Recap Quick Notes:
• David lee scored another 23 points and grabbed 11 boards.
• I felt like I didn't see the same energy I saw against Phoenix. A lot of the 3's attempted by Golden State just didn't go in. Coach Jackson even mentioned they had opportunities to close out the game and control the lead. Portland proved them wrong.
• Oh yeah, Jamal Crawford drained a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left in the 4th. The Warriors couldn't answer.
• The Blazers showed up capitalizing on the Warriors funk that evening and making up for their loss against the Wizards. Gerald Wallace dropped 24 points, Nicolas Batum another 17 points and Marcus Camby with 12 points/11 rebounds.
• Monta on the bench in the 4th? Flu like symptoms? Nate had the hot hand but who should have really taken that last shot? I'm at odds with Coach leaving Nate on the floor, though he did have a hot hand...
David Lee - Back to Back beast mode performances, just not enough for a win this time around.
0 recs | 83 comments
I think we saw Monta's worth and growth tonight
Mind you, I still firmly believe that Curry is our best player (though Lee has been this past week). I have no doubt that we should build around Curry, not Monta (if it comes down to that). But I think we saw what Monta means to the team tonight, and also how he’s grown to be a more selfless player. Curry may be our best player, but Monta’s really taken on a leadership role and helping the team even when he’s not scoring well.
On another note, we’re showing vast improvement as a team, despite the loss. If you had told me in December that we would come down to the buzzer against Portland (even without LA), despite Monta and Steph combining for 6-19 shooting, I would’ve laughed. Between Lee, our bench scorers, and our defense, we’ve become a much better team. It’s fun to watch.
Andris Biedrins! Anyone else think he played well tonight? When the dude’s on….boy can he rebound the basketball. I know that Udoh is playing really, really well, but I’d still like to see Beans get on the floor for more than just the start of the first and third quarters. Instead of going small ball when Lee sits, I’d like to see Beans and Udoh share the floor and dominate defensively.
I liked that coach kept Nate and his hot hand in the game. With that said, Nate has very poor handles, and I don’t understand the reasoning behind having the ball in his hands in a situation where you need to go full speed up the court and get a quick shot. Especially with Monta ill, I see no reason for anyone other than Curry to have the ball there, even with his poor shooting night. should’ve been steph time, in my opinion.
bradyk2 - February 16, 2012
Its so funny cause when monta takes the last shot they say he should not shoot it. then when he sits on the bench everyone wonders why he is not in the game LOL….
With that said, with monta out i would have given the ball to david lee… Feed the hot hand plus get the highest chance shoot possible.
squadmog - February 16, 2012
only people that say that are Monta lovers
richstyle - February 16, 2012
Monta's been pretty bad recently with the last second shots, so thought it should go to Lee. It was interesting it went to Nate and not Curry.
Has Stephen Curry ever hit a game winner? I’m still waiting.
callahan - February 16, 2012
Well, there’s nothing wrong with saying he should be in the game, but also thinking he should not shoot it (at least not in an iso situation).
bObaBaLLa - February 16, 2012
NOTHING EASY! NOTHING EASY!
tafkasam - February 16, 2012
Insta' rec
dubzfan - February 16, 2012
Tony, small correction. Lee scored 29 points, not 23.
Which also may explain why you did not offer him as a candidate for the last shot. Frankly, Lee would not have been a bad choice.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
lin should have taken the last shot
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
lol. That bird flew..
He is taking last-second shots very effectively in other coups!
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
don't expect Lee to take those final possession shots
he has absolutely no preparation in his resume for the role. on a slick-passing, ball movement team, he could definitely be developed as an option. teams without highly developed ball movement usually depend on guards or wings for those shots, with the bigs going to the offensive boards after setting screens. Another factor that might be more decisive, Lee’s minutes are second most to Ellis’ on the team, with about 3x more expected from him on defense and the boards. at the game’s end, he’s usually defended by someone fresher, and bigger or quicker.
the.monk - February 16, 2012
Exactly why it would be such a great play to add.
