Went on with Joe, Lo and Dibs of 95.7-The Game and talked some Warriors. There were three main topics we hit on. Well, four, actually, but I’ll get to that. Here is a link to the eight-minute interview and below is some of what was said.
LINK TO STEINMETZ INTERVIEW WITH JOE, LO AND DIBS ABOUT WARRIORS.
–Which team would the Warriors rather play — the Jazz or Clippers? I don’t think there’s any doubt at this point, with Blake Griffin done for the remainder of the playoffs, Golden State would rather face L.A. The Warriors have beaten the Clippers 10 straight regular-season games. Draymond Green usually does a pretty good job on Griffin. Nevertheless, Griffin does seem to sometimes gets numbers. They’ll miss those times.
The Jazz, currently up 3-2 in the series, is getting healthier, and Utah has the kind of deliberate offensive system, and sticky enough defense, that there’s certainly some intrigue here. There are legitimate concerns about whether the Jazz will be able to score enough to beat the Warriors — particularly because they can throw multiple long bodies on Utah’s best player: Gordon Hayward.
–The way the Jazz can stay competitive in this series is doing an above average job of playing defense, and then walking the ball up the court and using some clock. Utah’s also going to need a big series on the offensive glass — it will give them more opportunities to put points on the board and take possessions away from the Warriors. Are Rudy Gobert, Derek Favors capable of playing effectively when the Warriors go small? There are some unanswered questions as it relates to these two teams, making it far more compelling than Warriors-Clippers.
–The two big surprises of late have been Andre Iguodala and rookie Patrick McCaw. Igoudoala is playing so well it’s almost like the basketball gods gifted the Warriors with another all-star after the break. Iguodala’s been terrific. There’s no question he’s playing his best basketball in his tenure with Golden State … and it might go back further than that.
McCaw is getting the kind of playoff experience that most rookies miss out on. He’s started in place for Kevin Durant at different times this season, most recently against Portland. He’s gone from holding his own to starting to pitch in.
–Lastly, after three consecutive answers of more than one-minute, 10 seconds … I accept I belong on Mount Long Answer-More.
LINK TO LATEST SAL & STEINY PODCAST ON WARRIORS, MADISON BUMGARNER AND BART.