Game Thread GAME# 6: BLAZERS @ WARRIORS - JANUARY 3, 2021 - SUNDAY, 5:30, NBATV & NBCSNW

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Will McCollum make the All-Star game?

  • Yes, this is his year!!

    Votes: 9 20.5%

  • Yes, but only if he leaves the Blazers

    Votes: 3 6.8%

  • Yes, only if he goes to a team in the Eastern Conference

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Not this season, but probably in a future season.

    Votes: 7 15.9%

  • No, unlikely

    Votes: 23 52.3%

  • No way!

    Votes: 2 4.5%
  • Total voters
    44
  • Poll closed .
Labinot41 said:
Can the Warriors' Steph Curry break the box-and-one?

When the Warriors play badly, the punditry conversation usually turns to Steph Curry. There are arguments over his current status and past legacy. The content ranges from dryly observational, to legitimately provocative and all the way to completely contrived provocation. It can be a distraction from some more basic questions about the current predicament the Warriors find themselves in, given their roster and how it’s performing.

The real trouble might have started not this season, nor the last one. Much of it might stem from the 2019 NBA Finals, when Raptors coach Nick Nurse demonstrated success with a “gimmick defense” that ignored other Warriors’ players in favor of guarding Curry with a box-and-one. That defense was sprung in the minutes Klay Thompson missed, offering a dismal preview of what was to come should Thompson ever get injured, which, unfortunately, he did (twice).

Now, with the Warriors so deprived of shooters and playmakers, we are seeing variations of that defense. As the Trail Blazers demonstrated on Friday night, it can almost look like a modified zone, with defenders sagging hard off shooters who’ve yet to prove it. Here, I have quite a few such clips, all ending in a Kelly Oubre Jr. miss. In the first example, Draymond Green was the ignored man as Curry drew a near triple-team. The swing pass ended in the aforementioned result.



Curry missed a few good opportunities to get going in the first half. By the second half, the Blazers’ modified zone was making life more difficult. With their defensive approach, the Blazers managed to crowd Curry behind the arc and pack the paint. Of course, this is only possible if you completely ignore the Warriors’ other perimeter threats.



It’s all such a dare.

View attachment 35839

It gets even more compressed for Curry when Kevon Looney is in. Right now, Looney is far better than James Wiseman at knowing where to go, but defenses respect his movement far less. See how packed the paint is before, again, another Oubre miss.



Even in semi-transition, it was hard for Curry to get loose. Also, look at the hot potato that follows Curry passing it out of trouble. Understandably, Oubre does not seem especially eager to shoot.



I mean, this is ridiculous.

View attachment 35840

We can ask questions about how well Curry should be able to perform in these conditions and whether any true “superstar” makes the playoffs regardless of cast. That’s almost beside the point, I think. In my opinion, the more pertinent question for the Warriors is the following: How sustainable is this? Even if Curry turns the corner and starts hitting more of those off-the-dribble 3-pointers he’s known for, this does not appear to be a recipe for success. It’s not advisable for your main offensive threat to absorb almost the entirety of the defense’s focus, night after night. It’s asking for an insane amount of wear and tear, in service of a season that can’t go far. Not only is this not a plan for the postseason, but it’s not a plan for preservation either.
Remember, Curry is 32 and on the skinnier, smaller side for an NBA player. If the Warriors do make the playoff fringe, and Curry stays healthy enough, he’s probably running on fumes by then.


In fairness to the Warriors, they did not anticipate another season-ending Klay Thompson injury. In a fair critique of the Warriors, they did not build a roster that addressed weaknesses that Nick Nurse exposed. While Oubre almost certainly won’t continue to shoot 4 percent from long range, the supporting offense isn’t likely to force defenses out of their intense surrounding of Curry. In the short term, the Warriors are about as constrained as Curry himself. They lack assets to improve their lot, though the disabled player exception could come in handy. It won’t be easy, but they probably need to make a move. Because right now, one of the game’s most creative, paradigm-shifting players is stuck in a box.

Ethan Strauss.
Click to expand...

Does Stotts adjust if the other players start hitting shots.
 
James lamphear said:
I don't hate CJ his numbers on offense very good. But there two side of the ball though. He has made some good plays on defense but he trying to help out to much and that he sinking to low in the key or going to far on the weak side that some of things I see with him on defense.
Click to expand...

It is a frustration for me as well, for many of our players. Which causes me to think it is a coaching issue.
 
Labinot41 said:
Can the Warriors' Steph Curry break the box-and-one?

When the Warriors play badly, the punditry conversation usually turns to Steph Curry. There are arguments over his current status and past legacy. The content ranges from dryly observational, to legitimately provocative and all the way to completely contrived provocation. It can be a distraction from some more basic questions about the current predicament the Warriors find themselves in, given their roster and how it’s performing.