I understand your argument and agree with most of it. However, Lee has proven to be the most consistent performer this year. It would not hurt to add that option, and would catch folks off-guard.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
consistent is not synonymous with good
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
Well, checking his efficiency and production this year, in this case,
it is as GOOD or better as anyone else’s!
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
.554 TS% is not as good or better than anyone else's
it’s a bit above average
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
lol. Big K! Correct....
I was wearing my “kid gloves” when I presented it in that manner. Slam-dunking is not as instructive, and leaves little room for thinking. ;-)
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
I might also add, that I am keenly aware that Lee is leading the active players on team in field goal percentage at .523 (excluding Biedrins who has ony 45 attempts)!
You are jading your argument by presenting TS. In the situation we are talking about, where you need someone to score, Lee having the highest FG% on the team (outside of Biedrins) should indicate a high scoring probability to most casual observers. Certainly, it may be yet another reason to add that play as a surprise option in game-closing situations.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
but FG% jades your argument as well!
What percentage of Lee’s attempts are point blank, off of feeds from Steph or Monta? He shoots about 90% on those, so that’s going to skew his shooting percentages. As much as I love DLee, he gets his points from being smart, and working his butt off. He’s very good in the pick and roll, very good at moving to the right space when someone penetrates, and very good at crashing the boards for second chance points.
He’s not above average in isolation.
bradyk2 - February 16, 2012
Well, 6 one way, 1/2 dozen the other...
Wouldn’t you want to have a real close, point blank attempt for the win off of feeds from Steph or Monta by a guy that leas the team in FG%? Does not have to be an isolation play. At any rate, I am not talking about a go-to guy. Frankly, I do not think we have anyone that good! Just thought it would be yet another good surprise option in our arsenal to work on.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
I agree that we need to go to him more
but asking for Monta or Steph to dribble the ball 70 feet and then find an open Lee under the hoop, all in the final six seconds of a game is just not realistic.
Working from 3/4 court, with 6 seconds, is not enough time to get Lee the ball in a spot where he’s an efficient player. I agree that we should have gone to him more down the stretch, but absolutely not on the final play…
bradyk2 - February 16, 2012
Brady, "absolutely not on the final play", speaks of predictability and inflexibility.
That is why Monta has become less and less effective in that role, in spite of his tremendous scoring ability. You lose the element of surprise when everyone knows who you are going to. I simply suggested that adding a play to Lee would give you an added dimension. His scoring efficiency and consistency this year indicates that he may be able to execute well that element of surprise, particularly of our consistent failure to do so with all the options we have used.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
I agree with the element of surprise
but I’d much rather it be at the hands of Curry. If not him, Klay or Brandon. The fact of the matter is, surprise or not, in that given scenario you can’t get the ball to lee with more than 2 or 2.5 seconds left on the clock. That is not enough time for him to get a half-decent shot off, given his skill set. Curry or Klay will be able to get the shot off that they’re looking for. Lee would not.
bradyk2 - February 16, 2012
unfortunately, when you’re talking about efficiency, fg% is not a good measure. TS% accounts for a player’s ability to get to the free throw line, as well as a player’s ability to hit a 3 pointer. yes most casual observers may think highest fg% = best chance to score, but to anyone who looked into it further would see that that’s not true.
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
I am aware of that Big K. Thanks.
I simply would not have any problem adding an option play to the highest FG% shooter of the team underneath the basket. He is also shooting 72% from the FT line, with the difference being a couple percentage points from Curry and everyone else. Only Monta and Nate crack the 80%. He is third on the team among the starters in TS%, behind Curry and Wright. Point is, it would not hurt to add an option play to him on a game-on-the-line situation, if you can reasonably get the ball to him.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
I’d say we were out coached rather than outplayed yesterday
Billie_Holiday - February 16, 2012
Well, hard to say that. They lost their star player, but, Monta was ill, on our side.
