The opening weekend of the 2013 postseason has come and gone. Warriors World reached out to Jovan Buha of Clipperblog and Rey Moralde of Forum Blue & Gold to get their takes on the Western Conference playoffs.

1. Best performance from a player on a losing team in the Western Conference?

Jovan Buha, Clipperblog: Dwight Howard. Somehow, Howard always makes a 20-15 game look mundane. That’s absurd. With Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the season, the pressure falls on Howard to lead the offense and churn out dominant performances. He was his efficient self (8 of 12 shooting), made an acceptable amount of free throws in relation to his average (4 of 8), and added a couple blocks for good measure. He outplayed Tim Duncan for most of the game, and did his best to command the Lakers’ shaky perimeter defense and mistimed rotations. Even if he’s Superman, there’s only so much he can do, as has been the case all year, and he’s still visibly not the monster he was in Orlando. Pau Gasol (16 points, 16 rebounds) is the clear runner-up.

Rey Moralde, Forum Blue & Gold: It seemed impactless because the Lakers didn’t exactly keep it close with the Spurs. But Dwight Howard went for 20 points and 15 rebounds. He also went 8 for 12 from the field. Howard probably needed more touches but this is one of the more quiet 20-15 performances I’ve ever seen. 

J.M. Poulard, Warriors World: I’m going to cheat a little here and say the Lakers’ twin towers. They helped hold the Spurs to 32 points in the paint and also produced a combined 36 points, 31 rebounds and seven assists on 15-for-28 field goal shooting.

It was tough to separate both given how productive and effective they were, so I submitted them together. Sue me.

2. Best performance from a player on a winning team in the Western Conference?

Jovan Buha: Manu Ginobili. There are a lot of safe, correct choices: Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Andre Miller all had admirable Game 1 performances, and led their respective teams to victory in one way or another. But Ginobili, who had played just 12 minutes in all of April, scored 18 points off the bench for the Spurs – almost double the output of the entire Lakers’ bench (10 points) – and looked like the Ginobili of old, not Old Ginobili. He slashed to the rim, hit momentum-changing 3-pointers, and made key play after key play. If he can provide the spark he used to, he’s the ultimate X factor of not only this series, but also the entire playoffs. The Heat and Thunder look invincible, and they probably are, but a healthy and effective Ginobili changes that dynamic.

Rey Moralde: I’ll give it to Andre Miller, who went 11 for 16 and finished with 28 points, including the game-winner. Denver couldn’t get much going but Miller kept them in the game and, at times, even took over. And it’s not like he had extensive minutes, either; he played 27 minutes. Along the way, he dished out five assists. If it wasn’t for Miller, Denver would be wondering how they lost in the Pepsi Center, which has been a rare occurrence this season.

J.M. Poulard: Before the second day of action commenced, my answer was Andre Miller. But day 2 offered something different: Russell Westbrook.

The Thunder guard was simply out of this world. He spent the bulk of Game 1 playing at a breathtaking speed in a contest that already had a fast pace. Westbrook was simply a terrorizing force that completely flustered the Houston Rockets.

3. Which Western Conference player that had a poor showing in Game 1 do you expect to break out?

Jovan Buha: Stephen Curry. He didn’t have a bad game by any means – 19 points, 9 assists and four 3-pointers is nothing to scoff at – but he wasn’t as efficient as we are accustomed to (7 of 20 shooting, 4 of 10 from beyond the arc). With David Lee now out the remainder of the postseason, Curry will have even more of an offensive burden on his slender shoulders, and will likely need to replicate some of his insane scoring outbursts from earlier this season (it’ll be tough to match his 54-point performance at MSG, but it wouldn’t hurt). The Nuggets’ have a slew of perimeter defenders to throw at Curry, and the length of Andre Iguodala or Corey Brewer can certainly bother him, but he’s had to deal with those dilemmas all season, and if the Warriors are creative, they’ll find ways to get him open (or he’ll find his own). Once he has a sliver of space to get a shot off, he usually doesn’t miss.

