-19. 2:28.
Off a missed free throw, up 24-19, Jack gets the loose ball at the top of the key and makes a nice quick pass to Klay, but he misses a wide-open three.
Next possession, in transition, Jack drives into the lane and kicks it out to Klay at the 3-point line. Manu closes out, forcing Klay to drive into two Spurs for the offensive foul.
Jack is now working much harder on Neal late in the first.
He gets an assist off a one-handed bounce pass to Curry, who hits an elbow jumper coming off a screen. 26-21, 50.9.
After a Manu three, Jack brings the ball up, uses a Landry screen to get around Neal, crosses over Blair and hits a nice runner over Bonner. 28-24, 28.9.
He misses a runner on a very similar play as time ran out in first. 28-25.
Summary: Very bad start on defense, but finished the quarter well. Gave up two 3-pointers that he should have defended better. Made several nice passes and two good drives (made one and missed one).
Second Quarter:
Stays on Neal to start second.
Makes a nice swing pass to an open Landry, who travels while attempting to drive off a pump fake.
Stays home on Neal and lets Klay take Manu 1-on-1. Pays off, as Klay forces a miss and Jack gets in the lane to secure the defensive rebound.
Makes the same decision on the next possession with Draymond on Manu this time. Pays off again. Manu can’t kick it to Neal with Jack on him and forces a missed layup that is well defended by Draymond. Landry gets it to Jack off the miss and Jack takes it full court, sneaking by Neal and Bonner to convert a tough layup. Four points (2-3 FG). 32-27. 10:31 left in the second quarter.
Curry runs point and gets the ball to Jack on the wing. Jack tries to penetrate on Neal, Manu helps and reaches in for the steal. Manu goes at Klay on the break and dumps off to Neal for an easy layup. After losing the ball, Jack started that play ahead of Neal, but just stood there and Neal ran right passed him. If he hustles, he would have prevented an easy layup.
Jack continues playing off the ball. Off a Klay miss, Jack gathers the loose ball at the top of the key, and again, swings a one-handed pass to Klay. With no open shot, Klay drives but the Spurs tip the ball out of bounds.
Jack controls after a jump ball and runs the point. From the top of the key, he takes Danny Green 1-on-1 and gets an easy flip shot at the rim, but misses. He later gets it back after the offensive rebound and shoots a 20-footer over Neal at the top of the key that misses. Both misses were good shots he should take. Good shots he should make.
In transition, Jack drives and kicks to Barnes who swings to Klay for an open corner three. It misses.
Jack closes out strong on a Neal three, but Neal drives in and splits Jack and Klay, but missing the open layup. Solid Jack defense, but it leads to a Leonard offensive putback. 36-33. 7:22.
Side note: Klay hasn’t been hitting his threes, but my goodness, his defense has been amazing so far. Parker is really struggling against him. Huge benefit for the Warriors not having to rely on Curry or Jack to guard him.
Jack has done much better on defense since the first quarter. Working much harder and getting in the right spots.
With Manu in, Klay picks him up and Jack takes Parker. Off the ball, Parker curls around a Duncan screen on the block. Jack does a poor job fighting through the screen and Parker takes a pass and gets in the lane for an easy layup with Jack trailing behind him. Bogut didn’t offer any help, staying tight on Duncan the entire play. Based on Jack’s non-reaction, it looks like he did not expect any help from Bogut and understood he should have played that better. 44-37.
The Spurs appear to have a “Klay’s not guarding Tony” play. This time Curry is on Parker and he takes him 1-on-1 for an easy baseline jumper. 44-39. 3:52.
Jack runs the point and drives after a pick and roll with Bogut. He keeps dribbling and Danny Green reaches from behind to knock the ball away. Klay picks it up with the shot clock running down and hits a difficult running bank shot to bail Jack out.
Neal loses the ball on the baseline and Jack goes to the ground to get it. He rushes a quick pass to Barnes that glances off his shoulder right to Manu. Leads to two Parker free throws. Scorekeeper gives Barnes the turnover, but that was Jack’s fault. Bad pass. 46-43 2:37.
Parkers crosses Jack over at the top of the key and Jack goes down. Not good. Leads to two Duncan free throws. 48-45. 1:50.2
Jack makes a nice one-handed bounce pass to Bogut off a pick and roll. Bogut is fouled and makes one of two free throws.
Jack plays better defense on a Parker/Duncan pick and roll and hustles to defend a Parker jumper that misses.
