RECAP: Warriors 112, Thunder 102 – We’ll Take It

by Fantasy Junkie on Dec 8, 2008 9:55 PM PST in Recaps Comment 74 comments

Final Boxscore | Open Thread (650+ Comments)

Crawford_medium

"We didn't win the world championship but it sure felt like it," Warriors coach Don Nelson said.

I can't believe that counts as a win. I felt like I was watching a summer league game half expecting Marco Belinelli to go off for 37 points. It was the NBA equivalent of a game featuring the Detroit Lions vs Cincinnati Bengals, somebody has to win, but nobody really cares. It was just two teams playing because the schedule says so. For the Warriors, it was a gift from the scheduling gods to mercifully end their 9 game losing streak. For the Thunder, just another loss, they're used to it.

Just be glad you're not a Thunder fan. Seriously, how bad is that team? There was a rumor (I'm making this up) that Oklahoma City wants to give the Thunder back to Seattle because they thought they were getting a professional NBA franchise, not a professional NBDL franchise. Supposedly Seattle denied the offer saying that they'd rather just have another reason to root for Portland.

Biedrins_medium

No Stephen Jackson. No Corey Maggette. For anyone who thinks that's the reason the Warriors won, I have some magic beans I'd like to sell you. I don't know how the Warriors did it, but without those 2, they managed to lead by 15+ points for the majority of the game. That's a testament to the contributions from everyone who got a chance to play. 7 of the 8 players who got on the court scored double digits, and Ronny Turiaf, the only one without double digits had 9 points.

It's also a testament to the man in the middle - Andris Biedrins. Did you see his line for the night?! 17 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks. He had almost half of the Warriors total rebounds and 21 times as many rebounds as Jamal Crawford! He was the best player on the floor for the Warriors and Nellie couldn't afford to take him off the floor. Because of his great work on the boards and challenging shots in the paint, I'm willing to overlook the 5 fouls and 6 turnovers.

Taking Care of the Ball
Speaking of turnovers, two things I have to touch on that just can't happen in the future. First, the 22 turnovers are just awful. Take care of the ball. The Warriors aren't good enough to just give possessions away. They were lucky they played the Thunder tonight because if they turn the ball over 22 times against any other team, you can chalk up an L. Second, the game got close when the Warriors had trouble once again inbounding the ball. They had a few scary inbounds plays and one that resulted in a turnover. I can't believe an NBA team has this much trouble inbounding the ball. There are junior high teams who don't have this much trouble getting the ball from out of bounds to inbounds without the other team touching it. Nellie, please please please teach the team how to inbound the ball. Why do fundamentals fall apart in crunch time?

Morrow_medium

Anthony Morrow
Speaking of crunch time, you know who came up clutch down the stretch? The undrafted rook, Anthony Morrow. He hit a BIG 3 when the Thunder were making a run to take the lead from 7 back up to 10. Then after Durant hit the 3 pointer to cut the lead to 3, Morrow calmly stepped to the line and swish, swish, lead back to 5 and essentially put the game away. He then grabbed the defensive board on the other end, hit 2 free throws, grabbed the defensive board again and then hit 1 of 2 from the line. He didn't have a good shooting night from the field, but when crunch time came, he was there.

The Thunder
Speaking of poor shooting, the Thunder could go down as the worst team ever in the history of the NBA. 2 wins, 20 losses. 0.091 winning percentage. They're on pace for 7 wins. All but 6 teams in the league already have 7 wins. Scary stuff. Thank goodness for the Timberwolves and Grizzlies or else they'd be 0-22. Good thing they fired PJ. They've been on a roll ever since. I kid, I kid.

Durant_medium

Kevin Durant
Speaking of the Thunder, the only fun thing about the Thunder, Kevin Durant. What a fun player to watch, especially when nobody plays defense on him. 41 points, 10 rebounds. He's so long and can get his shot off over anyone especially Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson. He's so smooth with that shot and is extremely agile for such a big man. His offensive game is niiiice. He's got the mid-range jumper, the post up game, the dribble drive, runs the break and has now added that 3 point shot. The one glaring hole in his game is that he doesn't make his teammates better. It's a red flag that he's the best player on a horrible team, but with that talent I'd risk trading anyone or combination of players on the Warriors for him (except for Marco, he's a keeper).

Marco Belinelli
Speaking of Marco, I know I give him a hard time, but he played very well tonight. He played decent defense on Durant, staying in front of him and challenging shots. What I liked tonight was his patience on offense. He seemed to be under control. No crazy shots, just seemed to let the game come to him. Oh and he had that beautiful pass to Biedrins. I liked seeing him set up his center. Honestly, hearing him complain about playing time really is annoying, but he at least came through tonight. Now he just needs to get consistent and EARN his playing time.