Rey Moralde: Jeremy Lin didn’t do bad in the regular season against Oklahoma City (14.0 PPG, 7.3 APG in three games) but he was dismal in Game 1. Four points on 1 for 7 shooting is terrible. But he’s a resilient kid, as he has shown in his short NBA career. He’ll come out more aggressive on the next game.

J.M. Poulard: There’s poor showing, and there’s Stephen Curry poor showing. The Warriors’ leading scorer struggled in his first ever playoff games, converting only 7-of-20 field goal attempts and coughing up the ball five times.

Nonetheless, he made timely shots and tied the game with a ridiculous 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter. Curry will bounce back and play his regular brand of basketball.

Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha), Rey Moralde (@TheNoLookPass) and J.M. Poulard (@ShyneIV) are all members of the TrueHoop Network and can be found on Twitter brewing a basketball storm.

This past season, Jeremy Lin took over New York as well as the NBA by storm and became for a lack of a better comparison, the ultimate Disney movie. He reminded people that should they stick to their dreams, there is a good chance that they will come true.

And just like that, the dream was over…

In New York.

Lin famously signed an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets that Knicks owner James Dolan did not want matched, and thus Lin is now taking his story to Houston; while many Knicks fans are still perplexed by the move. The media sensation helped revive exciting basketball in New York and also helped the team reach the postseason and thus many obviously wanted to see him come back to NY and play a full season.

But just like that, he was allowed to leave, in a move that bothered several new Yorkers. But prior to Jeremy Lin’s departure from the Big Apple, there was another player that diehard fans in NYC wanted to see remain in orange and blue: David Lee.
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The evolution of the “blog” is amazing. No longer do you have to write for a major newspaper or work for a national outlet to gain access to events. While beat writers are still considered the prime channel for news and stories, blogs have advanced enough to where they’re now a respectable source for news and insight.  As a result, blogs are now now considered equals to those purist forms of journalism, also known as print.

With this in mind, I was lucky enough to gain a media credential for NBA Summer League this year and represent WarriorsWorld and ESPN.com. This was my first time covering an official NBA event, my only other time having a credential being at the We Believe vs. Dubs game last year in San Jose.  So let me get this straight, I was given the opportunity to cover the NBA…in Las Vegas…for WarriorsWorld. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

My Summer League experience began Saturday, as I arrived shortly after 2 PM for the Warriors 3 PM game. Special entrance, “ESPN.com” printed on the credential, media packets everywhere, a bunch of lonely men in front of their laptops; I was now living the life of a journalist. I quickly noticed I was the youngest one of the bunch, not necessarily a shocker, but still a cool title to have. It may not sound attractive or fascinating to some, but for an aspiring writer in the beginning stages of his potential career, this experience was unforgettable.

As I walk into Cox Pavilion and head downstairs towards the media room, I was greeted by stacks of media guides for every team playing that day. The Warriors media guide – the largest guide, the only one spiral bound and the only one with color – were all gone.   Lucky enough for me, VP of Public Relations for the Warriors Raymond Ridder was in the room and was able to find me a guide from his secret stash.

In the next room over rest the food and drink. All were complimentary, but for good reason. Remember the cheeseburgers from the middle school cafeteria? The cheeseburgers in the media room were of identical look and taste, but in slider size. As for drinks, the standard water bottles and assorted sodas were available, although the cooler was practically water as the ice was all mostly melted. Some popcorn was there as well, but not in a machine, in a basket. So in summary, the food at Summer League wasn’t anything to write home about, but I could really have cared less.

While this was my first time actually covering Summer League, this wasn’t my first visit there. I was lucky enough to attend Summer League in 2008 when then Warrior Anthony Morrow dropped 47 points on his way towards setting a Summer League record. If only Summer League were the NBA Finals.

