Recap #53: Warriors 100 - Thunder 94. Is this what it’s like to watch a good team?
by jae on Feb 15, 2011 10:11 AM PST
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It is a little hard to get a hold on just what this team is. Solid games against the Bulls and Nuggets showed that at or near full strength that these Warriors don’t have to roll over. Still, neither Chicago nor Denver play the part of road warriors this season. Denver has been especially bad when they leave the rarified air of Colorado. And two, uh "sub-par" performances against the Suns were enough to place significant doubt in any fan’s mind that this team was ready to compete.
This game was different. Oklahoma City came to town in first place in the Northwest Division with a winning record on the road. With a dynamic scoring duo of future MVP Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder have arrived as a serious threat to beat anyone on any given night.
But not tonight. It was GSoM night. This year, that means wins.
The Warriors competed from the outset, trading leads 8 times through the middle of the third quarter, never losing touch. When the Thunder twice managed to knot up the score, David Lee answered with a bucket. This was our night. For all of us.
No, this team is far from perfect, but that aura of certain defeat, where the losses are a foregone conclusion seems to be slipping away.
Warriors Wonder: While Monta had a fine game and Steph’s 13 assists without turning the ball over once could also merit the award, on this night, all praise due goes to David Lee. Our Warriors won because we controlled possessions, dominating the boards and turnover margin. Lee’s glass-cleaning set the tone. Given another foul plagued short outing by Andris Biedrins and the ever more apparent reality that Ekpe Udoh’s "lean backwards" rebound technique compares poorly to Radmanovic’s rebounding abilities and will be competitive only when matched up with Andrea Bargnani , Lee’s dominance on the glass
Perspective: While the upcoming back to back against the Hornets and Jazz are anything but "gimmees", taking both would allow this year’s squad to head to the All-Star break already matching last year’s season win total.
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lets get these 2
lee is focusing on the boards and watch out when dorell heats up again. we’ll beat utah – i dunno about tonight. get it dubs.
Two Tics Way Up cuz We ONN Warriors Nation! Even if we lost Boom Dizzle we stizzle tic tic kaboombizzle never fizzle fuh rizzle. MUCH LOVE. Open Your Consciousness and LOOK UP Y'ALL. The Time Is NOW. – RGK
by ReluctantGoodKnight on Feb 15, 2011 10:41 AM PST reply actions
We need to prioritize rebounding on this team. It is a crucial part of the game (people on this blog often say offense and defense are each half the game, I would posit that they are 1/3 of the game, and rebounding is the other third). We saw what can happen when you can thoroughly dominate an opponent on the boards the other night. We spotted OKC 17 points at the charity stripe, shot the ball pretty horribly, and still won.
Imagine if we had two rebounding monsters coming off the bench instead of Udoh and Vlad…guys who were pulling 20 boards in 30 combined minutes every night. Those kinds of guys are out there, because rebounding is still undervalued around the league. We had one earlier this year and let him go to make room for our mascot, Jeremy Lin. We should seriously consider bringing back the D-League All Star, Jeff Adrien. And then we need to go look for another guy like him.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
yes!
We have an open roster spot!
If we don’t make any moves by the trading deadline, it is definately time to bring Adrien back up!
"There’s no such thing as off the charts, just get a bigger piece of paper. If you can’t figure that out you shouldn’t be charting anything" - Skep
by Duby Dub Dubs on Feb 15, 2011 12:55 PM PST up reply actions
We had one earlier this year and let him go to make room for our mascot, Jeremy Lin.
Adrien and Lin were on the team at the same time. One was not released to acquire the other.
No? Then my memory is fuzzy.
We let Adrien go to acquire Acie Law? That makes more sense from a roster standpoint, but the fact that Lin is still on the team while Adrien is not, while we are so poor at rebounding…well, it really irks me.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
the final roster trim
was just a straight out release of Carney.
Kind of a head-scratcher…expecially if we don’t make any moves prior to the trade deadline.
I guess the Warriors are still stinging from last seasons release of Bell (for nothing) because we needed another injury replacement
Carney’s spot has not been used yet (so we can bring Adrien up without affecting our current guys)
"There’s no such thing as off the charts, just get a bigger piece of paper. If you can’t figure that out you shouldn’t be charting anything" - Skep
by Duby Dub Dubs on Feb 15, 2011 2:00 PM PST up reply actions
I suppose we haven’t because we want to maintain the possibility of a two for one. Not a bad idea, but if the dealine passes and the spot is still open, I will be upset if Adrien isn’t recalled.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
exact!
"There’s no such thing as off the charts, just get a bigger piece of paper. If you can’t figure that out you shouldn’t be charting anything" - Skep
by Duby Dub Dubs on Feb 15, 2011 3:42 PM PST up reply actions
Not immediately filling Carney’s spot makes sense. There’s now a slot for a 10-day contract if and when we need one, and the ability to absorb more players than we send out in a trade.
I find it hard to really get worked up over not having Adrien. Yes, he was a better rebounder than we normally send out there to back up Lee. But if he’s sitting on the bench, he grabs zero rebounds. There was nothing that made me think that Smart was ever going to get around to trying Adrien in games where the outcome was in doubt.
I’d take it a step farther than that. There was nothing that made me think Adrien ever deserved to get into games where the outcome was in doubt.
by Missing Barry on Feb 16, 2011 8:20 AM PST up reply actions
back to back games.
OKC played the night before. Every team loses on the back to back games. When i say, everyone, i mean everyone. Lakers last night too. I’m glad we got the win but let’s keep it real and keep it in perspective. We are not one win better than our record.
It was mentioned before...
but I think that the Thunder were something like 6-3 on back to backs heading into this game. They’ve been surprisingly consistent this season whether at home, on the road, back to backs, or whatever. Although, someone also mentioned that their record is higher than should be expected with their point differential, so maybe they’ve just been a bit luckier than most in those difficult situations. Either way, it was a good win that the team should be happy with.
Is it luck or is Durant just really good at getting a good look whenever he wants it? Seems like every time I turn on the T.V and OKC is in a late game situation with a tight score, dude is making silky shots like they were nothing.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
Conclusion: Kevin Durant is good at basketball! But seriously, with his ridiculous length and skillset, he can get a decent look pretty much whenever he tries…
by Missing Barry on Feb 15, 2011 1:38 PM PST up reply actions
Udoh
Did great. His stats fool you. He may not have had many rebounds but his work helped get David Lee those 19.
When you say, “his work helped get David Lee those 19”, what is your logic, and what evidence of it do you have?
by Missing Barry on Feb 15, 2011 3:09 PM PST up reply actions
Evidence or Not....
… it’s nice to him getting some minutes.
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Really? I saw no evidence that anything Udoh was doing helped Lee rebound better. Given that Lee pulled 7 boards in the 3rd quarter when Ekpe was sitting, I don’t see anything in the numbers that makes me doubt my observations.
Udoh’s a terrible rebounder. He doesn’t help others rebound either. He may have other aspects of his game that help the team, but they weren’t really apparent on Sunday.
did
better last night… lead the team in rebs…
And he’s still at 6.5 per 36 for the season….
by Missing Barry on Feb 16, 2011 10:24 AM PST up reply actions
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