“Come on guys, they’re within 12 points! Could be a comeback!”
That was me, trying to talk the group I was with out of leaving Oracle Arena early. This was the sort of blowout that old school Oracle would be lapping up, partying in our seats, moving down closer to the floor as the fair weather attendees cleared out to beat traffic. Now? It’s old hat. Another blowout. After jumping out to a strong start, the Warriors ended up winning this game with an average margin of plus 13.4 points.
A day later and we are still pouring over the accolades: Kevin Durant passed Larry Bird, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry both passed career scoring milestones.
An old familiar conundrum: our stars are excellent
Stephen Curry had 20 points, seven rebounds, and two steals; Durant 23 points on just 15 shots, to go along with his seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks; and Klay Thompson chipped in with an efficient 16 points, to go along with his five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Here’s the box score:
So I honestly don’t know who to pick on this Warrior Wonder poll. Does Curry get the nod for his overall game, and some consideration for his historic night? Or does Durant’s efficiency and assists put him over the top? Will Thompson get any love? His three ball is still wonky, but he’s clearly stepping up other aspects of his game while waiting for his shot to come around.
So instead, I defer to the people. Make your voices heard and vote!
Note that if you don’t see a poll directly below this, it’s due to Googles ongoing battle for internet mastery, please go to our main site and click through the article via our home page to view and vote.
Poll
Who was your Warrior Wonder against the Grizz?
This poll is closed
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39%
Stephen Curry
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31%
Kevin Durant
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8%
Klay Thompson
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13%
the churros dude (how are those so hot and delicious after being carried around in a bag for so long?)
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8%
Other - answer in comments
A new thing: our bench is hitting threes now?!
Jonas Jerebko has been a pleasant surprise this season. After tipping in a game-winner against the Utah Jazz early in the season, he won our hearts; but now that he’s emerged as the best bench shooter to play for us since... uhhh... Anthony Morrow?
Point is, the Warriors have been suffering through a dearth of bench shooting - partially due to design and partially due to signed players just not working out.
The design considerations are clear: we have the best shooters in the league in our starting lineup, so the team has prioritized other weapons - the stable veteran hands of Iguodala and Livingston, the utility of Kevon Looney - but it’s left a noticeable hole that even Leandro Barbosa couldn’t fill.
But it’s not like the Warriors haven’t tried. Omri Casspi, last season’s failed experiment had a great game off the bench for Memphis, but the success only highlighted the dichotomy between what we’ve gotten out of Jerebko and McKinnie this season. As per the always enjoyable Anthony Slater over at The Athletic:
In 82 games[last season], their reserves made only 160 3s, the fewest in the NBA, and did it on a putrid 33.3 percent clip, third to last among NBA benches.That’s changed this season. Jonas Jerebko, slotted into Casspi’s roster spot, arrived with a confident trigger. Jerebko, who made 4 of 7 from 3 on Monday, is now 37 of 96 in his 30 games. Casspi played 53 games for the Warriors last season, took only 22 3s and made 10.
Beyond that, Alfonzo McKinnie (20 of 48 in 22 games) has provided a nice shooting boost over Patrick McCaw (19 of 80 in 57 games)...and Andre Iguodala, very quietly, has made 17 of his 45 3s (a very solid 37.8 percent) after drilling three more Monday night.
The result: This Warriors bench unit has already made 100 3s through 31 games, on pace to race past last season’s reserves, and has done so on a scorching 41.7 percent, tops in the NBA. No other bench has even made 40 percent of its 3s.
I’m giving my vote to Jerebko, but I want to throw out the general bench crew as an option because they’ve been so great all season. Also, don’t sleep on Andre Iguodala. He’s looked gimpy and old at times, but as Slater points out above, he’s a very solid 13 of 45 on the season from deep; and his 10 point, five rebound, two assists, and one steal performance is exactly what the team is looking for.
Poll
Who was your Golden Sidekick against Memphis?
This poll is closed
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69%
Jonas Jerebko
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12%
Andre Iguodala
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3%
Kevon "sure, I can try to defend Gasol for ya" Looney
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14%
The bench as a whole. Just so good!
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0%
Other - answer in comments