Brandan Wright
Speaking of playing time, why did Brandan Wright not play for most of the second half? He was playing well the entire first half. 15 points, 5 boards, 5-6 shooting. Did he get hurt? He was shooting well and giving the team a positive impact. What happened?

Turiaf-collison_medium

Defense
Lastly, the Warriors finally held a team below 99% shooting from the field. It was tough, but the Warriors actually got a hand up in a shooter's face, stayed within 4 feet of the man with the ball, and hustled. The anatomy of a 9 game losing streak. It's simple, the opponent field goal percentage. Look at the percentages the other team shot from the field (starting with the Chicago loss): 51, 40, 51, 47, 47, 51, 48, 49, 55. In just 3 of those games did the Warriors shoot a better percentage than the other team. It's about the defense. Make it difficult for the other team to score and you might win some games. Tonight, the Warriors shot 51% and the Thunder shot 43%. W.

What it all means...
This win doesn't really mean that much. It's given the Warriors a little more confidence but it's not like they pulled off any sort of big win. This just proves they are better than the worst team in the league even without their two top scorers. They'll have a harder test on Wednesday when the Bucks come to town. A real NBA team to play.

Andris Biedrins of course. Can we get him into the All-Star game?

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I always wondered, where do you guys get the cool pix right after the game??

by turbulence24 on Dec 8, 2008 10:04 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

AP recaps

Just check the ESPN boxscores. There’s a button that says Photos on it.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/photos?gameId=281208025

by Fantasy Junkie on Dec 8, 2008 10:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

they always have more pics here though

in yahoo sports :]
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/gsw/photos;_ylt=Apj3kjmx93qZlyVLUr7a9Ol90bYF

by gorillas on Dec 8, 2008 11:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Only...

…twenty three minutes for Brandan Wright on a night with no Jackson or Maggette, and a night in which Wright was grooving. No excuse for that.

by Zack Vank on Dec 8, 2008 10:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Wright got benched

Wright got benched for not boxing out sometime in the third quarter (I think).

by heavyccasey on Dec 8, 2008 11:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Wright got benched

Haha, Wright ’s trajectory peaked sometime in the 2nd quarter, mark it down. He bench fodder now .

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 8, 2008 11:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It’s important to have standards. Nellie appears to have a double standard. Isn’t that twice as good?

Since no one else seems to box out and Wright’s among the better rebounders on the squad, this seems like a Nellie excuse more than anything else. 7 of Durant’s 10 rebounds came in the 4th with Wright on the bench.

by jae on Dec 9, 2008 9:05 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It was nice to win a game,

even if it was against the lowly Thunder. Great recap FJ.

I dont really understand why Brandan Wright cant get more minute.

Wow, Durant is incredible. Maybe not a ‘Once in a Generation’ player(like Larry Bird) but definetly a franchise player.

Ellis to the rim.

by warriorsscore110 on Dec 8, 2008 10:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

It would help

if you defined “franchise player.” Guy you give a max contract? Guy who will lead your team deep into the playoffs? Guy who averages 20 ppg?

He was a beast on offense last night, to be sure … and he actually rebounded, passed, and played a little D for once in his NBA career. Then again, he was playing against the bench corps of the worst defensive team in the NBA. It’s really too bad AR was out … it would have been wildly entertaining to watch him and KD go at it for four quarters.

One thing that bugged me about Durant, despite the impressive game: that clownish smile when he blocked a shot with his team down 15 or so. It was like, “Hee hee look at me, I actually played a litle defense for once in my life!” Reminded me a bit of George W when he succeeds in pronouncing a big word correctly.

The numbers — in a pretty big 100-game sample now — show Durant to be a mediocre player at this stage of his career. And his plus/minus numbers make him look worse than that. When you watch him play, it’s pretty clear he can get better … how much better is the question. From what I’ve seen his absolute upside is nowhere near Larry Bird.

OBAMA AMABO

by Sleepy Freud on Dec 9, 2008 4:09 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Probably the two best games of Durant’s career have come against the Warriors. He seems to be playing better (taking better shots, rebounding a bit better) since PJ got canned, which should be encouraging. Playing him at guard was one of the dumber moves.

