Retro Explain One Play: Klay’s 37 point quarter and Kerr’s offense

Omri Casspi Remembers The Quarter

From Brady Klopfer’s fine recent interview with Omri Casspi:

What I remember most is just the whole team plays for him. That takes character, and that takes a personality. Klay obviously was in a zone, and he was phenomenal. You can’t describe how great he was in that moment, but what I loved about it is the whole team — they really worked for him. They ran plays for him, they found him, they looked for him more and more and more, starting with Steph at the time, and then the rest of the team. That takes a lot of character I think, and guys that are knowing that the guy’s getting hot, they’re going to go to the hot man, and that was great to see.

The Quarter

First, here is the best feed of the record-breaking 37-point Klay Thompson quarter (wth JB and Fitz commentary):

The Quarter, with my Video Annotations

Still trying out video commentary. Making it denser and denser. Exercise the pause button freely.

(9/27, 9:40p) I updated the video to the latest version.

Poll

Bonus Feature for the DVD: Notes from Game Night

(from GSOM, 1/23/15)

1. He didn’t even take a shot until two minutes in, and the game was actually tied. The Ws were playing badly. Then…
2. The W’s D was outstanding during Klay’s hot streak. Even though Klay was beyond hot, a LOT of the points were in transition.
3. Mosdl found this video of Klay’s shots along with entertaining writeup: http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/1/24/7880983/watch-every-shot-of-klay-thompsons-record-breaking-37-point-quarter . The video is required viewing for all Warriors fans. Hourly.
4. If you can, find the whole live broadcast of Klay’s quarter. The first third of Klay’s points had JB and Fitz noticing Klay was heating up, the middle third had them talking with excitement and disbelief, the final third was basically uncontrollable giggling. It built up slowly like a dream that kept getting better and better. It lets the whole performance build more.
5. The first 15 points were good shots, the next 15 were like a long heat check where you start taking more and more ridiculous shots and they keep going in, and the rest of the points were actual plays the Ws ran to get an exhausted Klay more shots for the record…

Here’s a quick breakdown:

1. Grungy drive to midrange shot.
2. Transition 3 from top of the key.
3. Transition 3 feed from Curry.
4. Transition Curry alley-oop to Klay dunk with one handed finish. Beautiful.
5. Off the dribble, defender inexplicably playing off Klay.
6. THE HEAT CHECK COMMENCES.
7. Klay-Bogut pick and roll busted, Dray resets to Klay about six feet behind the line, level with the middle of the Oracle Arena logo. Klay calls for a pick and then says, SCREW THAT I’M KLAY and launches.
8. Klay comes off a double screen loop for an fading contested 3.
9. Klay gets an away screen from Lee which only sort of works, but that’s okay, Klay only sort of needs a screen. Contested 3. Miss, but the ball takes a big shooter’s bounce and God pushes it in.
10. Ws running into the play… A heat check drive… Klay drives on 4 Kings and finger rolls.
11. Curry finds Klay on fast break spotted up for a 3 a couple of feet behind the arc.
12. Bored with being KLAY SMASH, he does a perfect Kobe impression: keeps the ball, drives by 3 defenders (playing 1 on 5), drives to the Kobe spot at the elbow and throws in a twisting Kobe elbow jumper.
13. FATIGUE SETTING IN, but Ws still trying to set him up for the record.
14. Curry force feeds Klay in the corner in a terrible spot, sort of sets a screen for him. Klay’s defender thinks, is that really Curry screening me? I’m going to kick his ass. In the mean time, Klay decides to launch another 3 like a medieval catapult.
15. Elevator doors. Klay zips up the paint between Green and Lee, who shut the doors. Another 3. Record.
16. Klay adds a couple of FTs on what should have been a 4 point play.
17. Game is over now. Klay took it from a tie game to a blowout in just a few minutes.

Other Notes

1. I’m legitimately unsure about this: if Dwight got hot from the field, do you think Harden would happily keep feeding him without trying to shoot?
2. Klaysanity overshadowed that Curry had his first really bad game in a while. It’s not so much the shooting (which was off), but he just had a lot of careless passes trying to force the action, and the Kings seemed to have scouted out Curry’s passing very well today. Mama Curry is getting a new bag tonight.
3. Good to see Mo’s long jumpers are going in. He seemed to have lost the touch until today.
4. Rush looked competent. He looks like where Holiday was at the start of the year. I know most of you disagree, but I think Rush can still contribute this year if there are injuries.
5. Lee and Livingston could not seem to get going in the post. Their best option was to threaten and dish to Mo off the elbow.
6. This game is going to take down McAdoo’s PER.