Up the elevator, through the concourse and into the gym I go. The media sections are on both baselines, and with the Warriors being the biggest draw in Summer League this year, both media section were filled 45 minutes before tip-off. It wasn’t until about 10 minutes before tip that I found a seat, due to some MEM-NY beat writers leaving. I found my seat, opened my laptop and proceeded to connect to the Cox Pavilion Wi-Fi. Much like my MLK Library experience at San Jose State, the connection was in and out, and it took a good 4-5 reconnects to finally get a stable connection.

Seat found, laptop open, internet connection active, water bottle on my left and a bag of stale popcorn on my right. I was finally ready for this game.

Festus Ezeli was the most impressive rookie on the court, while Jeremy Tyler looked as lost as ever. Draymond Green looks like an immediate contributor while Harrison Barnes has the offensive skills of a seasoned veteran (and knows it). Charles Jenkins continues to improve on both ends and Klay Thompson continued to show why Monta Ellis was expendable.

I don’t agree with management often (how could I?) and I surely don’t sing the usual Warriors swan song (I’ve learned better), but I must say this: the Warriors young players are as impressive of a group as I’ve seen. Really. Expect immediate impact from all three of the Warriors first three picks. And yes, I’m ignoring Ogjen Kuzmic, who will never play a game in the NBA.

As the game concluded, the Warriors headed to their “locker room” (a curtained off section to the side of the bleachers) and I moved from my post and waited for the go-ahead to head in for interviews. Every player and front office member I interviewed was gracious and respectful, the highlights: Festus showed great gratitude towards the Warriors, Draymond is funny and extremely driven, Harrison has a swagger to him, David Lee was professional and spoke the company line, Jerry West was extremely knowledgeable and engaged (teaching Barnes offensive moves in the locker room) and Bob Myers was personable and not afraid to give me a scoop (Klay likely finished with Summer League).

The entire weekend was a memorable experience and hopefully just the first of many events I get to cover for WarriorsWorld. From first sitting down in press row to interviewing Jerry West to having to pay a bouncer $40 to bypass the underage excuse only to get dissed by a divorcé (I guess the “I’m 20, can you buy me a drink then I pay you back” line isn’t impressive enough); all the experience and knowledge I gained this past weekend was something I’ll never take for granted and I appreciate everyone that made it possible.

But next year I’ll be 21…

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Another game, another strong performance from Klay Thompson. Jerry West’s guy went 4-6 against the Suns, 5-10 against Houston, and 8-11 against Denver. The kid’s showing out.

Klay Thompson came out of school with a dubious statistical resume. Beautiful as his jumper flew, deft as his use of screens was, he never shot over 40% from behind the college arc. Shooting defined his NBA appeal, so this was a concern.

The season started off poorly for Klay, worse than the awful numbers indicated. He chucked 20% in his first four games, all the while “looking lost,” as the saying goes. Many of these jumpers weren’t even close. He would hurl tries over the rim, like man returning fire in a frenzied snowball fight. During bad games, he would give the ball up while somehow simultaneously projecting the combination of “nervous” and “dejected.” Thompson soon received the dreaded a consensus, “He’s not ready tag,” a phrase that’s usually code for, “He never will be.”

And yet he played. And played. And played. Thompson never had a stint of over 30 minutes, but he also never had a stint less than eight. The run has been steady, rarely deviating much from his 16.7 minute average. He looks like a different player now, splashing jumpers at key moments. At a .470 FG % and .493% three point mark, the kid is displaying some considerable shooting talent. But his defense is even better, an uncanny quality for a rookie.

It is possible that Klay’s learning curve is a mirage, that he would have eventually played well without consistent minutes. I doubt that, though. Consistent experience is important for building expertise at any job. Without steady run, I’d hazard that Thompson’s learning curve would have bounced and lurched about like Jeremy Lin’s had a year before. And perhaps we’d think Klay talentless.

A narrative surrounding Lin is, “How could everybody have missed on this guy?” Let me disabuse new Lin observers of the notion that JL was some gleaming presence that no one dared look at. He had immense flaws, flaws that were ironed out after hours upon hours of D-League experience and practice time.

