Warriors vs Thunder || Game 54 ||

I think it's Kerr's approach. AA, you pointed it out a month or so ago, when they had Kerr wired and he was blowing smoke up Steph's ass about something, complementing him when there was really no need. I think that and the OKC coaching issues are connected. Question is, is there anyone around Kerr that can keep a 100?

e40

oh i agree but thats def a conventional wisdom thing. like every team in every game trots out the exact same 5 players for the second half. in the rare instance that a coach (usually pop) changes the lineup, its a big deal. i just think that kerr is never going to change the starting 5 and the major rotations unless a major catastrophe of losses were to happen. like why change anything if you still have a really high probability of winning?

RIght I get the start, but I feel like he doesnt always have to start the second half.

Athletic Alchemy

as for the game, im pretty meh. ive been a fan since 2001 so i remember the truly bad days and losing this game is annoying but ultimately who gives a damn. why is it that cavs (lebron) fans can act like reg season games mean nothing but we are all up in arms. hopefully the team and kerr are holding back for the playoffs

i think he also fills the bogut role. hes a pretty good passer and so the offense flows with him like it did with bogut. thats why its good to have him in the start of the game as we dont really have anyone else like that other than david west but hes older. i think thats why bell was beginning to start before he got hurt

This promise to Zaza that he will be a starter is a real thing. But also for most matchups, Zaza sets the tone in terms of setting hard screens getting Klay or Curry easy 1st buckets looks. In even specific matchups, Zaza does well but very occasionally

AA, I've heard you and many others on warriors blogs/reddit discuss and ask why zaza is a starter. i read somewhere once (cant find it now) that one of the conditions for zaza coming to gs for less money was that he would be guaranteed the starting role. while that sounds ridiculous based on matchups, in the long term i could see kerr sticking to that since that would keep zaza happy from an employment standpoint. ive always perceived kerr to be about that kinda thing

You mentioned the possibility that Steph's payday knocked the chip off his shoulder - I think that may be even more applicable to Iguadala. He kept making "jokes" last season during interviews after good performances about his coming free agency. Now that motivation is gone.

Karen Allman

Gonna give it to yall straight. Here's what it comes down to. Everyone can talk about energy/focus, Young/Mccaw, Zaza, Iguodala, lineups, strategies, trades, blah blah blah blah blah. It don't really matter. All just peripheral shit. It's all about Wardell Stephen Curry II. It's always been about #30. He's the reason we got to the top of the mountain. And he'll be the reason if we slip. It's that fukn simple. If he's good, we good. If he's cooking, we win. So what's the solution to all these problems we're having? Putting Curry in the situations that allow him to play his best. We do this and we'll have another parade in Oakland this June.

Okay. Here I go. Patrick McCaw is fucking awful. He plays with zero confidence .He always does one of two things on "offense". First, dribbles like an alley cat given arms into the paint, meets resistance, immediately folds, then looks to pass. Two. Gets into the paint, forgetting that he fears the rim like the fear of God, and tentatively puts up a horrible lay up that does not go in. Many of the Warriors players seemingly can not play above the rim. Everything is a lay up, which I notice they'll be in the bonus for seven minutes in a quarter and hardly get to the line because everything is a lay up, which teams can contest without fouling. Speaking of shitty knees, Andre Iguodala either refuses to jump, shoot, dunk, rim run, or he simply can not do any of those things anymore. This game was a pure mess. Warriors usually get up for these games. They didn't. Usually only takes them a few games to correct their mistakes. They haven't. Teams usually fear coming into Oracle Arena to hoop. They don't. The Warriors keep messing with this switch of turning it ON and OFF sort of speak when they want to, they gon' mess around and it won't be there at all when they need it the most. The 2nd unit lacks scoring severely. The game devolves into trying to get Klay the ball while all the opposing them has to do is deny that he get it. Again, Iguodala isn't doing anything out there. Livingston can only create one shot in space, which is fine but he needs others to score in order to open that up. D-West has been a God send but I don't expect a 40 year man to save a bench unit on a Championship team. A! You know who I miss, Leandro Barbosa. He kept the team sped up in the beach unit. Kept the opposing team on their heels. He could cut, get to the cup, and shoot the three. So could Ian Clark. And Mo-Buckets was fearless in putting up a shot. There is only ONE shooter in that 2nd unit now. That's a problem. How many teams have put up 60 Goddamn points against the squad in two quarters this season. It's a problem. Turning the ball over 20 times a game and still doing it! It's a problem. Even with all the other shit if they just stop turning the ball over so much they would've probably won 8 of the 13 they lost. Good defense has turned into fouling the shit out of people, just ya know, foul a sum bitch, slow the game down, let them get to the line. It's a problem. A! Somebody tell a coach or two to get into Omri Casspi's ear and tell his ass he was brought on to the team to shoot some threes. Somebody tell Steph to be MORE selfish and shoot the damn ball in the first quarter. Somebody please tell Steve Kerr that he likes his rotations a little too much and sometimes you have to keep star players in the game for longer in order for them to understand the important feeling of getting a mud hole stomped in their ass so they'll do something about it. Somebody tell the starting line -up when a star gets double-teamed in Zaza or Dray is mysteriously open, there's a reason for that. The league has officially adjusted to the Warriors style of play, and moreover, how to beat them. So therefore, if the Warriors need to have fun in order to play their best ball and win, then they too need to adjust to everyone's adjustments. Hell, throw Javale out there in the starting line up, he may fuck up a bit but at least he plays with all heart and energy . . . sorry ya'll, I'm from the bay, and I've watched the Warriors my whole life. I know what shitty teams look like and play like, and I hate to see this treasure trove of once and a lifetime talent have flickers of lacking effort that-not now but somewhere in there-could ultimately be the cause of their demise. If this shit ends after All-Star break, I think we good to take another chip come June, if all this madness continues after the break, the Warriors will have to be on a continual Super Saiyan version of themselves in shooting threes with God-Mode offense to make up for crap defense, or else . . . I'll just put it like this, you know what they say, defense wins Championships. Fin.

WarReady

Russ is one of those players, even when he's a bit of a tool, and beating your team, you just gotta love this dude's effort. Iverson 2.0 what a champ to watch (when he's on anyway)

Your right KD performance is overlooked because of the overall effort. I can’t help but wonder how they would respond to boos..

Athletic Alchemy

I like that you featured the OKC possession in the first quarter where they kept getting offensive rebounds. When I saw that, I knew it was a bad sign. The only positives last night were (1) Durant's performance/intensity and (2) the crowd at Oracle staying with the dubs when we were down by 20. The all-star break can't come quickly enough.

Paul Cox

Getting angry or tense can cause a lot of physical pain, especially if you have neck/back problems.

Athletic Alchemy

Idk if its Kerrs health...he was chucking halfcourt shots the other day in practice. I hope it isnt his health...Good video AA!

Tre

Just watching the game and seeing the same mistakes and turnovers over and over makes me believe 2 things: - Our players don’t give a shit about the ball. - Kerr can’t get these guys to focus. We know how Kerr talks to his players, especially Curry. Like after the first couple of timeouts you’d think they would be careful of in between passes or over the head passes which Curry mostly does, but nah, just keep doing the same thing, being predictable and one sided.