Curry, was not having a great game. Lee and Nate, admirably filled the offensive void for those two. Ultimetely, it boiled down to who makes that last shot. Major Jackson went with the guys that were doing it for him all game. Play did not work out. Can’t fault him for that. Sadly, questions are still out there on the Curry-Monta duo developing as an effective backcourt. This game was no indicator, because, by all accounts, Monta was ill. Kinda like all those games when Curry was out, or, coming back. Hard to draw any conclusions. On a positive note, Biedrins was more effective on the boards (would love a few more points from him), Wright was a lot more present, and Nate’s performance did not surprise anybody.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
You can't fault him for the
Last shot not falling, but what about his questionable lineups… I think Brandon rush should have guarded crawford in the end…. His three would have been a more difficult shot to make. Then he puts McGuire on Crawford and he blows right by him for the foul…? Both of those plays put the blazers up.
Billie_Holiday - February 16, 2012
You may have a point.
Crawford is tough no matter who guards him.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
Mos def.. But hey.. My dumbass posted a fan shot darn near guaranting a win!!!! I jinxed em! :(
Billie_Holiday - February 16, 2012
lol
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
We just can't get a good shot off in the final 5 seconds...
So many chances to put teams away and we just can’t execute the final play.. Fumbles, turnovers, terrible shot selection…
Curry needs to demand the ball, especially with Ellis not playing.. I don’t care how bad he played prior… If he’s our guy, USE HIM!
Potential - February 16, 2012
We just don’t have someone with an unstoppable shot that we can count on in the final seconds.
Thus, we have to rely on playcalling to get buckets at the end of games. Neither our execution nor the playcalling itself has really seemed all that good though.
Badly Browned - February 16, 2012
I think our blog made history. We may be the first to use the term "Tebowesque" to describe Lin's impact!
Preview & Game Thread #22: Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden …
www.goldenstateofmind.com/2012/2/7/2783097/preview-game-thread-22-oklahoma-city-...
That could be a litmus test for Lin! Three in a row would be Tebowesque! by dinohealth on Feb 7, 2012 7:21 PM PST up reply actions …
I cannot verify this, because I am overseas and have limited resources. I do not think anyone used it before.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
I'd certainly assume it's been used before
Lin and Tebow have been compared EVERYWHERE, including heavily in Bill Simmons’ most recent mailbag.
bradyk2 - February 16, 2012
Don't be so sure....
I ran a search, and I cannot find a single reference before February 7.
I also think I used it in an earlier comment (I think without the capital T and I may have used a hyphen -esque), but I cannot find it! :(
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
fair enough
but we surely weren’t the first to use the Tebow reference. not sure why “Tebowesque” is all that unique.
bradyk2 - February 16, 2012
We were the first to connect the Lin performance to Tebow, and use the term Tebowesque to describe his impact! I have since been using the term Linesque!
I just read a discussion on the 6th of February, when I was being shelled for suggesting that Tebow (after his second win) was a lost to us due to a “criminal” lapse, that I responded to the obvious lack of a valid statistical sample with the phrase “yes, but, he wins”. Somebody responded with sarcasm, “Lin, is Tebow”. That night, I used. for the first time, the term “Tebowesque” to describe Lin’s impact.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
"suggesting that LIN (after his second win)..." Correction
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
Incidentially, the term "linesque" that I use now to describe Lin's performance, in addition to giving him an identity of his own,
is tied to some Tao-Linesque chinese language writings. I thought it was very a propos!
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
Looks like David Stern caved
and added Lin to the Rookie Sophomore game (or as they call it, the Rising Stars Challenge)
doubleteapot - February 16, 2012
Really?
Has it been announced somewhere? I was wondering how they were going to resolve that. Of course, a one game bomb-out performance would have taken care of the problem, but it never came! :-)
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
it was kenny smith's decision
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
last night’s coaching performance rivaled some of the masterful ones we saw from smart last year
AJC3317 - February 16, 2012
I think it would be sort of funny
If Monta felt that his starting job was threatened by Nate Robinson.
doubleteapot - February 16, 2012
Funny, you should say that. I was going to suggest to start Nate at PG,
and place Curry/Monta at shooting guard, playing both, whenever we wanted to go real, extra small. Kinda like The Three Stooges.;-)
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
monta was recorded saying he didn't want to go back in the game yesterday because he felt like the warriors had the game won
who says that? it’s not like we were blowing them out
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
I do not believe that.
What is your source?
