Warriors vs Thunder || First Take ||

Ya I don't have a problem with his regular yelling but I just can't stand seeing him dribbling the ball up the floor when they're down by like 15 and he is just yelling at the ref. He needs to pick his battles because I don't think his yelling at the ref helps the majority of the time. I agree with you about the whole team though. I would love to see a whole game where they don't bitch about every call.

I closed my eyes and just thought, "man, AA needs to be on the radio." You'd make a perfect sports radio host. Fabulous rant.

Matt M.

Love the fire and the passion AA. Honestly, staying motivated when everyone expects you to win another title must be a tall order. Maybe it takes a string of losses, and analysts starting to write GSW off a bit is exactly what they need. The dubs do the best when people doubt them. Right now it looks like the Warriors are worse than Houston, OKC and maybe even the Celtics. We only beat Boston that last time because blue flame Curry torched them for 49. Without that outlier of a performance the dubs log another L against a contender.

Kevin Morris

No doubt AA has a pep in his step

Eric Anderson

Amen, brother. Great post, even if it's in the heat of the moment. Appreciate your analysis and commentary.

Thomas Ogas

Wow, 100% agree regarding Kerr. Great commentary.

They purposefully don't run many PnR because it is so deadly they don't want teams to get practice guarding it. Teams have to play lights out to beat the Dubs. That first Quarter was the only difference in the game. If that first quarter was more even (Warriors make some shots, Thunder miss some shots, seriously PG didn't miss) then the game would have been close the entire way. We're coming off some bad play. It's the middle of the season. All-Star weekend coming up. We weren't very engaged. KD did his thing but no one else really made a difference. I thought Klay was injured after the first quarter I don't even remember seeing him in any play. Just an off stretch of games. I'm not worried about it.

Nathan Glanzer

I disagree, everybody is complaining or showing bad body language, Curry, KD, Iggy and even Klay at times but that doesn’t affect his mentality too much. The point is, the whole team complains, not just Draymond. Does Dray go over the top sometimes? Well he already built a reputation and this image to the refs so even if he whispers at them he can still get a tech.

Draymond needs to shut his mouth. I am tired of all his complaining. He runs up the floor screaming at the ref while the other four guys are trying to play.

You certainly can play that same game regarding 2015, and you can do the same for the Cavs in 2016. What I was talking about is how the Warriors closed out the season last year and not the playoffs. My feeling last year was that the Warriors' real challenger was the Spurs, and I guessed they'd take them in six; KL gets hurt and it's four; I picked the Dubs in five in the final and that's what it was. I just think you can't evaluate the Warriors until they are really on the gas, and I don't think anyone is really at that stage yet. It's not like last year when they were fitting in new parts, all these guys know each other and I think their main concern is getting to the playoffs healthy and fresh. The only talented team out there that hasn't had a psychological wall to climb during the year so far is Houston, and what will that mean come playoff time, are they shooting their wad now, will they wilt as usual when it counts? Boston is in much the same position, post-Gordo, and I still don't think they'll get past the Cavs. If Houston plays SAS again in the west semis and KL is healthy, I wouldn't bet on them going any farther than that, although I think their chances might be better than last year. It's unrealistic to think the Dubs can go 16-1 in the playoffs again, but remember they only have to go 16-12.

Accountability man, accountability....okay i'm done. (I think).

Steven Stanley

As for Kerr himself, if he's not disturbed about putting 4 all stars on the floor at the start of the game and repeatedly looking like ur gonna be run out of the building while patiently tolerating it with positive platitudes, then there's a big problem. When you put 4 all stars on the floor and get such a pathetic response you've boxed yourself in. I could offer multiple paths forward in how to deal.....I would only say the simple solution of find 1 guy that can cover an Adams or a Capella is not a viable answer even if you wanted to think a D. Jones could be your lucky penny. The other western teams have sufficient offense now so waiting for your offensive/defensive/bench run/push is no longer realistic....the answer for the Warriors isn't who plays it's how everyone plays.

Steven Stanley

Steph with those overhead passes, draymond with the hail mary turnovers, and zaza unathletic ass lol. homies need to get wake up before it’s too late. I also read the warriors were interested in avery bradley as well. I know his contract is up after this year, but if myers can someone get him and possibly keep him for next year, I’d much rather have that then mccaw and casspi. It’s so painful watching them play and knowing they’re not going to take a shot.

