Boy, one loss can really change everything. Or so it seems.
The Blazers rout the Warriors 137-105, and all of a sudden there are a lot of talking points with Golden State, despite its 48-5 record. My co-host on the “NBA This Week” John Dickinson was in Portland for Friday night’s game, and he gives terrific perspective on a game that didn’t look much like the Warriors at all.
Here’s a link to today’s “NBA This Week” show which also includes an interview with Brad Turner, who covers the LA Clippers and Lakers for the Los Angeles Times.
Not coincidentally, the Warriors are play the Clippers on Saturday in LA – a game that suddenly is a lot more interesting. Here are some of the topics we discussed on the show:
–Are the Warriors vulnerable in the middle? With Andrew Bogut relatively ineffective and backup Festus Ezeli out, the Warriors didn’t do a lot of rim protecting against Portland. Mo Speights just isn’t that kind of interior defender. If you watched Friday’s game, you realize that maybe this team could use Anderson Varajao.
–Coach Steve Kerr said the team lost its poise in the third quarter of the game against Portland. The Warriors committed 13 turnovers in that period, and, of course, that was the time frame in which the Blazers turned it into a laugher. Draymond Green committed nine turnovers for the game and also picked up his 12th technical foul of the season, tied for the league lead with Dwight Howard.
–The Clippers have won 20 of their past 25 games so maybe it’s not the time to count them out. Many Warriors fans like to dismiss the Clippers, especially after two LA late collapses earlier this season. The Clippers led the Warriors by 10 points with eight minutes left in one game and by 10 points with five minutes left in the other and lost both. But if you look at the other times of the game, the Clippers have a lot to like.
–It seems like all the talk of the 1996 Chicago Bulls is starting to weigh on the Warriors a little bit. Of course, that Bulls team won 72 games and the Warriors are on that kind of pace. It’s too strong to say all the talk is a distraction but all the discussion gets a little draining.
Here’s a link to the “NBA This Week” shows.
Here’s a link to the Sal and Steiny Podcast
Matt Steinmetz 