Durant’s big games against us came in a game after the Warriors were eliminated and clearly deflated, and last night, against the B-squad of a D+ team. Nellie fumed and benched Wright for failing to box out on a play it seems. Durant got almost half of his points and most of his rebounds with Wright on the bench in the 4th. Coincidence? Nellie is really, really not doing a good job with Wright, and it’s costing the team, not just in the future, but in the present.

Durant is clearly very, very talented, and what he did in college suggests he should be much better than he’s been. The shooting seems to be coming around. I suspect he’ll be among the elite scorers and consequentially, he’ll be labeled a star no matter what happens to his team. But he’ll have to improve his game to really improve his team’s odds of winning. If he becomes a better rebounder and cuts the turnovers, then he can be the sort of star who actually makes it more likely that his team will win. His college game suggests that’s possible.

by jae on Dec 9, 2008 9:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

But he’ll have to improve his game to really improve his team’s odds of winning.

You know how it goes in the NBA – there’s plenty of time for all that unselfish play AFTER you get PAID!!!

John 8:44 -Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

by triplesix on Dec 9, 2008 12:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Marco and Wright

Marco played a really nice game. His effort on D was most impressive. He spaced the floor very well too.

Wright was yanked on a missed rebound. Nellie was fuming. Put in Beans immediately after that and that was Wright’s night. Nellie was quoted saying even his bigs don’t rebound well…I think he was indirectly talking about Wright. I dunno, I still feel Wright rebounds pretty well given his long arms. He should have kept him in there to make up for his mistake…this is the most frustrating thing. Nellie will punish a player and then he won’t let him redeem himself. Must be very demoralizing.

Hopeless Marco Belinelli supporter

by Doctor Kajita on Dec 8, 2008 10:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I imagine it is...

…there’s no consistency with Don Nelson. That’s the absolute defining mark of his style right now. Play well, get yanked. Play poorly, get yanked. Have the best game of your career (POB in ’07) get demoted the next day. Start off like a bat out of hell (Morrow), get kicked to the curb after one bad outing. Meanwhile, Stephen Jackson averages over forty minutes a night. It sometimes makes less sense than drinking paint thinner. And drinking paint thinner makes very little sense.

by Zack Vank on Dec 8, 2008 10:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ill let Nelson pass on this one because the player Wright failed to boxout was a guard (Westbrook)…. that shouldn’t happen, period.

by wander7 on Dec 8, 2008 10:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I wasn't...

…able to see the game tonight, so admittedly I don’t know how egregious the failure was. But if he’s having a goo game to that point, and you’ve got a chance to get big, confidence building minutes against a crap team, it’d have to be pretty crazy to convince me he should’ve been yanked. Unless he was standing next to Westbrook, and the ball bounced off the rim twenty feet into the air, and it was coming down directly over their heads, and Wright looked up at it, followed it with his gaze, shook his head solemnly and wandered away thus allowing Westbrook to catch the ball without eve having to jump- maybe then. I say maybe because even that, while an insane thing to witness, would not be as inexcusably damaging to our fortunes as the kind of stuff Nelson lets other players get away with. Wright gets yanked cause he botches a rebound, but Nelson can’t muster any of that famous vitriol when Corey Maggette doesn’t even TRY to defend Chris Quinn on that three last week? There’s no sense to it… I can’t take it anymore.

by Zack Vank on Dec 8, 2008 10:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Westbrook...

wasn’t Wright’s man – and in fact he did box out his guy on the play in question. I think what Nellie gets pissed about is that Wright doesn’t “go after” rebounds the way a guy like Beidrins does. He boxed out his man on the play (under the basket) and then watched Westbrook grab an offensive rebound and put it back in. It wasn’t really Wright’s fault but even I was like “damn Brandon grab the board when you are the biggest guy on the floor for your team.” Sometimes I feel like Nellie and I are kindred spirits this way.

John 8:44 -Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

by triplesix on Dec 9, 2008 12:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Marco played a really nice game. His effort on D was most impressive. He spaced the floor very well too

Haha, He almost picked it up to low NBA bench standards!

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 9, 2008 11:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

marco

did pretty well. good time to trade him!

by Run Dubz on Dec 8, 2008 10:11 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

But the problem with that is

His good play is exactly what the Warriors need. He’s like the anti-Maggette, anti-Sjax. He’s looking to involve his teammates within the flow of the offense. Sjax looks to involve his teammates too, but he often forces passes on the pick-n-roll to Beans or he just simply forces a drive and turns it over. Marco doesn’t do this.

This is why I remain a hopeless Marco Belinelli supporter!