I just wanna ask you for real though because it seems to me that a lot of people think we can just coast in the playoffs, what exactly have the Warriors proven in the playoffs last year? Going 16-0: Against a Nurkić-less Blazers? Against a average Jazz team? Against a Kawhi-less Spurs? This is a for real question because the playoffs and the teams are MUCH much different this year. There are clear multiple threats this year compared to last year where it was just Russ in OKC and Harden on HOU. Now HOU got CP3/Luc Mbah a Moute/PJ Tucker Now OKC got PG13/Melo We all gotta have faith because the Warriors right now are in a midst of a dynasty but we need to respect the teams that are out there now and not compare to what happened last year. We are 1-4 against HOU and OKC thus far. Can go 1-6 if we don’t make any adjustments against last 2 OKC matchups..

Playoffs is a long time from now and if Kerr doesn’t make any adjustments the last 2 OKC games then we may just get season swept....

Let's try another view - I have been saying not much matters until they get to the last quarter of the season, the last 20 games. Look what they did last year, and that was without KD. If they stumble through those, don't post the best record, they're in trouble. Until then I think you can see these guys having problems getting fully engaged, Kerr understands and accepts that to a great degree, he knows what really matters doesn't matter until the flowers start blooming. Until you see all of their guys healthy and fully engaged and they're still losing, the panic button should remain dusty and rusty. I think a desperation trade right now would be a very bad sign, but thankfully Myers doesn't seem like that guy. If you want hungry vets who want a shot at winning you get them in the offseason by offering the $1.5M vet minimum, you don't trade valuable assets for them in February. I still say a quick ballhandler who can drive and dish would be a very nice addition, but only disposable assets should be considered for that, and only if the deal is the kind they'd make outside the current pressure cooker. Re Steph, I think one of the motivational hurdles he has to overcome is the $200M he got last summer, after being the most-underpaid player in the league for two or three years. Again, I don't have any reason to think that's going to be a problem come playoff time. The Thunder? They just lost 4 in a row and Westbrook always gets up for the Ws because they have made his career so painful lately, and they're in 5th and would have to beat the T-Wolves to even get to GS in the playoffs, and what kind of hero-ball will Russ and Melo fall into then? I think the Warriors have a balance problem on their roster, I've thought that since last summer, but I'd hardly declare it fatal at this stage. They do have the best record in the league, even with everything that's happened and not happened so far.

The Warriors did not defend as a team, they did not defend as individuals, they did not get any of the 50-50 balls until Dray got one just before the half. If I was expressing it as a coach I would tell them that giving the other team so many extra possessions because you don't make smart passes, you over dribble and don't take care of the ball, you don't box on every play, you don't give full effort from the jump on every possession. I would say to this team " Do you value every possession" if so prove it.

Steven Stanley

If bob myers doesn't make a trade in next two days, the Warrior's season is done

YANCEY WADE

McCaw is the new Harrison Barnes and just like HB, Kerr will continue to play him till Warriors lose it all

YANCEY WADE

Best commentary of 2018. Kerr got out coached by Billy Donovan

YANCEY WADE

The problem is, Golden state doesn't have shooters. They have 3 incredible shooters, and one good one off the bench. Thats it. One of the shooters (klay) cant create his own shot consistently, the other (steph) keeps double clutching his shots for no reason and just ditching the ball without even trying to penetrate, and KD is doing well, because he's KD. If none of them are open, its done.

Is it possible that Kerr has some tricks up his sleeve, but he does not want to show it before the playoffs?

Kevin Vestergaard

completely agree with that steph third quarter thing. When I saw him starting to dribble around with like a minute left I got angry and I barely constitute as a warriors fan lol. I Was screaming at my tv "JUST SHOOT THE BALL, STOP DOUBLE CLUTCHING IT, NO ONE IS THERE". KD got mad and just started attacking the basket. I feel like they let KD down on this one.

I usually don't like the authoritarian style coaching, and I don't get too heated watching a game, but I felt I gave a fuck more watching this one than Kerr did. I agree, he just looks like he chilling, and it doesnt seem like he makes adjustments within the game. He creates some sort of plan prior, thats what we get to see. I couldn't understand why McGee after his last couple good outings wasn't utilized when Zaza was being molested by Adams. And we all know Zaza ain't in their to protect the rim. Then he brings in Looney who likes like a fucking small forward next to Steven Adams. I said it before, Casspi just needs to get cut and bring in another player with size even if its just Damien Jones. I think the warriors, Curry in particular, has this assumption about Westbrook or other stars who coming hunting them, that they can't run at that pace for a whole game. And so somewhere mid 3rd quarter he'll just starting raining on fools. Well what the fuck do they do when the shots ain't dropping. I like the boxing analogy, and it's getting a little old watching every first half looking like a warm up for the warriors. Best team in the league can't just open up and let everybody know where they stand. I agree, its on Kerr and Curry. Well and the bench that needs to be shifted a bit or utilized differently. I think the injury to Bell actually was an underrated event because he's a rookie. But he was and will be a huge part of the glue of how that rotation functions.