The Bogut foul session by the Spurs begins.
Parker misses another jumper over Jack, who is working hard to get around Duncan screens at the top of the key. He didn’t like getting crossed over earlier and is responding well.
Plays tough defense after switching onto Duncan, but ref calls him for a foul in the lane. Duncan hits both free throws. 53-49 3.3.
Summary: 53-49 at the half.
Jack had five solid defense possessions and three poor ones, including not hustling back on defense after a turnover and giving up a layup. Deserved a second turnover after a bad pass to Barnes. Made one good pass and converted a tough layup.
Finishes half with four points (2-5 FG), one assist, one steal and one turnover.
Never came out after checking in late in the first quarter.
Third Quarter:
Jack sits most of third. The Warriors extend their lead to 78-70 with 3:11 left when Jack checks back in. Klay comes out with four fouls and Jack guards Manu. Curry had 10 points in nine minutes on the floor without Jack.
Curry keeps running the point with Jack in. After a barrage of baskets, Curry finally misses, but Jack hustles over as the ball rolls to the sideline, dives to gain possession and calls timeout before he or the ball go out of bounds. Excellent play to keep the possession alive. 83-72. 1:46.
Jack is guarding Neal now and staying tight on him at the 3-point line.
Jack gets the ball on the inbounds, but quickly gives it right back to the red-hot Curry, who dribbles the ball up the court and hits a running baker.
Jack makes a smart swing pass to Draymond, but he misses the wide-open corner three. Barnes rebounds and dunks it in. 92-75. 13.5 seconds left.
With four seconds left, Jack puts Neal in a headlock and is called for the foul. Very costly play and an obvious foul, yet Jack complains to the ref for some odd reason. 92-80 after the free throws and a missed running 3-pointer by Jack at the end of the quarter.
Summary: In three minutes during the quarter, Jack basically got to stand around and watch Curry make crazy shots, as he scored 12 of his 22 third-quarter points with Jack on the floor.
He made a great hustle play to retain possession, one good pass and one bad foul that allowed two points at an inopportune time.
Fourth Quarter:
Curry continues to run point. He gives it to Jack, who quickly finds Barnes. After dribbling a bit, Barnes gets it back to Jack with five seconds on the shot clock, forcing Jack to drive and force a tough runner over Neal that misses. No other player was open, so Jack did not have a choice there.
Jack plays solid defense on Neal, who forces a three off the dribble that misses.
With Curry blanketed, Jack drives the lane from the top of the key and forces a foul. Hits both free throws. 96-82. 10:23.
Jack finds Curry curling off a Barnes pick. Curry hits the three, but Barnes is called for a moving screen.
On defense, Jack again stays home on Neal at the 3-point line as Manu drives and forces a bad shot.
Up 98-82, Jack helps off Neal and Parker finds him for a wide-open three. But it misses.
Key play on the next possession, as Klay is fouled on a layup attempt, but there is no call. Leads to a Leonard free throw and what should have been a 100-82 lead is now 98-83 at the 8:02 mark and momentum ends for the Warriors.
In transition, Jack goes for a Duncan fake pass and leaves Parker open to drive the lane. He misses, but the Spurs rebound and Danny Green makes a running layup as the Warriors scramble on defense. 98-85. 7:30.
Jack runs the pick and roll with Landry at the top of the key and misses a good look. On the next possession, the exact same thing happens, this time with Bogut screening before the Jack missed jumper. After the miss, the Spurs come down in transition and Jack runs to Danny Green at the 3-point line as the ball goes over his head to Leonard, who makes the layup and is fouled by Curry. Tough to fault Jack here, but if he ran towards the basket opposed to Danny Green, he could have tipped or stolen the ball. After the Leonard free throw, it’s 98-88. 6:19. Jack is just 2-9 FG with six points for the game.
The Warriors are definitely trying to get the ball in Curry’s hands and let him run the point. After Barnes grabbed a defensive rebound, Jack and Mark Jackson both told him to give it to Curry, even though Jack was right next to Barnes. And yes, Curry looks gassed, but he just hit two finger-rolls. 102-88. 5:34. It happens again after a Bogut rebound and everyone points for Curry to get the ball.
Curry is stopped by Parker and Jack gets the ball with the shot clock running down. He drives the lane and forces a foul. Nice play. After the free throws, it’s 104-88 with 4:31 left. A sick Duncan goes to the locker room at this point.