Hopeless Marco Belinelli supporter

by Doctor Kajita on Dec 8, 2008 10:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

you're not really wrong there though

so don’t worry about it

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Dec 8, 2008 10:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

This is why I remain a hopeless Marco Belinelli supporter!

How come you got stuck with the job?

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 8, 2008 10:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Regarding Wright's rebounding...

…if he were getting thirty five minutes a night, solid starter minutes as he should, his numbers project to around (and I’m just approximating, didn’t burst out a calculator) 15 PPG and 8 RPG. I realize this sort of projection game is theoretical and maybe his numbers would be worse, but maybe they’d be better if he knew his coach had confidence in him. Fact is, Don Nelson will find a reason to hate a player. At least on that particular topic, Al Harrington was and is right.

by Zack Vank on Dec 8, 2008 10:24 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of your recap

It was great and all, but (unless you did it on purpose) do you have any other transition phrases besides “speaking of…?”

Member of the "Stop calling him Beans" movement

by StSaints408 on Dec 8, 2008 10:27 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

haha

that was just for kicks, no other reason.

by Fantasy Junkie on Dec 9, 2008 8:37 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

o

Member of the "Stop calling him Beans" movement

by StSaints408 on Dec 9, 2008 7:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So.....we win....JUST...

yet again we did our best to throw it away?!? Can anyone tell these guys they can use the entire base line to inbound a ball. If I see one more “lob” pass anywhere close to another teams player, I may just be forced to invade the court next home game and slap said player!

Yes, I will take the win, but we mde that wayyyyyy to difficult at the end.

The interesting thing is I actually liked the team spirit, the team effort and sharing the ball and working as a team. This team had chemistry tonight, which has been missing of late.

So what does that mean…..do we in fact look to offload Magette ASAP? Maybe even SJAX? Never thought I would consider that this year, but maybe he, along with Magette and Williams will be a package that the likes of an OKC might want? Maybe with some cash we could lure away Durant to come here?

As for Wright…..he like Randolph in previous games, got the sharp end of Nellie’s wrath when he allowed a really stupid basket at a key moment of the game. It is harsh to then sit him, but these guys have to learn and I actually think Nellie is doing what he can right now to get these kids to understand that you cannot switch off for 1 second in the NBA.

So a win yes and thank god we didnt go 0-10, but the question is….did the players actually learn something tonight?

It's about heart, It's about fight, It's about being a Warrior!

by BritWarriorGSW on Dec 8, 2008 10:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

did the players learn something tonight?

They learned that Oklahoma is an incredibly poor shooting team. What’s their averages? I remember enough missed shots to handily win the game for them.

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 8, 2008 11:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

[Wright] allowed a really stupid basket at a key moment of the game. It is harsh to then sit him, but these guys have to learn and I actually think Nellie is doing what he can right now to get these kids to understand that you cannot switch off for 1 second in the NBA.

Dude: 15 points — one missed shot and one missed FT! — and 5 boards in 22 minutes. He was a comically exaggerated version of what he’s been all season long: unbelievably smooth, efficient, active, and productive, doing tons to help the team and almost nothing to hurt it.

Benching him for the rest of the game for a small mistake of the level that Jack and Craw make dozens of times a game is not “getting him to learn” anything — other than the fact that the coach, despite his vast hoops knowledge, is acting increasingly erratic, reckless, and vindictive.

OBAMA AMABO

by Sleepy Freud on Dec 9, 2008 6:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

+ a gazillion

the stop calling him "beans" movement

by pervisNeverNervous on Dec 9, 2008 10:01 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well put Sleepy

Nellie’s handling of Brandan Wright has been simply inexcusable. Last night’s decision to yank Wright for the rest of the game flies in the face of any logic or reason. Young players, especially those that have not gotten enough minutes in game situations, make mistakes. Last year, I criticized Nellie for not using Wright for heavy minutes in December/January games so that Baron, Jax, and Co. would not be playing 40+ minutes every night. I just didn’t think that stupid decision would continue to have ramifications this season.

Amazingly, pulling Brandan Wright out of the game in the 3rd quarter was only the second most egregious coaching decision of the game. Nelson went the entire game playing a conventional lineup, and with this lineup, the W’s had a 13-18 point lead. When he decided to remove Wright, he subbed in Turiaf, and there was no drop-off in play. But roughly midway through the 4th quarter, Nellie, despite the double digit lead, changed strategies. He went small, playing Crawford and CJ Watson on the court at the same time (something he had not done till that point), first with the larger frontcourt (Azubuike, Turiaf, AB), and then later with the smaller one (Morrow, Azubuike, and Biedrins).