Stevie Ray

I've been saying for a while that OKC is the team that's the biggest threat. You're right in that the effort is subpar and the emotions you expect to see in a game like this aren't there. But there's a problem with our personnel matchups and strategy as well that's hurting us. OKC is crowding us on the perimeter and doubling Curry every time. They got guys like Adams and others roaming on defense bc they're letting Zaza and Draymond/Iguodala take whatever shots they want. They don't respect them as offensive threats. So this is really limiting Curry and Klay bc the only guys that are open are the non-shooters. Curry looks really bothered by the length. So all of this creates bad spacing. And Kerr is still running his offense with all it's passing but the spacing is bad so this is where all the TO's are coming from. Strategy-wise, Kerr's gotta use more high PnR to free up Curry. That's obvious. We need to play with more pace and attack the rim since they're overplaying the outside. And personnel-wise, we gotta take some of these non-shooters off the floor and maybe pick up a scorer via trade/buyout. I honestly don't know if Zaza is even playable vs. OKC/HOU. I've been saying, Capela and Adams are too much for him.

PnR with Zaza/Looney isn't working, OKC is just letting them attempt to try to finish. Hoping a more athletic Bell can fix that. I'm glad they had such a deflating loss to really give them a reality check.

brian

On the positive side, the Warriors Dance Team have all their photos up in the Warriors app, and they’re 🔥!

Macca

I agree with you about how we should play other teams differently. Our usual motion play basketball won't work. I really don't understand why we don't exploit just the simple picknroll plays. It's practically impossible to defend a steph-kd picknroll. Or you know, at least drive from a picknroll to collapse their defense, and that's when the floor opens up for our shooters. how can we not be successful in pick n rolls when we have steph, almost every defender go over the screen on him! We have also been atrocious on defense as a team. A lot of our players always over committing to the help, and a part of the reason for that is that our guards are always getting beaten to the drive because of stupid reaching, or simply just not reading the bleacher report. I can live with loses, that is to be expected. But, what I can't live with is not learning from our previous shortcomings.

adrian salazar

My bad Alch, I usually comment my thoughts before watching your video but I like that we have the same thoughts on what we are watching. The schematics need to change AGAINST opponents that matter

Klay will always shrink in this match up which is a problem. I don’t understand why they didn’t trap Russ like they used to, seemed like he was getting whatever he wanted. I think Kerr should have had Durant run with the second unit against George since George seems to bother klay so much. If curry first couple shots don’t go in he starts sulking and ball watching but the bench is the worse for me, I have no faith in them, you said it was too early to worry but it is time. I just don’t understand every team can play okc hard and most beat them but they seem to have our number.

Had to turn this game off, i'm done till playoffs. Curry frustrates me too much with his lack of effort hahah

Plissken

Are these turnovers fixable? Not quite and it’s because it is built into the system and the plays they run. The legit run the same sets and are so predictable. -Ball handler throws to the post (D West, KD are in the post) and waits for a cutter to the basket or out the the 3 point line. Or KD goes post iso. - Curry runs the PnR with either Dray or KD and they slip while Curry needs to make a tough in pass between two player.. - Dray is the ball handler and at the top of the key he legit waits for Curry or Klay to come out of a rub screen either at the corner or Curry’s right or left wing 3 point spots. My point is, teams who are gunning for them and have the personnel to defend them know the plays they run and just expose them.

After KD leaving Russ to dry out in OKC last year, now Russ making us look like we don’t have enough to beat these guys. I mean we got blown out twice, add to injury there was no Roberson and Melo this game and still got blown out. From my observation, PG is a real problem and for some reason he just shows up against us. He WANTS to back up Russ against us. Cuz I’ve seen some games this year where PG doesn’t even score a bucket. I blame Kerr on this recent defensive slump and the increase in turnovers. I feel like he doesn’t get at these guys hard enough to value the ball. He understands these guys are all-stars and he just lets them do them. We already know how Kerr talks to his players, especially Curry.