Key point #2. Curry drives, loses the ball, and Draymond picks it up but misses an up-and-under layup he would normally make 9-out-of-10 times. Klay then fouls out with 3:57 left and Richard Jefferson checks in. After the free throws it’s 104-90.
Curry gets the ball to Jack, who takes six dribbles then misses a jumper over Parker.
104-94 and Jack brings the ball up. Off a double screen for Curry, Jack fires a poor one-handed pass at Curry that bounces to the Spurs. It leads to a transition layup for Leonard. 104-96. 2:42.
Jack brings the ball up, nearly loses the ball against Parker, gets Diaw on the switch, dribbles into the lane and forces a shot that misses badly. To his credit, he was fouled by Manu – worse than the other two drives where he received the foul call. The miss later leads to a steal by Draymond and those two awful free throws from Jefferson.
Guarding Manu, Jack switches to Leonard after a screen. He closes out too late once Leonard gets the ball from Manu. Leonard hits the three over Jack. Bad defense by Jack there. 104-99. 1:41.
After a Curry blocked three, in transition, Jack seems to pick up the dribbling Parker, but as Parker passes half court, Jack fades over to Manu, leaving Parker free to drive the lane. Parker glides through Curry and Barnes for the layup. 104-101. 1:18. Coaches always preach, “Stop the ball” in transition. I see what Jack was thinking there by fading to Manu, especially after he didn’t close out on Leonard on the previous possession, but that play hurt the Warriors.
Warriors run a set play for Landry in the post. It leads to a miss, a foul and two Diaw free throws. 104-103.
After Curry misses a forced shot, Warriors rebound and get to Jack at the top of the key. He starts the play with 11 seconds on the shot clock, 35 left in the game. He dribbles left towards the basket on Parker and hits an extremely difficult step-back jumper over Parker, Green and Manu. 106-103. 29.0 seconds left.
The love/hate relationship with Jarrett Jack is a real thing for Warriors fans.
Spurs ball. Jack on Leonard. Based on the ensuing play, the Warriors are switching on screens. Jack is screened by Danny Green. Curry takes Leonard. At first, Jack goes with Leonard, hesitates, then runs to Diaw as Danny Green runs to the 3-point line. Barnes was on Diaw and his job appears to have been to get around Diaw to close out on Green. Diaw held Barnes for a beat, which was long enough to leave Green open for the three. It’s good. 106-106.
Now, Jack started the play by not reacting quick enough on Green’s screen. He should have stayed with Green, because Diaw’s pick was not even close to Jack or Green. It was like he knew the Diaw screen was coming, so he went to Diaw when he didn’t need to. This forced Barnes to perform a near-impossible closeout when Jack could have stayed on green the whole time. On the flip side, if Jack and Barnes both go to Green, Diaw is open for a two with the Warriors leading by three. He probably doesn’t shoot and the Spurs look for a shot again with 16 seconds left on the shot clock.
Analyzing defense is a tough job because there are so many variables. But man, it looked like we can blame that on Jack.
The Spurs last possession was executed perfectly. The Warriors last possession was a hot mess. Overtime.
Summary: Jarrett Jack. Hate him or love him. Here’s what he did in the fourth by my account:
Good defense on Neal to force a missed three. He twice made good plays to drive the lane, force a foul and get free throws. At a crucial moment, he drove the exact same way, was fouled worse than the other two, but didn’t get the call as he missed badly. He made bad decisions on transition defense on two separate occasions that helped create a Spurs basket. He missed two jumpers he normally knocks down. He forced one bad jumper over Parker that missed and forced one bad step-back jumper over three Spurs players that went in at a crucial time. Made an awful pass to Curry that led to a turnover and a Spurs layup. Bad closeout on Leonard three that went in at crucial moment and bad defense that allowed Green to hit an open three to tie the game on the Spurs final possession in regulation.
First Overtime:
Jack plays the full five minutes of OT. He has possession off the jump ball and hits a tough pull-up jumper of Parker. 108-106.
Up 111-106, Jack blocks out Leonard nicely on a Spurs miss, helping a falling-out-of-bounds Draymond get the rebound and toss it to Jack.
After an open missed three from Barnes, Jack is guarding Parker and get crossed over as Parker goes baseline. But Jack quickly recovers and gets in good defensive position with his hand is Parker’s face. Parker pulls up for the shot anyway. It goes in. Good defense, better offense. 111-108. 3:22.