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
they played it on 95.7 the game about 50 times
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
Wow!
What a dumb comment to make! Especially since everyone said he was ill, including his coach!
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
he said he felt a little congested
so he didn’t want to go back into the game unless he had to. and he didn’t think he had to because he thought we had the game won.
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
so yea, i can understand why jackson didn't want to put him back in
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
found a source
http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/warriors-talk/post/Ellis-Great-decision-not-to-play-him-in-?blockID=652520&feedID=5882
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
i'm surprised a fanshot hasn't been made about it yet
seems like it would lead to a lot of discussion.
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
Discussion for discussion's sake, pack behavior, using selective data to support predispositions, and splitting hairs, diminishes the quality of the blog.
People get tired of that. Unless you want to present in here as an exclusive fraternity of folks with politically-correct views toward the FO and shared predispositions on the players. You presented this discussion with a provocative “monta was recorded saying he didn’t want to go back in the game yesterday because he felt like the warriors had the game won”. I, too, responded to that. However, it turns out that is not exactly what Monta said. So, if you do not want to be ignored, and you want meaningful discussion in here, kinly refrain from these sought of misrepresentations..
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
"those sort of misrepresentations" correction of last line, professor.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
misrepresentations?
how did i misrepresent him? did he not say that he didn’t want to come back in because he thought they had the game won in that exact quote?
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
i honestly don't see how you can interpret that quote in any other way
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
He didn't say he didn't WANT to come back in
You can definitely interpret that as not wanting to, but in knowing Monta, you also know that getting his thoughts across in a clear way is not his strong suit. You also know, that in the past few years, Monta has played hurt, injured, tired, sick and upset. Now, I’m not saying that I’m sure he didn’t mean what you seem to think he did. He may have. It’s sort of a confusing situation, and very little is actually clear, especially since his statement made no sense regardless of whether he wanted back in or not. We absolutely didn’t have the game sewn up. However, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially since he wasn’t trying to make a big deal of his illness until he was asked about it. I mean, he never even mentioned throwing up, which David Lee said he did after coming out in the 3rd quarter.
Brownie13 - February 16, 2012
i guess i just dont see
how “i wasn’t looking forward to coming back in” could have possibly meant “i wanted to play”.
also i agree that at no point in that game did it even look like we had the game sewn up, but monta for some reason mentioned not once, but twice, that we had the game won. i wonder what made him think that.
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
So do I
His entire statement didn’t make much sense, so I don’t know what to think of his statement about coming back in. I do believe that it could have meant that he was willing to do his job if needed, but knew it would make him feel even worse. I mean, I could see not “looking forward to” the feeling he’d have post-game, even in a win. I think it’s a real possibility that the way he phrased it doesn’t accurately portray how he felt about returning.
Brownie13 - February 16, 2012
The guy was ill, for goodness sake! He was reported to have thrown up!
The inference that you drew is in accurate, taken out of context, misleading, and misrepresentative. When that happens, you give him the benefit of the doubt. He is no English major, to boot. It is also, possible to state that he wanted to come back in (because he is a fighter), but, was not particularly looking forward to it in view of his feeling puny (weak, sick), and thought the team had the game won! If you are going to use it, you simply report it as he said it, and do not restate to something you wished he had said! He never said “I did not want to play”.
dinohealth - February 17, 2012
Sounds bitter to me:
cybermaldonado - February 17, 2012
The reporters asked him why he sounded different. He gave them an answer. How is that bitter?
Brownie13 - February 17, 2012
the kind of discussion it would lead to
would probably not be a good one
Brownie13 - February 16, 2012
agreed lol
bigkino217 - February 16, 2012
lol
one with all new revelations, im sure
tafkasam - February 16, 2012
it’s not even the monta thing for me. it’s the fact that he completely went away from lee, the one thing that was working for us offensively. that and he refused to play biedrins more even tho we were getting destroyed on the boards and he was the only one seemingly capable of grabbing one
AJC3317 - February 16, 2012
Easy to go away from a guy not demanding the ball.