Can anyone explain this to me? IMO there is no reason why Crawford and CJ should ever be on the court at the same time. Neither plays any D, so the opposing team will always have a mis-match at at least one of the guard spots. Playing the ‘Andris and the four dwarfs’ strategy allowed the Sonic Thunder to get back in the game.

These are the types of head-scratching decisions that get made on the W’s sideline. And with each passing game, the ‘Fire Nellie’ Movement gains a little more steam.

by UncleCliffy on Dec 9, 2008 10:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm telling you...

I think Nellie wants him to be dominant and believes that these mental games are the best way to stoke his goat.

John 8:44 -Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

by triplesix on Dec 9, 2008 12:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Where are these mental games when...

…an opponent blows by CJ, forcing a big to rotate from the weakside?

…Maggette fails to close out on a shooter?

…Kelenna drives wildly to the hoop, in the hopes he can muscle the ball up and in?

…Crawford and Jackson shoot a three with 20 seconds on the shot clock and no one underneath to rebound?

I could go on and on.

Imagine if you are Brandan Wright, and you are out there playing well. You are using your length to your advantage, shooting the baby hook, and tapping in misses. On the other end of the court, that same length forces the extra pass, and when you close out on a shooter, it actually bothers him. Playing alongside AB allows Biedrins to grab a lot more rebounds since both bigs have length. Now, you make one small mistake where Westbrook ends up with the ball, and there you go. For the rest of the game. Done. The only way you are getting in is if Nellie gets two technical fouls. You watch your teammates consistently make mistakes, and they are rarely punished for their actions. Wouldn’t you be confused? Wouldn’t you be frustrated? Wouldn’t you start thinking that Al Harrington was on to something?

How anyone thinks Nellie is a genius when this type of nonsense is prevalent is beyond me.

by UncleCliffy on Dec 9, 2008 2:55 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

How anyone thinks Nellie is a genius when this type of nonsense is prevalent is beyond me.

Nellie is only a genius compared to Wright. If Wright had the intelligence of the average 3rd grader he’d sit right next to Nellie and jabber away till Nellie got tired of hearing his voice and sent him back in just to get away from him.

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 9, 2008 7:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Skeptic

This has nothing to do with the pupil picking the brain of the mentor. I don’t recall Monta Ellis engaging in long theoretical discussions with Nellie. Monta was (correctly) encouraged to use his supreme athletic ability, and not to think deeply about the game. What’s the difference with Wright except that he’s 6’11" and plays the 4? If he were a 6’2" combo guard and was jacking up 15 jumpers a game, he’d be getting 40 minutes a night.

I’ve watched almost every game for the past year plus (Wright’s entire career). Based on what I’ve seen from him during game situations only, I can’t think of one glaring weakness to his game. He makes the same mistakes that any 20 year old, 2nd year player would make and of course he has lapses in concentration or moments of passivity, but c’mon. Brandan Wright is a good basketball player, and Nellie’s abrupt, irrational, and stubborn decisions are not going to change my opinion of Wright. In fact, by viewing this situation, one learns more about the coach than the player, and I can’t say I like what I see.

by UncleCliffy on Dec 10, 2008 12:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He'd also just committed his second defensive 3 second violation

If Nellie wants to teach a young guy who’s not current necessary on the court that lapses in concentration are unacceptable (2 in a minute span: defensive 3 seconds and then letting Russel frigging Westbrook outrebound him), then so be it. If it gets Wright pissed off and looking to contribute, even better. He’s been playing well and putting up good numbers. He’s not better than Andris, and he hasn’t historically played well on the floor with Andris. His rebounding rate isn’t that good (#64 in the league, right below Yi, Leon Powe, and Matt Bonner, also right ahead of STAT), he’s getting twice as many minutes as last season. He’s good, but not great and he doesn’t play well when he’s on the floor with our star. I don’t see why that warrants more than the 17 minutes he’s already getting.

On a team without Biedrins, he’d probably get 25 minutes. But since he doesn’t play well with Biedrins AND Biedrins is on the floor a lot, Wright isn’t on the floor a lot. It’s really that simple.

"No no Nene!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB5DxNl4EB0

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 10, 2008 8:14 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Boston

At no point did I ever compare Wright to Andris. They are not that similar, and they play different positions. Biedrins has little to do with this conversation.

And are you defending Nellie here? You bring up a defensive three second violation? Really? That is grounds for immediately pulling him from the game and benching him for the rest of it?