“Time” is key here, though New York’s pick and roll system probably accentuated Jeremy’s natural skills. Lin simply had no time to learn on the job, mostly because Keith Smart (correctly) feared losing his job. There were pressures beyond overlooking some guy because he went to Harvard and hailed from a different sort of ancestor.

To better develop young players, a team must sacrifice games. Jackson insists that he isn’t doing that with Klay Thompson, that Klay is the coach’s best option in those minutes. I am inclined to believe him, because rookie PG Charles Jenkins rarely sees the court. But what if Jenkins is the next Lin?

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The Warriors clearly erred in cutting Jeremy Lin, though this error did not seem so glaring at the time. The forgivable decision was connected to the unforgivable use of an amnesty on Charlie Bell, in pursuit of Deandre Jordan’s shadow. So focused was I on the waste of an amnesty, that I did not bother to consider the waste of a player. The amnesty-nixing was so harmful to future Warriors plans, that it rendered the Lin loss an afterthought.

Jeremy is now considered “the underdog,” a guy who just couldn’t get a fair shake. This is ironic because it once seemed that favoritism was responsible for Lin’s roster spot. Jeremy was “Lacob’s guy,” a friend, or at least cohort, of Joe’s son Kirk. To some Warriors fans, Lin represented everything he’s come to now represent as a Knick. A broken barrier, new hope, an athlete to finally identify with. To other, more jaded Warriors watchers, Lin represented an organizational tendency towards favoring hype over substance.

Oh, there was Linsanity in the Bay, though it was all in the drum roll. He was a fan favorite before donning a jersey. The story out here was immense intrigue, followed by no payoff. It is the opposite of what happened in New York, where little interest gave way to a payoff that galvanized interest around the world.

While Jeremy might not have been Jackie Robinson, he played amid some palpable bias. In his first active Warriors appearance–at 2010 Open Practice–he strove before watchful eyes, mine included. As Stephen Curry drove at a backpedalling Lin, a young black child shouted, “Don’t do it to him Steph! He ASIAN! He ASIAN!” Curry stuck the runner to loud cheers.

The crowd was pro-Lin, and I would guess the kid thought this was all in the spirit of fun–he was only a kid, after all. The Open Practice setting was intimate enough to where you had to wonder if Lin had heard, and how often he receives such taunts in general. It was my first time covering Warriors action in person, and I could not bring myself to ask Lin about it in the locker room. If he had missed the screamed comment, then why even mess with his day? Little had I known that Jeremy had endured far worse back in the Ivy League.

Lin’s first few games were brutal. He played wild, like a point guard version of Anthony Randolph. Against the Lakers, Jeremy went 1-for-5, with five fouls in 16 minutes. Though he recorded an impressive four steals, the constant defensive lurches made him appear more risky than productive. Lin’s dribble was high and balky, like Frankenstein as a puppeteer. Today, he gets lauded for being such a clever finisher. Back then, he would attempt simple layups…and get his shot simply blocked. Those layups may have gone in against Princeton, but NBA big men could swat them while yawning.

Give credit to the kid. He evolved new tricks. The new Jeremy would sooner go back to the D-League than attack the rim without some subtlety, would sooner die than mistake the Lakers for a layup line.

A job conscious Keith Smart benched him three games in a row, then played him 15 minutes to little success. Three minutes, nine minutes, zero, seven, zero. A four game stretch where Lin averaged 14 minutes per, followed by another slow banishment. Yo-yo minutes for the kid with the yo-yo dribble, there was no consistency to his chances or to his production. The fans would still scream when he subbed into the game, but the cheers had all the festive irony of an “M-V-P” chant for Joel Anthony. A consensus slowly emerged: This kid can’t play.

Lin had the D-League stint, came back to the club. It is so funny to read about this current Linsanity, because I can still picture the guy sitting alone in the locker room, waiting on absolutely no one. Not every player gets interview treatment. The guys who don’t often see the floor don’t often see our microphones. You won’t read about the 12th man, so what’s the point of talking to him?

Mere months ago, Jeremy Lin was somebody you wouldn’t read about. A year ago, Jeremy Lin was somebody you would read about. Today, Jeremy Lin is somebody whom everybody reads about.