I mean, Portland took away the easy pick and rolls, which was a big reason Lee was playing so well for most of the game. When that happens, he needs to cut to an open spot, call for the ball, and go one-on-one. You can’t get him the ball if he’s still just looking to be a benefactor of someone else’s play-making/penetrating.
Brownie13 - February 16, 2012
Honestly,
Did Nate once look to pass the ball in the 4th quarter?
And Curry was only looking to pass to Nate – I’m assuming Jackson told him to.
cybermaldonado - February 17, 2012
Is this a serious question? Yes he passed the ball in the 4th. He shot it a lot, but he was also good about making them. If he had shot it every time, he’d have ended up with 20+ shots in the quarter. He finished with 15 total, and half of them were prior to the 4th.
Blame Jackson because Steph can’t be aggressive when he did get it. OKAY. Curry was told to only pass it to Nate, but Klay and Rush were allowed to shoot the ball multiple times in the 4th, while Steph shot just once.
He did get 2 FTs (his only points), but that was off a loose ball on our defensive side of the court. Had nothing to with being aggressive offensively.
But yeah, Jackson TOLD Curry only to pass it to Nate
Brownie13 - February 17, 2012
Generally speaking
I like Jackson’s rotations, but I gotta say Smart’s out of bounds plays seemed better.
Badly Browned - February 16, 2012
I do not believe that.
What is your source?
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
We need rebounding from Udoh
One rebound is 20 minutes is sad. Yes he boxed out his man, but no matter what he should be getting more than one rebound. It’s ridiculous how bad our rebounding is.
doubleteapot - February 16, 2012
I agree, doubleteapot. He is a big plus on defense, however. Which is why I cannot understand wtf everyone's problem is with Lee, in here!
Lee, as you point out, is the only major rebounding threat we have! He is pulling in a 9th in the NBA 10.1 RPG. He is scoring at an 11th in the NBA clip of 19 PPG. He is shooting .523 FG %, which is good for 12th in the NBA (includes guards, centers, forwrds). He is doing all this with a team that has, this year, a non-existent, underperforming center (Biedrins), a sub-par Curry, a sub-par Monta, and, a sub-par Wright as starters next to him! I hope no one argues that these folks are peaking out this year! He has demonstrated sound leadership traits, a solid work ethic, and, is a team player. I do not care how much money people think he should get per year. Fact is, he is the only one delivering! HE SHOULD GET ALL THE LOVE AND ADMIRATION IN HERE.
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
Lee is another reason they need a rebounder.
To give the poor guy a rest.. He plays too many minutes.
cybermaldonado - February 17, 2012
I have missed Evanz! The season has progressed enough I would think,
for one of his refreshing statistical analyses and reports….
dinohealth - February 16, 2012
these "shoulda won" games
are usually the opposite. I don’t know, maybe it’s me, but when a team suffers a bad loss like the way Portland did against the Wizards the night before, I always feel they are going to be way more hungry for a win to get the taste of losing so badly out of their mouth. So I wasn’t entirely surprised by the outcome of this game. But still disappointed nonetheless.
centerre - February 16, 2012
Larry Riley Must Go
just thought I’d say that
bernardking - February 16, 2012
lol
It’s OK, recurring theme…
dinohealth - February 17, 2012
Where else u gonna get a GM that "tries like the dickens" ?
srsrs - February 17, 2012
He is toast
forever known as the guy who cut Lin. who would have ever thought that would be his defining legacy….?
cybermaldonado - February 17, 2012
He was probably gone, anyway
but yeah. Talking your boss into a decision he really didn’t like and then having it backfire like the Lin decision did is generally not a path to job security, especially when the dollar cost in lost opportunity is so high. (I’ll defer to the financial analysts who have currently pegged it at a $10 mil loss to the Warriors.)
Rasputin10 - February 17, 2012
JR Smith to the Knicks, officially tweeted by him! Harvard should award Lin a Honorary Degree in Psychology, if,
he can get all those egos and hangups to mesh interpersonally and on the court! JR coming in, Melo coming back tonight, balancing the touches and the attack, are all going to be quite a challenge! However, if they do pull it out, the Knicks are going to be a team to be reckoned with. Never a dull moment in Linsanity…
dinohealth - February 17, 2012
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