How about these:

1. Brandan Wright can consistently get off his baby hook.
2. Wright seems to get fouled a lot per minute, and he’s a decent foul shooter.
3. His length bothers shooters, and the larger front-court makes the W’s a better defensive team.
4. He allows Biedrins to be a better rebounder.

You don’t think those 4 points alone warrant the occasional 3 second violation? Or Wright giving up a rebound to a guard? Would you rather see Maggette at the power forward guarding no one?

I really don’t see any other side to this story.

by UncleCliffy on Dec 10, 2008 11:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

These are the facts

1. Biedrins is our best player
2. Wright doesn’t play that well with Biedrins on the floor at the same time
3. Biedrins plays 34 minutes a game, thus there are only 14 minutes when he’s not on the floor.

This is how Biedrins enters the picture. I didn’t say you compared Wright to Biedrins. But Nellie certainly tries to put good player combinations on the floor at all times, so it would stand to reason that if Biedrins was already on the floor, he’d think twice about putting another player in when he knows that player doesn’t perform that well when they’re both out there together.

Brandan had two 3 second violations in the game, in the span of 30 seconds he had a 3 second violation, followed by letting Westbrook sneak in there. Maybe Nellie thought Wright was getting mentally tired, whatever.

What are his percentages on the baby hook? Show me Biedrins’ improved rebounding numbers. From Sleepy’s 82games.com (http://www.82games.com/0809/0809GSWP.HTM), Biedrins goes from 14.5 overall average to 15.2, so it’s not a significant improvement, nor is the sample size large enough to support the data as statistically significant. He’s definitely a better defensive player than any of the SGs or SFs we’ve played there in the past, but Biedrins/Turiaf is certainly better than Biedrins/Wright in most cases.

He’s good and he’’s young. But he’s not our best option at PF, and our coach likes going small, so he gets 17 minutes a game instead of 30. It’s rather simple to me.

"No no Nene!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB5DxNl4EB0

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 10, 2008 2:11 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Haven’t crunched the OKC game yet, but prior, Brandan hadn’t hit anything labeled a ‘hook’ according to the NBA’s play by play classificatoin. They’re subjective in the classification, but he was 0-11. If he can consistently get off a baby hook, the NBA statisticians either call it something else or ‘getting it off’ is very different from ’getting it to drop.

Wright is a slightly below average rebounding PF, after being slightly above average last year. Given his lone college year, it’s unwise to expect him to be a beast of a rebounder, but he’s competent. The team doesn’t do as well with him in largely because him in means Biedrins out and he’s either the big man or paired with Turiaf, who is somewhat below average (not terrible, but not average) rebounder for his position.

Brandan is a very, very high percentage converter inside, but from the small sample size (true last year as well though) it appears that many of his high percentage shots are ones that Biedrins would otherwise get.

by jae on Dec 10, 2008 2:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

This has nothing to do with the pupil picking the brain of the mentor.

I din’t say it did? Intelligence? Wright can’t figure out how to out smart Nellie, so who’s the genius?

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 10, 2008 9:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

in a way i kinda hoped we lost this game

so that don nelson could get fired and we could get a new coach (avery johnson, sam mitchell). yeah we played without capt jack or maggs (trade please) nd our young guys played well and beat the THUNDER. THE FREAKIN THUNDER THINK ABOUT THAT. we barely beat a team that sux bawls nd has one decent player.we nearly blew it in the 4th with bad inbound plays (blame nelson) and a 8 player rotation (wow havent seen that b4) but come on. don nelson said that quote cuz his fat @ss still has a job. i think any coach should be fired for giving up on their team 10 games into the season

by gswLLBatman on Dec 8, 2008 10:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

You are the most positive person

I have ever encountered.
Cheer up grumpy we won :)

by Captain Jack on Dec 8, 2008 11:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

by DeepS on Dec 9, 2008 12:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

HAHAHA

this cracks me up. this play was NOT called for a foul…

by gorillas on Dec 8, 2008 11:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

lol

by DeepS on Dec 8, 2008 11:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

And

And Azubuike is just staring blankly. lol.

by heavyccasey on Dec 8, 2008 11:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

open mouthed and apparently confused. classic.

heart of a champion, will of the warrior.

by cap'n hack on Dec 8, 2008 11:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

open mouthed and apparently confused.

He was probably thinking about going to the hotel and eating an apple in bed?

