“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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Warriors are understandably bored; the hard-to-read bench; Steve Kerr a dynamic, positive face of a franchise

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Steinmetz

Had a great time talking sports — and getting into Warriors’ specifics — with Darryl “the Guru” Johnson on 95.7-FM The game on Friday. As it pertains to the Warriors, we hit on a lot of topics in the wake of the Warriors’ 103-90 victory over the Knicks at Oracle.

Here’s a link to to our show on 95.7-FM The Game.

Among the topics:

–Steinmetz thinks the Warriors are bored. After winning the NBA championship two years ago and getting to the Finals last year, they’re realizing there’s still a long way to go until the playoffs.

It’s only natural that the Warriors are having trouble staying in the present — the regular season — and not looking ahead to the postseason. They’re not getting a lot of competition these days, so it only makes sense that they start to push the envelope when it comes to getting a little casual.

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