warriors wonder

 

i don't know what to think about the warriors this year, but i do know steph is having an amazing season so far.  he made his 3,500 three-pointer last night and i missed it.  sadly, any nationally broadcasted game i've caught they have lost.  klay has been klay.  inconsistent, but warming up his splashes last night. then, there's draymond who is on an indefinite suspension. it's hard to win without the heart and soul of the team off for most of the season so far.  wiggins seems off and don't know what it is. he was so fab in the playoffs last year after his considerable absence.  so i am left to wonder.  there is plenty of ball left this season, but the outlook is murky.  

waaaarrrriors

photo: AP/Tony Gutierrez

remember when i wrote about warriors woes back in the fall? 

so the road wins issue really was a thing, but stringing together key back-to-back wins this week really had me feeling better going into the playoffs. watching so many road losses that we couldn't close out, it was nice to finally see the boys pull together some lockdown defense. it pains me to even talk about the absence of andrew wiggins. i miss him so much, but also applaud the warriors front office for letting him have the space to work through personal family stuff. it's likely he won't return for the playoffs and it hurts my heart as he was so integral to last year's championship win. and then we have the second oldest, active nba player, andre iguolada, injuring his wrist in his swan song season. it's likely that suns game on march 13 might be his last as a player. 

bright spots though was getting back gary payton jr, however having to say goodbye to james wiseman. gp2 still has played a game but might sunday. i can't wait. it certainly looks likehe we get a few regular season games in.  ummm, klay is looking like the klay of yore, and steph is doing his usual steph things. all i have to say is when steph wants to win he shifts gears and that's also looking more true for jordan poole, who took over the fourth lastnght against joel embiid and the sixers. this is the fight we need to bottle for the playoffs. goals for the final stretch are toavoid the play in. it has NOT been kind to us. in an ambious hope, we get the 4 seed to lock in first round home field advantage. another HUGE game tomorrow against the the timberwolves with kat (karl anthony townes), who are literally on our heels in the standings. seriously the west's standing are so tight anything can happen.

side note: i've been half paying attention to march madness when in the past i've been sucked in. needless to say the above have occupied my time. i'm pleased to see none of the #1 seeds made it to the elite eight.  there's the darling cinderella, the florida altantic owls, still in the mix. i'd love to see them get to the final four but kansas state is no joke. rooting slightly for a cali final between sdsu and the zags.

warriors woes?

 

Image: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

we haven't been able to win a road game and all the pundits are calling this the last dance. bandwagon fans have moved away but the stalwarts are giving their two cents on klay's slump and jordan poole's under performance early in the season. james wiseman to the g league? i haven't been able to see many games live but did stay up to watch the suns and knicks games. the suns match up had me questioning the dubs heart (steph is excluded here since he is putting up mvp stats). the knicks game last night gave me the glimmer of potential. more even production from the core curry, thompson and wiggs. as i've been telling my core dubs viewing crew, it's still early, but yes it'd be nice to get our first road win of the season in houston.

the last dance

note: best read listening to the spotify playlist for max 90's vibes. 

so if you haven't heard of the last dance, you truly live under a rock or really dislike sports. with the absence of live sports during rona times, folks have been relishing in past recorded sporting events. i'm not big on recorded sports and thrive on the live nature of a sporting event if i can't be there in person. i stumbled on a re-air of this year's super bowl and no thank you. i don't need to relive that heartbreak. when my not-so-sporty friend recommended the last dance i dove in, largely because it was a docu-series and fav coach steve kerr would be getting a segment. i love that kerr sports his dubs gear prominently during his segments. if you needed more reason to love a guy that took a punch from michael jordan and didn't back down, this reporter's story will undoubtedly have you lauding kerr as the kindest dude.

in the 90's, i was a sad warriors fans. one shining moment was when chris mullin was part of the dream team, but largely it was disappointment from talented players that wouldn't get their true due: tim hardaway, chris webber and latrell sprewell. we didn't really get a glimmer of hope until the late aughts with the we believe team. i still obviously watched the nba finals in that decade. it was crazy how many nostalgic feels i had for players who lost to the bulls: isiah thomas (does another remember the mary thomas movie?), charles barkley, john stockton, mailman karl malone and reggie miller. also, i forgot how physical it was in those early 90's and the pistons were no joke. 

i will probably get a lot of beef for making this comparison, adding loose comparison.  there's no doubt that bulls are the all-time greatest team, but the recent kerr-helmed warriors aren't too shabby. they did take away the all-time regular season wins record from the bulls, but yes they didn't get that ring in 2016. draymond!!! draymond is the dennis rodman, with the fire and basketball iq. dray has more heart for the team than rodman did, but they were both the key defensive piece on their championship squad. next loose comparison, klay thompson is scottie pippen, taking a backseat to the star, however integral to the core efficiency of the group contributing with clutch shooting and defense. quiet and stoic. trade rumors. big difference is that klay got paid and scottie didn't get his due monetarily.  ok truly, no comparison for jordan, but if we look at the star of the team that'd be steph curry although he is like a million times nicer and less salty than michael. then, turn to compare to kevin durant and that explosive, nike toting athlete does have a stronger thread, but he wasn't franchise player like michael was and steph is. the key to a comparison is the link that is steve kerr, who was part of both teams and translated that triangle offense to the warriors. 5 back-to-back appearances in the nba finals with 3 championships, albeit not a 3-peat. draymond!!!!! this season was a wash, but perhaps warriors will return stronger than ever with th core intact - steph, klay and dray. missing my sixth man, andre iguodala. ido feel he would come back if the right dominos fell into place. until the nba season resumes, i keep believin'.

60

so that happened

37 points in a quarter! 9 for 9 behind the arc. amazing klay thompson! there's no denying you should be joining steph curry in the all start game.