Preview: This installment of the Golden State Warriors is now sailing in uncharted waters. They will face an elimination game at Oracle Arena when they host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals tonight.
Gregg Popovich and company shellacked the Dubs in Game 5 in San Antonio. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were rendered ineffective thanks in large part to a great defensive effort by the Spurs.
They challenged the Warriors’ starting backcourt on every possession. Popovich’s defensive game plan forced Curry and Thompson into putting the ball on the floor to gain any type of separation.
Consequently, the Splash Brothers were often surrounded and corralled by multiple defenders.
Further exacerbating matters for the Warriors, the Spurs’ coaching staff refused to let Curry off the hook. His mobility was clearly affected by his injured ankle and San Antonio made him chase Danny Green through a plethora of screens.
Curry seemed to wear down as the game went on and kept losing his primary assignment. If Curry’s movements are hampered once again, Mark Jackson must consider sitting his leading scorer.
Obviously, if Curry is making shots and facilitating the offense, the Warriors can live with that even if he is somewhat physically compromised. However, if the Davidson product submits a performance identical to what was witnessed in Game 5, the Dubs’ star must sit.
It’s an incredibly tough call, but it could be the difference between keeping the contest close and stealing it at the end or simply getting blown out at home.
It’s worth noting Andrew Bogut missed some time in Game 5 as well due to injury. The Aussie only played a mere 19 minutes and collected four rebounds and four fouls for his troubles.
The Warriors will undoubtedly need him for a few more minutes. Otherwise, Jackson will have to turn to Carl Landry, Festus Ezeli and Andris Biedrins. Perhaps the Warriors can get by for a few minor stretches with that trio, but for the entirety of the game it’s a hurdle the Warriors might not overcome.
With that said, the Warriors have an emerging player in Harrison Barnes. His confidence is at an all-time high. The former Tar Heel has looked incredibly comfortable in the past two games of the series against the Spurs.
He has taken the shots he wants and more specifically in Game 5 he picked his spots masterfully. He got himself to the free throw line, shook free from his defender for good mid-range jumpers and spaced the floor well.
If Curry can give them anything tonight and Barnes replicates his previous back-to-back outings, there is a big chance the Western Conference semifinals gets extended to a decisive Game 7.
However, this is contingent on their defense showing up. The Spurs converted 51.9 percent of their field goals in Game 5 and also made 10-of-21 shots from 3-point range. The Warriors were routinely a step slow — Curry was partly to blame here – and it cost them.
This has been arguably the best second round series of the 2013 playoffs and it almost seems like a shame that it’s scheduled to soon end.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
Preview: One of the most exciting settings in the postseason is the swing game.
With the series tied at two games apiece, Game 5 comes with a lot of intrigue. The obvious discussion topic is the availability of Stephen Curry.
Although no one doubts he will play tonight, there are some concerns involving the amount of minutes he will see as well as his effectiveness during that timeframe. This is unquestionably one of the most interesting subplots in the series so far but it pales in comparison to another one: the Golden State Warriors have looked like the home team in San Antonio.
Lost in the fact Golden State suffered a huge heartbreaker by losing Game 1 on the road is the notion they outplayed the San Antonio Spurs for roughly 44 minutes.
Game 2 mirrored the first contest in some respects but the Dubs pulled out the head-to-head matchup on the road. In San Antonio, the duo of Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes played like world-beaters.
Their production as well as the open looks they generated for their teammates made it as such that Golden State’s offensive execution looked crisp and on schedule practically on every possession.
So far in the Western Conference semifinals, the Warriors are scoring 108.4 points per 100 possessions on the road according to NBA.com’s advanced stats tool. This obviously comes with a big caveat: Curry played both games in San Antonio operating with great mobility.
At present time, the Warriors have no such luxury. Jarrett Jack will have to play bigger and better much like he did in Games 2 and 4.
The good news for Warriors fans is that he’s proven he can be counted on occasionally in contests with pressure at its highest.
Also, the use of Harrison Barnes against Tony Parker should alleviate some of the scoring responsibilities that fall on the shoulders of the Warriors’ leading scorer.
Keep in mind, consistently attacking Parker with Barnes (when he switches in the pick-and-roll) will wear down the Frenchman and limit his effectiveness down the stretch.
Provided the Dubs maintain their offensive flow and complement it with Andrew Bogut’s defensive brilliance, Mark Jackson’s group should be in position to steal Game 5 late.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
“I knew they had some pieces, I knew they were definitely on the rise. Just coming there, seeing the front office, everyone’s in there every single day. Coaches expressed a lot of confidence in the players. They want to win and they want to win now. I’m glad I’m apart of this.”