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 8, 2008 11:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

but probably not thinking about the knife...

by antihero on Dec 8, 2008 11:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

and then needing stiches

Member of the "Stop calling him Beans" movement

by StSaints408 on Dec 9, 2008 7:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Beat me to it

by andrisBthousand on Dec 9, 2008 1:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ugly

But a win is a win. Only thing is, Nelson’s harshness on Wright and Randolph is not good for their develoment. He needs to let these two guys play through mistakes, they do too much on the court to be benched for stupid young mistakes. Good work from Bellinelli too, nice to see him getting involved. That was just enough to keep me from going insane, I just hope the Warriors can build on the win, regardless of how they got it

by Pearlsofwisdom on Dec 8, 2008 11:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

FINALLY!

by HoLdEmUP on Dec 9, 2008 12:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Marcus Williams

must really be in the dog house. I saw his DNP – Coach’s Decision. Man, what happened? I know Nelson likes CJ, but he had 1 assist in almost 21 minutes. The team only had 17 assists for the game.

VDubs=Victorious Warriors

by VDubs831 on Dec 9, 2008 12:29 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

They were shooting above 70 % in the first half

So why pass when everything was going in? :)

by mosdl on Dec 9, 2008 9:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

WOOHOO

first win of the season

sometimes people don’t want to talk hoops, they just come here to act a fool.

by Lat We N Trash on Dec 9, 2008 12:30 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

?????????? Surely a mistake? You do know we have won other games right?

Oh and nice Moped!

It's about heart, It's about fight, It's about being a Warrior!

by BritWarriorGSW on Dec 9, 2008 2:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

this is a long season

longer then 0-6

sometimes people don’t want to talk hoops, they just come here to act a fool.

by Lat We N Trash on Dec 9, 2008 7:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know why

I can’t stop laughing at that last pic of Turiaf smacking Nick Collison in the side of the head. It must be that evil looking grin on his face.

by IQofaWarrior on Dec 9, 2008 4:25 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

The positives

Guys, a win is a win, which means they’re heading in the right direction.
1. Morrow hit some clutch shots and played very well. I hope Nelson rotates him in more regularly now.
2. Belineli has been playing pretty well at both ends of the court for a while.

3. The truth is that playing without the 2 ball hogs, allowed us to have maybe the best passing game of the year. They were often overpassing! Turiaf to Azubuike to a blocked stuff, when Turiaf could have laid it in was the best example. I’d way rather see a couple of those then endless 1 on 1’s.

After a game like this, at least you have a more manageable list of things you have to work on, ~~- turnovers, boxing out, inbound plays~~- as opposed to after the San Antonio game where all you can do is tell them all to go back to college and work on fundamentals for a year.

by mayelamingi on Dec 9, 2008 6:21 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

The game really didn't mean that much?

That’s right, I totally agree, I would rather the W’s had lost (not). That would have given us 10 in a row with no end in sight and the team confidence even a notch lower. Keep the following in mind: any win in the NBA is a good win, road wins are even harder to come by (just look at us this season), we somewhat broke the string of playing poorly and down to the level of a weaker opponent, we beat a team we were supposed to beat (OKC is not that much different than us) and did it without 2 starters. No we shouldn’t celebrate, but we don’t need to apologize or treat it as a meaningless win. Gee, we didn’t blow out a terrible team! We did jump on them early with some nice ball movement and fast breaks, and although there was a bit of a meltdown in the 4th, we did close it out. All 8 who played contributed some important minutes. Yes, I’ll take this win and smile and hope for glimmers of improvement as the season progresses.

One other observation, I don’t think BW will ever get consistent minutes playing for Nellie and I’m disappointed about that (what a waste)! I saw the play in question that supposedly got him benched with Westbrook getting a rebound in the paint and scoring over everyone. That’s right Nellie, pull him out and let him think about it, but don’t bury him at the end of the bench.

by Jeffo on Dec 9, 2008 9:43 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

any win in the NBA is a good win,

Not if it knocks us out of a lottery slot.

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 9, 2008 10:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

We got the win

So where’s the “Stomp the Yard” poster?

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 9, 2008 11:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

We really..

need to trade AT LEAST on of our 1939423 guards on our team. How are we supposed to run with Crawford, Jackson, Buike, Ellis, & watson? Not to mention Maggette getting PT at the 2 spot.

Who would you guys pick to go?