Somewhere in between, Mark Jackson was named coach of the Warriors. The official press conference was held in a San Francisco hotel, where Jackson’s fame aura was only trumped by that of a beaming Jerry West. Joe Lacob and Peter Guber were there, shaking hands with fingers that could touch a billion dollars. Various Bay Area media figures were present, and the GSW executives were doing their best to mingle with press folk.

Jeremy Lin was also there, in a suit, as the only actual Warriors player representing. He appeared a bit bashful and out of place amid the powerful middle aged men. Why was he there? To fight for his job? To be a good soldier?

On a lark, I asked Jackson about Lin, with a question that drew snickers from surrounding reporters: “Jeremy Lin’s here, do you see him as a rotation player going forward?”

(Rotation player? Lin could scarcely keep himself out of Reno, even with the owner’s backing.)

Mark Jackson responded with impassivity: “I think he’s a heck of a young player. And it’s going to be interesting. He’s going to have every opportunity, to put himself in position, to definitely be a player that’s in the rotation.”

Lin was cut before the first practice. Lin might now be more famous than anyone who strutted through that hotel.

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(Assorted on and off topic GSW quotes from a night at Oracle)

Mark Jackson Post-Game

ESS: (In reference to Biedrins) What does it mean to start a guy when he doesn’t get as many minutes as his backups are getting? Does that mean he’s still the best guy between all of them?

Mark Jackson: It means you’re just the guy who’s not playing as many minutes as his backup. That’s all it means. I don’t think too much of it. He’s our only legit center. He’s earned that right, and I’m very happy with the way that he sets the tone, defensively for us. And Ekpe is playing much better than he did early on. 

Monta on Kevin Martin and flopping

ESS: Do you ever see the flails Kevin Martin does when he’s trying to draw fouls, that floppy way of playing? Do you ever think about adding some of that to your game?

Monta Ellis: NO.

ESS: Are you anti-flop?

Monta Ellis: No. That’s just…that’s not me. That’s what they do. I’m not gonna do that.

David Lee on Linsanity 

ESS: You played with Lin, you played with the Knicks. Are you surprised at all by this?

David Lee: The first Linsanity question! Took a minute. I think he’s a hard worker, I think he’s a great kid. I think he’s got some talent. I did not expect what he’s been doing, being more or less the player of the week in the NBA. It’s great to see a kid of his character and his work ethic, get a chance and be successful, because it means that guys who are having trouble breaking through in the league and things like that, lets all those guys believe that they have a shot as well.

ESS: Do you ever give him any advice on how to handle that crazy media situation  over there?

David Lee: I only talk to him about 30 minutes a day. He’s doing a great job with it. His thing is to keep it simple and just work hard.

Mark Jackson Pre-Game

ESS: Is your starting unit your best defensive unit?

Mark Jackson: When you’re talking about individuals, Dre is a very good post defender. Dom(inic McGuire) is a very good flat-out defender, our best defender. So I don’t think, collectively, it’s awfully tough for me to say, “Who’s the best?” I think ultimately, each guy, other than those two, need help.

…

ESS: Today’s a Sunday, I’m assuming you went to church?

Mark Jackson: Good assumption.

ESS: On the road, do you go to a church or not? What do you do if you’re playing on a Sunday on the road? 

Mark Jackson: If we’re playing on a Sunday–which I don’t know if we have–if I’m off, I go back home. If I’m on the road, I will find a church in that city. So yes. Great question. 

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By: Ben Cruz

To say that the past couple of weeks have been different for former Warriors guard Jeremy Lin would be a huge understatement. The Harvard stand out was taken by surprise when the Warriors informed him on the first day of training camp that he would be getting waived (to free up money for their offer to then-free agent, DeAndre Jordan). Lin was then claimed off of waivers by the Houston Rockets only to be waived again on Christmas Day to make room for their signing of Samuel Dalembert. Lin would not remain on the waiver wire long as the New York Knicks then claimed him.

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