Our biggest show of the year comes at the most important time of the season for our Golden State Warriors. Fresh off their incredible series victory at Oracle in Game 6, we talk everything Warriors with a multitude of guests. We hope you enjoy.
In our first segment we welcome Ethan Sherwood Strauss of WarriorsWorld and ESPN.com. We talk David Lee’s surprising comeback, the Warriors 4-out lineup and how effective it was against the Denver defense, Joe Lacob’s epic turnaround and more.
We next welcome ESPN.com’s NBA writer Chris Palmer to talk Stephen Curry’s swagger, Mark Jackson’s coaching job, Andrew Bogut’s importance these playoffs and much more.
Next up is Bay Area News Group’s Marcus Thompson talking the future of Jarrett Jack coming back, whether David Lee will play minutes next series and the scene at Oracle Arena.
Finally, we welcome Ed Maisonet of SLAM Magazine to the podcast as he talks his affinity for Stephen Curry and where he ranks in the NBA’s pantheon of players, why he was rooting for the Nuggets on press row and how Oracle Arena compares to Chesapeake Energy Arena.
As always, you can listen to the podcast, subscribe and rate us on iTunes here.
The Golden State Warriors are in the midst of somewhat of a franchise renaissance. They made the postseason for the first time in six seasons and even advanced past the opening round of the 2013 playoffs. But make no mistake; none of this happens without Andrew Bogut.
This might sound ridiculous now, but many mocked his acquisition when it occurred. There was a sentiment floating amongst fans that essentially trading Monta Ellis for Bogut would come back to bite the Dubs.
Many argued that Ellis was the heart and soul of the team. He was the Warriors’ leading scorer and the team should consequently be built around his talents despite his shortcomings as a player.
Bogut was viewed as somewhat of a health risk. His contributions to the franchise would be minimal at best, or so the line of thinking went.
He showed flashes during the regular season, but consistency was lacking. Golden State never truly knew what they would get from the former Buck.
And yet, in his first full season in the Bay, Bogut has already taken the Dubs farther than Ellis ever has in his time as the team’s primary scorer.
An argument could be made that Jarrett Jack and Bogut wrestled for the title of second best player on the team in the first round series against the Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors’ starting center was simply disruptive throughout the six playoff games against George Karl’s group. He allowed the Dubs to overcome whatever tactic and in some cases the effort exhibited by the opponent.
When athletes came crashing down the paint for scores, Bogut thwarted them at the rim and rebounded the misses. His activity, length and strength helped him anchor the paint and snatch boards out of the air against one of the top rebounding teams in the league.
He played with an edge and toughness that seemed to rub Denver players the wrong way at times. He took exception to the perceived rough play directed at Stephen Curry and delivered his form of vigilante justice by taking out Kenneth Faried in Game 5.
It may have been uncalled for, but the message was clear: Curry was off limits.
On the other side of the ball, whenever Karl ordered a trap in the pick-and-roll, Bogut eventually figured out how to get himself open and in a lane where his teammates could directly find him for an attempt at the rim.
Repeatedly, Bogut kept flashing into the paint and finishing right at the basket with no defenders in sight. His hard screens not only sprung Golden State’s top shooter loose on a few occasions, but it also allowed him to stroll down into the painted area for easy scores.
All of his talents and intellect culminated into a Game 6 masterpiece that completely frustrated the Nuggets: 14 points, 21 rebounds, four blocks and three assists.
Denver never really completely figured out how to exploit Bogut. They forced him into defending Ty Lawson in the pick-and-roll, but the big man simply retreated to the paint and allowed the former Tar Heel to put up mid-range jumpers.
Lawson converted 17-of-38 mid-range jumpers (44.7 percent) in the series per NBA.com’s advanced stat tool. This suited Mark Jackson quite well.
Lawson had more mid-range jumpers attempted than shots directly at the rim — 35 such tries — in the series, which he converted 57.1 percent of the time.
Bogut deterred drives and made life a living hell for the Nuggets’ frontcourt in the playoffs.
Going forward, his skills will be needed against a tough San Antonio Spurs squad. He will be asked to defend the incomparable Tim Duncan and also help out on Tony Parke’s drives in the same manner he did against Lawson.
