Long rebounds, scramble plays and loose balls have become the Warriors’ best friends

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Steinmetz

There was a sequence in Game 4 of the Pelicans-Warriors series that — once again — reinforced what I’ve been thinking for a little while now: The Golden State Warriors can win it all.

The sequence was the kind of sequence we’ve seen countless times this year for the Warriors, and every time I see a sequence like it I realize that there is simply no defense for it. None. Nada. Zilch.

With about three minutes left in the second quarter, the Warriors were up 54-47 and the Pelicans were trying to make a late close before halftime. Eric Gordon had just completed a three-point play, and New Orleans set up on defense to try to get a hold. And they got one, then another one … sort of.

Festus Ezeli tried to make a move on Ryan Anderson but was stymied. Anderson got a piece of Ezeli’s shot and the ball popped right into Draymond Green’s hands. Green was under the bucket and seemed to have a clean layup. But Anthony Davis recovered quickly enough to block Green’s putback attempt. The Pelicans were defending and playing with energy.

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Curry’s game-tying 3 a thing of beauty; Gordon’s 3 in OT and Evans’ blunder pure ugly

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Steinmetz

Stephen Curry made the biggest shot.

We all know that. His circus 3-pointer at the end of regulation tied the game for the Warriors, and they eventually brought it home 123-119 in overtime against the Pelicans. The Warriors are now up 3-0 in the series, which means this thing is basically over. We all know that, too.

But the game’s other big shot came a little bit later — by Eric Gordon. And it was every bit as bad as Curry’s was good. Curry’s shot will long be remembered, and rightfully so. But Gordon’s shot will mostly be forgotten, which is good news for him.

Once the game got into overtime, the Warriors took control. But the Pelicans had one more opportunity — with 36 seconds left and just down 1 — after Draymond Green picked up his sixth foul on an over-the-back foul. So, despite giving up a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Pelicans still had an opportunity to win the game in OT when they inbounded with 36.2 seconds left. So, what do you do there? Continue reading →

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Why foul intentionally? Because 3-pointers are a dime-a-dozen

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Steinmetz

We’ve seen it a few times already in the postseason — one team intentionally fouling another team’s bad free-throw shooter. “Hack-a-Whoever” has become a legit issue in the NBA and there’s a reason it has: Because there are respected people on both sides of the argument and there are cases to be made for each.

For everyone who says it’s a disgrace to bring the most athletic game to a standstill, there’s someone out there who’ll say: “Want to fix the problem? Make your foul shots.”

“Hack-a-Shaq” was employed back in the day to try to mitigate the game’s most dominant player: Shaquille O’Neal. He wasn’t a good free throw shooter so it made sense to wrap him up or foul him hard when you sensed an impending dunk. Chances were, O’Neal would make 1 of 2 and the thinking was that you saved yourself a point.

It’s different in this day and age.

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Posted in NBA, New Orleans Pelicans, Other, Warriors | Tagged , , | 5 Comments