Jack is double-teamed driving baseline. He turns, jumps and fires it to an open Draymond in the key. Draymond rushes the shot as Diaw jumps out at him and it misses badly.
On the next possession, Jack defends Manu well, as Manu drives and Jack receives help from Bogut. Manu forces a bad pass and Curry steals it and goes in for the layup. 113-113. 1:16.
Leonard has Jack in the post 1-on-1. He turns in the lane and hits a jumper over Jack. Not good defense. Not bad. 113-115.
Under 30 seconds to play, Jack brings the ball up the court, crosses over at the top of the key to get into the lane and converts on a difficult driving layup to tie the game. 115-115. 20.3 left.
The Spurs hold for the last shot. Jack is off the ball guarding Bonner and Manu misses at the buzzer.
Summary: Excellent play by Jack in the first overtime. Scores four of the team’s nine points, including a clutch layup to tie the game. He made no bad decisions and had two solid defensive possessions with no bad ones.
115-115.
Second Overtime:
Nobody’s going to fault me if I just quit right now, right? Screw it. I’ve come this far. Let’s finish this up.
Spurs win the jump and Jack is on Manu. He helps as Leonard cuts through the lane. When Bogut tips the ball away, Jack is there to corral the ball and start the break. He goes 1-on-3 at the rim and finds Barnes at the basket. But Barnes forces a tough shot and misses, but gets his rebound. Jack gets the ball and swings it to a wide open Curry, who fakes, then misses an open three. Warriors retain possession as the Spurs knock it out. Curry takes the ball and gets it to Jack curling off a screen. He dribbles five times against Parker, goes between his legs and loses the ball, regains it and dribbles seven more times as Parker is playing solid defense. Diaw comes over to help, Jack picks up his dribble and forces as bad pass to Bogut that Danny Green steals.
The Warriors are up 120-119 as Curry runs the point, and drives and dishes to a wide-open Barnes who misses the three. Draymond is incorrectly called for a foul as he goes for the rebound and he is out with six. 2:24 left.
Down one, on a set play, Jack passes the ball into Landry but Danny Green shifts behind him and tips the ball away, leading to a Parker jumper. 120-123. 1:47. Landry has to do a better job sealing off the defender there.
Curry is rejected at the rim and Jack grabs the loose ball, dribbles to the top of the key, crosses over Parker to get in the lane, drives and is fouled. Apply, lather, rinse, repeat.
Jack misses one free throw. 121-123.
Has Jack made a lot of errors so far? Yes. Some critical. But no one on the Warriors gets in the lane and creates fouls and free throws except Jack. He deserves some credit for that.
Under a minute to play and the Spurs are up three. Manu has Jack 1-on-1 at the top of the key … and Manu shoots a very deep three with 11 seconds on the shot clock? What was he doing? The shot misses badly.
The Warriors close to one. Then take the lead on the crazy Bazemore layup.
If I’m giving credit to Jack for his drives, I have to discredit him here on the final Spurs possession.
127-126. 3.4 seconds to play. Jack starts on Diaw, Jefferson on Leonard who is inbounding. Parker comes around to receive the ball as Barnes is in full sprint guarding him. As Diaw cuts into the lane, Jack yells for Bazemore to take Diaw and he does. Problem is, Barnes was never screened, so Jack needed to rotate to Bazemore’s man, Manu. But Jack rushes at Parker, who is well guarded by Barnes. Leonard sees Manu wide open at the three point line and throws it to him. Jack watches as Bazemore sprints out from under the basket and tires to distract Manu. But it’s too late. The shot goes in. The Warriors lose.
Jack needed to rotate to Manu. He didn’t.
Game over.
Summary: After a great first overtime, Jack failed in the second OT. On one possession, Jack did all this: Right place right time to get the loose ball on a Bogut steal, makes a nice drive and dish to Barnes, who misses, but Jack gets it back and makes a nice pass to Curry, who misses an open three, then Jack gets the ball again, dribbles five times, loses it, regains it, dribbles seven more times and then throws it away.
Later, he made a nice drive to get free throws, hitting just one, but he then finished the game by allowing Manu to get a wide-open three pointer to win it for the Spurs.
Overall Scorecard: No need to tally everything up. No matter how well he played, Jack made several critical errors that led to the Spurs stealing the game. Bad game for Jack.
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