Zach Harper: On Vince Carter’s slam dunk win, the Warriors’ chances and more

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Steinmetz

On the “NBA This Week” show on 95.7-FM The Game, Matt Steinmetz and John Dickinson were joined by Zach Harper, who covers the NBA for CBS Sports. Harper elaborated on his most recent article, which was a fascinating look at the day Vince Carter won the slam dunk competition in Oakland, CA.

Harper also assessed the championship field, and put the Warriors at the top.

Dickinson is currently traveling with the Warriors and participated in this show from Detroit, MI, where Golden State started their three-game road trip which will also take them to Cleveland and Chicago.

Among the show topics were: the importance and difficulty of the Warriors’ schedule the next couple of weeks; the pros and cons of Harrison Barnes returning to the starting lineup; whether or not the Warriors are missing Steve Kerr; and many other topics.

To listen to entire “NBA This Week” show click here.

To check out “Sal and Steiny Podcast” on ITUNES, click here.

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Miami Heat executes defensive game plan perfectly against Warriors but it’s still not enough

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Steinmetz

The Miami Heat were able to what very few teams have done against the Warriors this season: Take away Golden State’s 3-ball. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra came in with a plan, it was apparent, and it was to limit the Warriors field goal attempts from beyond the arc.

That simple.

A lot of teams want to do that against the Warriors, but few have. After all, it takes a combination of terrific coaching and a darn good roster to keep Golden State off that line, and how many teams really have that parlay in the NBA now?

But when you tick off the reasons why the Warriors beat Miami 111-103 on Monday at Oracle, “3-point shooting” is nowhere to be found. The Warriors were 7-for-23 from beyond the arc, and we don’t see those kinds of numbers usually from them.

The Warriors had taken at least 31 3-pointers in each of the previous four games and had made no fewer than 13 in any one of them. The Warriors’ season-low for 3-point attempts in a game this year (18) is the win over Cleveland on Christmas. They took 19 3-pointers in their loss at Dallas, but Stephen Curry didn’t play that game.

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Posted in Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, NBA, Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Warriors assistant GM Kirk Lacob: On tinkering, futures of Barnes and Ezeli, ultimatum to dad about Curry, etc.

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Steinmetz

Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Kirk Lacob joined the “NBA This Week” on 95.7-FM The Game in San Francisco and talked a lot of subjects in and around the Warriors and NBA. Lacob joined us from Santa Cruz, site of this week’s D-League Showcase.

Lacob, the 27-year-old son of Warriors owner Joe Lacob, discussed several topics with Matt Steinmetz and John Dickinson, including: What the Warriors need right now, if anything; the futures of Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli; an update of rookie Kevon Looney; how to keep his ego in check; and a disagreement with his dad about Stephen Curry.

The “NBA This Week” also welcomed Israel Gutierrez, ESPN.com NBA columnist and frequent panelist on “Around the Horn” and “The Sports Reporters. Parts of Lacob’s interview is below. To listen to all segments of the “NBA This Week,” click here or at bottom of text.

–On if he’s had time to reflect on helping win a championship:

Lacob: “As a lifelong Warriors fan sometimes I have to pinch myself and wonder how this team got to be the envy of every other team, maybe in all of North American sports, not just basketball. It is a really amazing feeling. That being said I never doubted it for a second that we’d be able to reach this pinnacle. Being around my dad my entire life I knew that when he said something he meant it and it was going to happen eventually. I think the first conversations he and I had and he said ‘let’s turn this around. I think we can build something special in five years.’ Lo and behold, it took exactly five years.”

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