His contributions will be incredibly important for a Warriors’ team looking for another upset. But the beauty of it all is that the tandem of Curry and Bogut certainly gives them a chance.
And that’s all Warriors fans have been asking for in these past years.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
“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.
Preview: The Golden State Warriors have won three games in a row and currently have an opportunity to close out the series today — notice the early tip off — on the road.
After winning Game 4 at Oracle Arena, the Dubs put the Denver Nuggets in a tight situation where they are currently facing elimination. There are multiple factors that have allowed the Warriors to string along victories against the Nuggets, but none more important than their shooting.
Game 4 notwithstanding, Golden State has consistently won the rebounding battle and it’s given them an opportunity to close out defensive possessions and get into the half-court and execute. Also, it’s been a plus in offsetting their negative turnover margin.
But again, the shooting has simply been sensational. Through four games, the Dubs are converting 53 percent of their field goals and 44.1 percent of their 3-pointers against the Nuggets.
Jarrett Jack, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have made it rain from all over in the series despite Denver’s defensive schemes.
Curry has seen every Nuggets defender take a chance at guarding him and he’s eaten all of them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. None of them have put the clamps on him.
Even when George Karl tilted his defense towards the Warriors’ leading scorer, he simply found his open teammates for high percentage shots.
This leaves Karl with one small adjustment that could possibly still give his team a shot in this series: shutting down Jack.
So far, Denver has done everything possible to take out Curry and failed. Perhaps putting the likes of Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer on Jack is the way to go.
Curry’s gotten his no matter what, but Jack has been incredibly lethal in this series as evidenced by his 20 points and 8.3 assists per game on 62 percent shooting from the field so far in the postseason.
Jack has been torturing Denver defenders with mid-range jumpers, drives for floaters in the paint and layups. Allocating a bigger defender could potentially slow him down, especially in the face of the half-court trap where he’s struggled.
Obviously, making such a switch comes with a lot of trepidation. Placing Ty Lawson on Curry exposes the Nuggets to the 1-2 pick-and-roll that repeatedly hurt them in Game 1.
The Nuggets might not have a choice at this point. Curry, Thompson and Jack have given them fits and they will need to limit one of them for the sake of getting back into this series.
If such is the case, expect Jackson to counter by putting Curry in a plethora of pick-and-rolls to create mismatches. The adjustment might also tire out Lawson who has looked like an All-Star in this series with his spectacular drives.
Denver is now fighting for their playoff lives.
Desperation can create a sense of finality or result in a never say die attitude that brings forth a rush of adrenaline and emotion that carries a team.
Tonight, we’ll be seeing one of those.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
It’s the playoffs, the Warriors are up 3-1, Stephen Curry is on the rise, Andrew Bogut has arrived and another edition of the WarriorsWorld podcast is here.
In our first segment we discuss everything Game 3/4: the environmen at Oracle Arena, team unity, Mark Jackson’s lineups, Andrew Bogut, Jarrett Jack and more.
CSN Bay Area and 95.7 The Game’s Matt Steinmetz joins us in our next segment to talk his favorite player in the NBA Stephen Curry: how do you stop him? Can we say he’s a superstar? Does he stil think he’s not a PG and more.
Finally, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group to talk DEN-GSW: did last week’s crowds match “We Believe”? Are the Warriors now a prime destination for free agents? Would the Warriors be where they are with David Lee healthy?
Harrison Barnes, SF31 MIN | 2-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | +3Barnes was a little out of sorts to open up the second half and got yanked roughly three minutes into the third quarter in favor of Carl Landry. His offense was mostly nonexistent in this one.
Andrew Bogut, C26 MIN | 6-9 FG | 0-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 3 TO | 12 PTS | -2With Denver trapping in the half-court, the Dubs’ guards put the ball in Bogut’s hands at the elbows where he consistently drove to the rim for finishes. In addition, his movement off the ball allowed him to receive a few passes for easy looks at the rim. The Aussie also did a good job of protecting the basket and clearing out space for rebounds.