- iBall, do you?

by iBallGSW on Dec 9, 2008 11:35 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

give the boot to:

maggs/cj/buike/belinelli,,,,for a BIG USEFUL DEFENSIVE POWERHOUSE!!

by DeepS on Dec 9, 2008 11:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Best Statistical Lineup

We played our best and most efficient lineup in this game, and that is the reason we were up by 20 in the first half and ultimately won the game. Statistically, our best line up should be (accounting for positions):

C – Biedrins
PF – Wright
SF – Morrow
SG – Crawford
PG – Watson

All of these players are above average in terms of efficiency: Andris and Wright rebound well, Morrow rebounds well for his position and shoots efficiently, Crawford can’t board or D but is a playmaker and can stretch the floor, Watson has been on fire of late. Then we have Kelenna coming off the bench (average SG with above average rebound rate), that’s a pretty good above average squad there.

During our 9 game losing streak, we consistently played Maggs, Jax, and Crawford huge minutes. They are all inefficient scorers and poor rebounders at their position. Winning basketball consists of defensive rebounding (more possessions) and efficient scoring, and when you have 3 inefficient scorers and poor rebounders, you aren’t going to win very many games.

Last year we had 2 inefficient scorers (Baron and Jax), but Monta and Andris’ ridiculous efficiency cancelled out the effects of them. Now we have 3 starters who are inefficient scorers and Andris doesn’t take enough shots to cancel all of them out. This was a good win that hopefully shows why we need to have more balance in our lineup. Scorers does not equal winning basketball.

I truly believe that we would have lost this game had Jax and Maggs played. Durant would have still went off for 40 points but our offense would have suffered and not be able to stay with the Thunder on a night when Durant was unstoppable.

UNSTOPPABLE BABY!

by Jiggly16 on Dec 9, 2008 4:35 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Ya it more closely mimiced our we believe style of ball. Movement, passing, efficient. Seems like

when we have Jax and Mags in the lined up it turns into a one on one back it down offense.

by smearthebeard on Dec 9, 2008 4:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed except...

You cannot play Watson and Crawford at the same time. Neither one plays D, so opponents lick their chops when they see both on the court together. If Jax is unable to play, the best lineup is:

C – Biedrins
PF – Wright
SF – Morrow
SG – Azubuike
PG – Crawford

Sub in CJ for Crawford; with no Monta, their combined minutes should total 48. Sub Turiaf for either Wright or Biedrins (but 2 of the 3 MUST be on court at the same time). And with no Randolph, sub Belinelli (I can’t believe I’m saying this) for either Kelenna or Morrow.

by UncleCliffy on Dec 9, 2008 6:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

This was a good win that hopefully shows why we need to have more balance in our lineup

All it shows was we’re slightly better than the worst team in the league. Wright, Morrow, Watson and Crawford match up horribly with the typical NBA players for their positions. Dris is the only one of that 5 that is above average.

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 9, 2008 7:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

All it shows was we’re slightly better than the worst team in the league.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. We still get 20% with the second spot, right?

"No no Nene!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB5DxNl4EB0

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 9, 2008 7:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd say Wright matches up alright for Nellieball

Better than Maggette at least.

"No no Nene!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB5DxNl4EB0

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 9, 2008 7:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ummm....

During our 9 game losing streak, we consistently played Maggs, Jax, and Crawford huge minutes. They are all inefficient scorers

Now, I won’t argue with you on Jax or Crawford, but even with zero good hammys, Maggette is scoring 19 points on 13 shots. That’s a model of efficiency! Durant was unstoppable because he was being guarded by Watson, Buke, and Crawford. Jax would have kept him to 30-35 at least… even if he did go 4-17 on the other end.

"No no Nene!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB5DxNl4EB0

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 9, 2008 7:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maggette is an inefficient shooter (although he’s been much better int the past than he has been recently), but a reasonably efficient scorer due to his ability to get to the line. He’s been better in the past at getting to the line and in shooting from the floor. Nellie doesn’t seem to favor drawing fouls as much as “game flow” points, but they do have the advantage of getting the opposition in foul trouble. Jax and Crawford have both been doing a reasonable job of this as well. Where all three are killing us is with the 3 pt attempts. None are above average 3 pt shooters and those shots are unlikely to draw fouls.

by jae on Dec 10, 2008 11:15 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Where the Warriors are shooting themselves in the foot is taking so many 3s when they're second to worst in the league at 31%

You hit the nail on the head. Though, they have reduced the number of 3s attempted per game this year. They’re only shooting 17 as opposed to 26 last year. So that’s a plus.

Maggette will get back to being a more efficient shooter as soon as he gets through his hamstring injury and the dry spell. And if you look at his career FG% of 44.9%, that’d be top ten for SFs this year, so he’s not that inefficient of a shooter, it’s just his 3pt shot that sucks.

"No no Nene!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB5DxNl4EB0

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 10, 2008 2:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs