More thoughts on Warriors-Cavs; offensive pecking orders; Curry’s delicate role & who’s Golden State’s go-to guy?

The Cavs-Warriors game was so good, there’s still plenty more to talk about. Golden State let a 14-point, fourth quarter lead slip away and the Cavs walked away with a stunning 109-108 victory in Quicken Loans Arena.

On “Warriors WrapUp,” the postgame show on 95.7-FM The Game, we talked about a lot of aspects with a lively call-in crowd. I also taped a Sal and Steiny podcast, which has plenty of discussion on the game.

Here’s a link to “Warriors WrapUp” from the Warriors-Cavs game.

Here’s a link to blog/written content from the Warriors-Cavs game.

Here’s link to “Sal and Steiny” podcast, with lots on Warriors-Cavs.

Let’s get into it …

I know it’s not all together rational and sound but I do like the idea of an offensive pecking order … that is a late-game offensive option that for the most part is agreed upon. It’s not unusual for two superstars having to figure that out, but throw in a bona-fide third scorer and it gets more challenging.

Who’s your go-to guy, in other words? For the past few seasons, that player has been Stephen Curry, no question about it. If Curry weren’t taking big shots, he was making something happen for someone else’s big shot. But who is it now? That’s obviously something Steve Kerr and the Warriors are trying to figure out.

On the ABC broadcast, the crew was talking about how Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were all averaging about the same amount of shots per game — and how remarkable and positive that was. I don’t necessarily agree, nor do I necessarily see it as a good thing. I’d prefer to have things a little more sorted out when it’s late in a game. Nothing etched in stone, mind you, but certainly a general idea.

Also, if you’re someone who wants to know why the Warriors have to do something in isolation or why they have to run a play rather than play their normal passing-game offense, I’ll refer you to their shot-clock violation inside 30 seconds. When you absolutely need a bucket, but also have to run some clock, sometimes the player who gets it late/last is in a really tough spot.

–Curry wasn’t pleased that he took only 11 shots on Sunday, though he made sure his displeasure wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular.

“Honestly, I can’t have 11 shots,” Curry told Marcus Thompson II of Bay Area News Group. “I’ve got to get more looks at the rim. That’s nobody’s fault. I’ve just got to figure out a way to be more aggressive in that respect. And keep the defense honest and use all the talent we have on this team, including my scoring ability.”

That comment is likely going to be analyzed and scrutinized for the next couple of days. My initial thought was that it’s unusual for a two-time MVP to say he’s not able to get enough shots. That’s one thing MVP’s can do, or are supposed to be able to do — get shots if need be.

But it’s not that easy when you’ve just acquired Durant, a four-time scoring champ. And you’re already sitting with a player who once scored 37 points in a quarter and another time scored 60 points in 29 minutes.

Curry’s also supposed to be the team’s point guard, too, which means part of his responsibilities are to make sure he gets teammates involved. Curry’s trying to walk a fine line, that seems apparent. But if it’s shots he wants, it’s shots he can get.

–Zaza Pachulia is getting too much heat from fans, at least the ones I heard from. What are you expecting from him exactly? He’s the same kind of player this year he’s been for his career, and it’s been good enough for him to play in the league for a little while now.

It’s obviously got something to do with JaVale McGee, who has quickly become a fan favorite. McGee’s been pretty good, better than expected recently. But he wasn’t a factor at all against Cleveland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Steinmetz

Matt Steinmetz is a veteran San Francisco Bay Area sports journalist. He covered the Golden State Warriors for the Bay Area News Group for more than a decade before becoming a television analyst with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. Steinmetz can be heard on "Steiny & Guru" on 95.7-FM The Game in San Francisco, from 12-3.
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3 Responses to More thoughts on Warriors-Cavs; offensive pecking orders; Curry’s delicate role & who’s Golden State’s go-to guy?

  1. johns49ers says:

    This is game 29 out of 82. We had 20 turnovers and lost by 1. Curry bout to wake dat azz up. I believe his game is built on confidence so he’ll need the ball in his hands to be able to string together play after play in the MVP fashion he did the last 3 years. Sonya Curry needs to fine him for every turnover again and Kerr needs to over emphasize limiting that number. Steph has the best handles in the league and the greatest shooter in league history. Steph just needs a snickers. The team is still gelling and hasn’t even gotten close to reaching its full potential. Im looking forward to June. 👍🏿

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  2. Matt + David, I disagree with you both. When you have a “go to guy” your go to guy becomes a marked man. This “gtg” mentality is not that old of a strategy either it’s an MJ era remnant that kills team play. Warriors are more of a throwback team, a real team not a group of individuals. We got away from team play a bit last year by counting on Curry too much and it hurt us when he became hurt. We need to keep opponents guessing and keep the Team concept alive and that includes the bench. We need to platoon guys in like 2015 and keep the 1st team fresh throughout the game. I can already see that we are relying on KD too much and he’s a different player at the end of tight games. matt- that superhero BS is a weak metaphor for team basketball and only people who began watching basketball in the Shaq era would utter it.

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  3. David says:

    Curry is to fragile to play against the eastern conference. It’s obvious to everyone in the NBA the Steph is butt hurt that is team has been stolen from him and he is no longer the center of attention.

    GSW made a decision based on the anger of losing to Cleveland in the finals and the result is playing individual basketball while the Cavilers put together a team based on chemistry and talent.

    Curry is the type of guy that needs to be on a team that allows him to be the best player. Kevin Love had a similar problem when he came to the Cavs but the difference is the Cavs did not hide from it and dealt with it head on to solve it.

    GSW may end up missing the finals if they can not get Curry to accept his role as the Robin to KD’s Batman. Heck the way Klay is playin, Curry may end up being Alfred the butler.

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