The real trouble might have started not this season, nor the last one. Much of it might stem from the 2019 NBA Finals, when Raptors coach Nick Nurse demonstrated success with a “gimmick defense” that ignored other Warriors’ players in favor of guarding Curry with a box-and-one. That defense was sprung in the minutes Klay Thompson missed, offering a dismal preview of what was to come should Thompson ever get injured, which, unfortunately, he did (twice).

Now, with the Warriors so deprived of shooters and playmakers, we are seeing variations of that defense. As the Trail Blazers demonstrated on Friday night, it can almost look like a modified zone, with defenders sagging hard off shooters who’ve yet to prove it. Here, I have quite a few such clips, all ending in a Kelly Oubre Jr. miss. In the first example, Draymond Green was the ignored man as Curry drew a near triple-team. The swing pass ended in the aforementioned result.



Curry missed a few good opportunities to get going in the first half. By the second half, the Blazers’ modified zone was making life more difficult. With their defensive approach, the Blazers managed to crowd Curry behind the arc and pack the paint. Of course, this is only possible if you completely ignore the Warriors’ other perimeter threats.



It’s all such a dare.

View attachment 35839

It gets even more compressed for Curry when Kevon Looney is in. Right now, Looney is far better than James Wiseman at knowing where to go, but defenses respect his movement far less. See how packed the paint is before, again, another Oubre miss.



Even in semi-transition, it was hard for Curry to get loose. Also, look at the hot potato that follows Curry passing it out of trouble. Understandably, Oubre does not seem especially eager to shoot.



I mean, this is ridiculous.

View attachment 35840

We can ask questions about how well Curry should be able to perform in these conditions and whether any true “superstar” makes the playoffs regardless of cast. That’s almost beside the point, I think. In my opinion, the more pertinent question for the Warriors is the following: How sustainable is this? Even if Curry turns the corner and starts hitting more of those off-the-dribble 3-pointers he’s known for, this does not appear to be a recipe for success. It’s not advisable for your main offensive threat to absorb almost the entirety of the defense’s focus, night after night. It’s asking for an insane amount of wear and tear, in service of a season that can’t go far. Not only is this not a plan for the postseason, but it’s not a plan for preservation either.
Remember, Curry is 32 and on the skinnier, smaller side for an NBA player. If the Warriors do make the playoff fringe, and Curry stays healthy enough, he’s probably running on fumes by then.


In fairness to the Warriors, they did not anticipate another season-ending Klay Thompson injury. In a fair critique of the Warriors, they did not build a roster that addressed weaknesses that Nick Nurse exposed. While Oubre almost certainly won’t continue to shoot 4 percent from long range, the supporting offense isn’t likely to force defenses out of their intense surrounding of Curry. In the short term, the Warriors are about as constrained as Curry himself. They lack assets to improve their lot, though the disabled player exception could come in handy. It won’t be easy, but they probably need to make a move. Because right now, one of the game’s most creative, paradigm-shifting players is stuck in a box.

Ethan Strauss.
Click to expand...

So double and even triple on Steph and make someone else make a shot. This has been the recipe on Dame for years now. Curry needs to hit his open looks or find a way to get a deeper open look. The other option is to make that pass and get an open look for someone else. It would help them if they had another player that could handle the ball. If they had a player like CJ? Curry would be in business.
 
James lamphear said:
Does Stotts adjust if the other players start hitting shots.
Click to expand...
Huge question there? Depends on the situation of the game? Do the Blazers have the lead? A lot of defense depends on offense as well. Exactly how hot is their "Other Player". How many of them are making shots. Can they go small to cover or do they have to stay big?
Adjustments take the game in front of you.
 
heres bold prediction for tonight

nurk season high 14 pts
 
So far this season only 28% of teams have been able to beat a team both times on a back-to-back matchup... Going to be tough to win, but I hope we pull it off!
 
why do we get the same announcing crew twice in a row on NBATV?
 
Started good but right now to much dribbling by our guards. Defense not bad but they are trying to attack us right now.
 
It's ridiculous how many easy shots Nurkic has been missing at the rim over the past years as a Center
 
I have the feeling that Curry will be on the "What's that you said, Dame?" rampage tonight. He's just gearing up now.
 
illmatic99 said:
no they aren't. this GS PBP guy is probably the worst in the league
Click to expand...
I've got them both up on my browser tonight and can't decide which is worse. At least Portland has that Spokane (girl next door) sideline reporter.
 
We should win the challenge but we won’t. They can always find a smidgeon of contact initiated by Nurk.
 
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