- Harrison Barnes during summer league
These are the words of the first Warrior selected during this past draft, the first of three rookies that have contributed to this ongoing phenomenon that is the 2012-2013 campaign. Three rookies with three very different games contributing in three key areas for the newest and shiniest contender the league has. Back on June 28, the Warriors filled their void at small forward, backup center and rebounding all in one night.
The words of Harrison Barnes embodies what has become of the Golden State Warriors since the installation of Joe Lacob as majority owner of the franchise. While the entire statement above seems like standard prose for a rookie coming into the league, the Warriors aren’t like any other team in the league. A franchise so engrained with failure is now reaping the benefits of smart ownership, competent management and motivational coaching. Unthinkable just seasons ago, the Warriors have quickly become a model for other franchises to follow.
Yes, the Golden State Warriors are a franchise others want to become.
Hirings, firings, signings and trades are all part of the picture, but this past draft class is what is most impressive. Any team can overpay for talent and immediately see results, but not every team can draft players that fit a particular system. The Warriors did a fantastic job at misevaluating talent for decades. To see these picks culminate in immediate success is not only uncharacteristic for any team, but especially a Warriors team; a playoff team at that.
The Golden State Warriors were victorious in Game 4 at Oracle Arena and tied up their series with the San Antonio Spurs at two games apiece. Harrison Barnes was one of the biggest contributors for Mark Jackson, amassing double figures in points and rebounds.
Barnes was aggressive throughout the contest, but more specifically he relished his opportunities against Tony Parker. The Dubs repeatedly ran pick-and-rolls involving Barnes and whomever the Frenchman was defending.
The Spurs opted to switch on the play, which resulted in Parker defending the former Tar Heel. Barnes posted him up on multiple occasions and overpowered him in some instances for scores.
The Warriors’ forward used the matchup to his advantage, producing 26 points.
San Antonio stayed home on shooters and essentially decided to live with whatever Barnes could produce. For all his length and athleticism, the North Carolina product isn’t quite the beast Carmelo Anthony is on the block though.
Consequently, the Spurs felt comfortable with Parker guarding him. The Spurs’ leading scorer defended with great discipline and never committed any cheap fouls. The end result was Barnes shooting 9-for-26 from the field.
San Antonio will take those shooting figures every single time. It means Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry aren’t getting field goal attempts.
Part of the reason Barnes shot the ball so poorly was his predictability. Every time he goes to the block against Parker, he turns towards the middle of the floor with the help awaiting him and putting a hand in his face.
Have a look at his shooting chart for Game 4 courtesy of NBA.com/stats:
In actuality, this isn’t anything new. Have a look at Barnes shooting chart for the entire Western Conference semifinals against the Spurs:
There are very few shots taken on the baseline.
This is problematic on one very specific front: the Spurs always know what’s coming and can defend it.
Klay Thompson on the other hand loves going to his left shoulder in the post when matched up against a smaller defender. In his case, he freezes the defender with the threat of his jumper and drives to the basket. When he is afforded space by the defense, he simply pulls up for the baseline jumper.
Barnes could surely use this to his advantage. It’s not so much that he must absolutely go baseline, but the threat of doing as such gives him more options and truly puts Parker on an island with little defensive option.
The best guy to emulate on this front is Kobe Bryant. He does a good job of driving baseline a handful of times merely to put the defense on notice he can and will go that route.
And from there he will fake the baseline drop step/spin move and turn towards the middle of the floor in post-up situations. Barnes obviously isn’t as seasoned as Bryant and thus won’t be able to execute this with the same level of sophistication.
However, the goal here is simply forcing the defense into believing Barnes has multiple options at his disposal.
This should provide the rookie a better variety of shots, free him loose for open jumpers as well as earn him trips to the free throw line.
A better Barnes means a better Warriors team.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].
Greg Popovich: We made shots and they didn’t have as good a night shooting the ball. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. There’s other factors, you think about turnovers, blah, blah, blah. But we shot it and they didn’t.
Mark Jackson: This is a make-or-miss league. That’s all. If we don’t play our brand of basketball we are not good enough to just win.
Klay Thompson: Collectively, we didn’t shoot as good as we did in the first two games.
The Warriors first three games (respectively) this series in shot chart form:
For a team built primarily around shooting the basketball, can it be as simple as “make-or-miss” in relation to wins/losses with the Warriors?