Jarrett Jack, PG42 MIN | 8-9 FG | 4-4 FT | 5 REB | 9 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 21 PTS | +22Jack seemed completely unprepared for the trap early in the contest but adjusted and simply shredded the Nuggets’ defense with his shooting and playmaking. His decision-making was great and he consistently steered the Dubs in the right direction.
Stephen Curry, PG33 MIN | 10-16 FG | 5-5 FT | 3 REB | 7 AST | 4 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 31 PTS | +21Stephen Curry started out the night by allowing his big guys to get it going and then caught fire in the third quarter — scored 22 points in the period — and completely shut the door on the Nuggets. The only thing that stopped him was a poked eye that sent him to the bench.
Klay Thompson, SG43 MIN | 5-10 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 13 PTS | +21Thompson forced the issue a bit but still spaced the floor beautifully. More importantly, when Ty Lawson went nuts in the third quarter and couldn’t be stopped, Thompson drew the assignment and cooled him off.
Mark JacksonEvery time Anthony Randolph hit the floor, Jackson ordered his guys to feed Carl Landry who promptly scored every single time. In addition, Jackson yanked Barnes at the appropriate time and also had Klay Thompson defend Ty Lawson after he got hot. And just for good measure, the Warriors’ coach stole a move from George Karl and sent a soft trap at Lawson to slow down Denver’s offense.
Four Things We Saw
Golden State finally lost the rebounding battle. Denver collected eight more boards than the home team and even pulled down 12 offensive rebounds. This should have been problematic for the Dubs but they evened it out by winning the turnover battle. They coughed up the ball a bit but were far more disciplined in this one than in Game 3.
The game was called tight from the start but the Warriors never truly adjusted. They kept bumping and hacking players to the tune of 38 free throw attempts.
Listening to Dray Day: Draymond Green was a huge nuisance for the road team with his 13 points, six rebounds and four steals. He played with the energy and swagger of an established second unit veteran. He earned a favorable charge call on the strength of his excellent defensive play throughout the series. For good measure, he even made two 3-pointers.
The Golden State Warriors have won two of their three playoff games and are currently in the driver’s seat in their head-to-head series against the Denver Nuggets. Last night’s Game 3 victory was not only exciting for Warriors fans, but also for basketball aficionados.
This series has been the most exciting one so far and the amount of points going up on the board has made it that much more appealing. And yet, there are contrasting views.
The playoffs are fascinating to observe. The victorious team is treated like royalty and gets its praises sung until the ensuing contest. The most recent loser on the other hand deals with misery.
The Nuggets came into this series as a sleeper candidate with an opportunity to participate in the Western Conference Finals. But now, because they trail the Warriors in this series, they’re suddenly no longer worthy of such consideration apparently.
The end result has a huge effect on the coverage of both teams. Should the Warriors lose a contest against the Nuggets at some point in the next few days, just make sure to remember that.
Onto the links!
Stephen Curry playoff MVP (Insider): Prior to last night’s performance, Curry had already earned the distinction of playoff MVP so far from ESPN.com’s David Thorpe. Needless to say, his Game 3 performance only enhanced his standing.
You don’t know Jack: Over at ESPN.com, Warriors World’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss shares the Jarrett Jack experience. The good, the bad, the incomprehensible and the end result he produces for the Dubs.
Denver Nuggets choke job: Over at the Denver Post, Mark Kiszla argues that George Karl and company are choking away the series.
Nuggets Reactions: Based on the recap and comments alone, it seems as though folks up in Denver aren’t fans of George Karl’s coaching. In fact, the recurring theme is that he is getting outcoached by Mark Jackson.
Ball Don’t Lie: Kelly Dwyer looks at the Dubs’ Game 3 victory and Andrew Bogut’s effectiveness on the defensive end.
Jump Shooting Guards: I’m totally late to this party — two whole weeks really — but Zach Harper from CBS Sports wrote a terrific piece looking at the Warriors’ backcourt and the methods Mark Jackson uses to spring them free.
No Ko-Stops: Kosta Koufos was attributed some of the blame for the Nuggets’ poor defensive showing in Game 2 despite only playing 13 minutes. Going into Game 3, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post outlined he might be culpable in part but not in large fashion. Well, Koufos played 10 minutes in the third contest and the defense was pretty much par for the course. Who gets the blame now?
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
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.”
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