Sal and Steiny: Are we appreciating Warriors? Where does Del Rio fit among coaches in Bay Area? Derek Carr and Steph Curry

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Steinmetz

The Golden State Warriors are in the midst of a three-year run — at the minimum, it appears — that most franchise’s have never sniffed. They won the NBA title in 2015, won 73 games before losing in the Finals in 2016 and have now started out 24-4, after adding one of the game’s best players in Kevin Durant.

If you’ve followed the Warriors for the past few years, maybe even five to 10 years, you’ve had a taste of winning at a rate that most fans never see. The Warriors have been phenomenal, so phenomenal, in fact, that it’s like they’ve set a standard they can’t reach — at least not now.

On latest Sal and Steiny podcast, we question whether Warrior fans truly appreciate what’s going on with their basketball team. Golden State just beat the Portland Trail Blazers by 45 points on Saturday and it seemed to be met with a collective shrug from the countless fans who rolled after three quarters.

Link to “Sal and Steiny” podcast No. 84.

Of course, there are different kinds of Warriors fans, so here’s a reminder of which is which. Just know that a certain group thinks this all will continue, while another group of fans are waiting for it to come apart.

Link to: “Guide for Warriors haters; Get to know Golden State’s fan base.”

We also talked about the Oakland Raiders, who clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2002, where coach Jack Del Rio fits on the Bay Area professional coach’s pecking order list, whether Jed York is poised to be stripped of some of his power and how long is too long to wait at the post office to mail a few presents?

Link to all “Sal and Steiny” podcasts.

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“Warriors WrapUp”: Golden State blows out Blazers 135-90; Ian Clark has career-high 23 points; Durant ridiculously efficient

Posted on December 18, 2016 by Steinmetz

It was apparent from tipoff that the Golden State Warriors were determined to put their mini-slump behind them. And that’s exactly what they did on Saturday night, pounding the Portland Trail Blazers from start to finish, en route to a 135-90 win at Oracle Arena.

Here’s link to “Warriors WrapUp”: the radio postgame show on 95.7-FM The Game.

Of course, the Warriors being a little flat for a few games doesn’t exactly take its toll in the standings. The Warriors had won three in a row entering the game against the Blazers, but they hadn’t been playing all that well.

Golden State played a poor second half against Utah last week but managed to hold on against the Jazz in Salt Lake City. They then went to Memphis and got blown out by the Grizzlies. They then struggled to beat Minnesota and New Orleans before an uninspired 103-90 victory over the Knicks at Oracle.

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“NBA This Week:” Warriors in malaise; DeMarcus Cousins’ behavior; Deron Williams’ inexusable blunder; interviews with Washington Post’s Tim Bontemps; the Blazers’ Brian Wheeler

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Steinmetz

On this week’s edition of “NBA This Week,” John Dickinson and I talked about the Warriors and whether they’re experiencing a little bit of a malaise these days. Yes, they’ve won three in a row, but the victories haven’t been very impressive and that streak was preceded by a clunker of a loss at Memphis. Below are links to the show and talking points about the content.

Link to “NBA This Week” home page, where you can find audio content.

Link to Steinmetz’ main blog page, where you an find written content.

Among some other Warriors’ topics in Hour 1:

–A bright spot over the past week has been the play of JaVale McGee, who has filled in at center for the past two games for the injured Zaza Pachulia. McGee played 17 minutes in the Warriors’ win over the New York Knicks and had 16 points, two rebounds and a block.

McGee has quickly become a fan favorite and there seems to be sentiment building that McGee should start instead of Pachulia, even when Pachulia comes back. That could be as early as tonight against Portland. We’re not so sure about that.

–With all the questions about the center position, Steinmetz wonders how much it really needs to be worried about. Assuming Draymond Green will play center at the most important times, let’s say 15 minutes or so a night, that leaves 30-plus minutes for the other guys. If Pachulia can give you 15 or so and McGee can you give 15 or so, what’s the big deal, right?

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Posted in Warriors | Comments Off on “NBA This Week:” Warriors in malaise; DeMarcus Cousins’ behavior; Deron Williams’ inexusable blunder; interviews with Washington Post’s Tim Bontemps; the Blazers’ Brian Wheeler