Over-simplication is often short-sighted, but it holds true in this particular situation.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to make 1,134 field goals this regulars season, which accounts for 36% of the team’s shots. The starting backcourt attempted 2,594 field goals out of a team total 6,841 (38% of team’s total shots).
The narrative these playoffs — and especially after Game 2 — was the outrageous shooting numbers (48% FG, 40% 3PT) and the complementary play between Curry and Thompson. If one was off, the other was on. It wasn’t so much that these two players can’t both be off at the same time, it just hadn’t happened yet. That was the worst case scenario, and one everyone thought would never come.
Friday night, we saw what happens when that scenario indeed happens.
Curry and Thompson combined to shoot 12-for-37 (32%) and the team only made six (out of 20 attempts) three pointers. There simply wasn’t that third consistent option out there on the floor.
Jarrett Jack — since David Lee’s injury at least — has tried to be this third option, and for the first half kept the Warriors at bay with four shots in the 2nd quarter before failing miserably in the second half (on both ends of the floor). Harrison Barnes was aggressive going to the basket but couldn’t find his range from outside the paint, Andrew Bogut was 5-for-9 but can’t be counted on for consistent production and Carl Landry was 4-for-4 on shots inside the circle but struggled to get anything going from the outside.
The lone bright spot from was from David Lee himself, who in three minutes looked to be very much the Lee of old on the offensive end. Lee said postgame he’s feeling better than he did in the Denver series, but that bar was set pretty low. Coach Jackson said he didn’t keep Lee in the game because he didn’t like the way Lee was running his last trip down in the 2nd quarter. Lee’s performance in Game 3 was nothing more than a tease, and it doesn’t sound like that will change as the series progresses.
The Warriors simply weren’t getting as many clean looks as they were in the previous two games, and credit the Spurs defense. Danny Green hounded Curry all night, allowing limited open shots and not giving him much room to initiate the offense all night. Thompson was shaded by Kawhi Leonard for a lot of Game 3 and he did a solid job of not giving Thompson enough space to get off clean looks. With that said, Thompson had his chances:
Thompson succeeded in the mid-range but struggled from inside the free throw line, a scary (and troubling) trend.
Murphy’s Law was in full effect Friday night: Warriors were hounded on defense, missing shots, Curry turned his left ankle and the Spurs reminded everyone why they’ve been the class of the NBA for years. The Warriors were outclassed in every facet Game 3. For the first time this postseason they showed their age and inexperience. It was a scary sight for fans, and for the Warriors to have any chance this series they need to muster up the same urgency they’ve played with this entire playoff run.
If there’s anything the Warriors have proved this entire season is their incredible poise and resiliency. Bouncing back from each loss these playoffs with a win, the Warriors are incredibly mature for their age. This youth showed in Game 3, but it’d be foolish to assume a repeat performance is all but certain come Game 4.
The focus must start on the defensive end, as numerous players stated after Game 3. Throwing different looks at Tony Parker (Bazemore?) in Game 4 or simply putting hands up on jump shots will pay dividends, but consistent effort and focus will prove to be the Warriors biggest improvement from their loss Friday night.
Will the Warriors shoot a measly 39% from the field in Game 4? Will Curry and Thompson combine to shoot 32% again? Will the team shoot 32% from deep while only making six treys? Will Parker score 32 points (25 in the first half) again?
All signs point to nay, but on even shorter rest (12:30 PST) and with Curry hobbling, the signs aren’t as clear as they once were.
Another week of playoff action, another episode of the podcast! As the Spurs-Warriors series in full swing, we bring you three guests to get everyone ready for Game 3 and beyond.
In our first segment we welcome WarriorsWorld’s own Jesse Taylor as he discusses everything Jarrett Jack from Game’s 1 and 2. Jesse is doung a game-by-game analysis of Jack during the Spurs series.
We then welcome in former Warriors center and fan favorite Adonal Foyle as he talks the SA-GSW series, Stephen Curry, how the 2007 team compares to the 2013 team, the state of the center position in the NBA and more.
Lastly we welcome lifelong Warriors fan and rapper Mistah FAB to the show talking the atmopshere at Oracle Arena, the development of this current Warriors team, his officiating in the WarriorsWorld tournament and whether he’s changed his mind on the Monta Ellis-Andrew Bogut deal.
As always, you can listen to the podcast, subscribe and rate us on iTunes here.
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.
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.
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