The following recap will cover the play and the statistics of the previous two games played by the Warriors and the Trailblazers. This has less to do with the fact that I whiffed on writing the first recap and more to do with the fact the despite back-to-back games, the Trailblazers are worthy of only one write-up. (Just kidding BlazersEdge)
NIGHT ONE:
Boxscore | AP Recap
NIGHT TWO:
Boxscore | AP Recap
"Must... not... lose... to Blazers!"
To be completely honest, these two games couldn't have come at a worse time. For that matter, the 4 game win streak that we're on couldn't have come at a worse time. After all, now we're vying for those ping pong balls! But for the sake of analyzing our boys and their play, we're going to curb that kind of talk for the rest of this article. I just felt like it needed to be brought up once.
Night one was actually kind of refreshing. Not in the, "man we whooped the hell out of them" kind of way, or even in the "Damn, did you see __ light it up?!" manner; but rather in the fact that 6 of our Dubs had scoring in the double digits. In fact, all of our starters with the exception of Adonal (shocking) were in the doubles. It's amazing what can happen when everyone on the team contributes, right? For example, we can come out of a game shooting 37% from the field with a collective 3-18 from beyond the arc and still get a W under our belt. Well okay, aside from the collective scoring, we were playing the Blazers. And also, we rebounded the snot out of them. That may have had something to do with it.
But that does bring up an interesting point. Our shooting was pretty horrendous. Monta must have been really excited because he was hurling the rock up with reckless abandon. Still, gotta love that kid. I think he's truly at his best attacking the hole and, if needs be, drawing the foul. He's certainly got the speed to get there.
In Night Two, Monta seemed to contain himself a little better. Let's face it, there's nothing like a 3-16 night to put someone in check. Let's trust that he finds his role in the off-season and comes back more confident and consistent. I would really like to see what kind of difference he can make as Baron's backup.
Monta with the block!
Let's talk about Ike for a second. I really like what I am seeing. Again, both nights were against the Blazers, but he put up a solid effort and a solid box line both nights. If this kid doesn't be careful he may get labeled as a contributor. One of the things that I am really glad to see from him is his solid rebounding as of late. Granted, tonight was an exception with a mere 5 boards, but it is tough to argue that he hasn't been attacking the hell out of the glass as his minutes have increased. Big hopes on Big Ike. Big hopes.
I'll admit it. I am so happy I got to use this picture one last time before the season ended...
In Night One, Dunleavy caught whatever everyone else had on the team and shot a petty 5-16. His boards and dimes however weren't all that bad. Overall, Dun is turning into a contributor. Again, since the Warriors have been eliminated from the playoffs, Dunleavy's contribution to the team has consistently improved. Even tonight he dropped 20 points. (Wow that was a lot of 3's though...) The question I pose is, "Has Dun improved as a player overall, or is he simply someone who cannot harness his talents under pressure?" What I mean by this is; where was all this when it really mattered? From mid-March until now, his PPG average about 15.6, over 4 point above his season average of 11.4. Yes, many of our readers will defend Dunleavy to the hilt, but at the risk of beating a dead horse, we can all agree that this season he did NOT live up to expectations. What I wonder is, will this upward trend still be in motion when the new season begins? I suppose only time will tell.
Other notables go to Beidrins for his boarding both nights, Troy for yet another double-double tonight after coming off of a sprained ankle, and of course, the Portland Trailblazers for making us look like the best team in Basketball. Trust me Blazer fans. We feel your pain.
Warrior Wonder: Gotta give it to Ike. Solid scoring; decent rebounding - both nights. Honestly, I'm throwing this one his way more in light of his improvements as of late. There may be something to this kid yet!