There may be some golden truth or grand moral of the story buried deep within the details of the Warriors 130-129 overtime loss to the Miami Heat. Unfortunately, right now I’m too stupefied by the whole turn of events to dig for it. I’ve been beating the same drum recently as to the big picture — small ball is a failure — so I’m not going to repeat it. If you want a summary check out the last few posts or read Geoff Lepper’s great statistical work on the subject over at 48minutes.net. For a change of pace, here are a few of the little pictures — the moments and details of just how the Warriors managed to find a new, head-slapping way to lose — that are evocative of the riptide dragging this team under.
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John F. Kennedy once wrote “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.” When Baron Davis opted out in late June, Don Nelson, Chris Mullin, Robert Rowell and Chris Cohan were confronted with an uprising of youth. As in most periods of upheaval, some saw boundless promise while others saw chaos. Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell just had visions of empty seats. Swinging into action, the old guard decided to prop up the status quo, impose a now-brittle order by force, and hold a few press conferences just for good measure. For the last six months we’ve witnessed the youth movement repeatedly suppressed, from the Maggette signing, to Nelson’s frustratingly stubborn rotations, to Jackson’s premature extension, to veteran finger pointing in the locker room. The better the youngsters have looked, the harder the tired old system seems to have clamped down. Now, in the midst of the Warriors’ ugliest losing streak of the second Nelson era, it looks as if a smooth transition is out of the question. To fix this machine, we may have to smash it.
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With 10:04 to go in the second quarter, the Warriors took a 7 point lead 38-31 over the Cavs. The Warriors reached their high water mark with a team of Crawford / Morrow / Jackson / Azubuike / Turiaf on the floor. Just over 8 minutes later, they found themselves down by 6 points. They ended the half by the same margin and never managed to get that close again in the closing 24 minutes. For those looking to return to the scene of the crime, here’s how the Warriors managed a 13 point swing, play-by-play. Those without a masochistic streak might be better off waiting for the next post.
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It’s almost Thanksgiving, so I’ll start with this: I’m extremely thankful the team we saw against the Celtics was not the crime against good judgment that took the court in Washington. I’m also thankful that for three quarters Don Nelson played the Warriors in something resembling their natural positions, including having not one — but two — players capable of grabbing rebounds and defending the basket out on the floor. It worked like a charm to cure the easy baskets and second chance points that plagued the Warriors the night before. Of course, Don Nelson then proceeded to abandon the strategy for the entire fourth quarter with the game on the line. Ah, life as a Warriors fan.
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The good news? Jamal Crawford’s tenure with the Warriors can probably only get better. In a game that was supposed to mark the Warriors’ transition to life with a real point guard — more ball movement, better shots, higher scoring — we instead were treated to the rapid disintegration of anything resembling organized basketball. You always worry about young teams tipping over when pushed by challenging circumstances. On their first extended road trip of the year, the Warriors are looking anything but resilient. And we haven’t even played the good teams yet.
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If Don Nelson was looking for a game to demonstrate the wisdom of his commitment to small ball, he picked the wrong one. Corey Maggette might be able to handle the power forward spot against LaMarcus Aldridge, but Elton Brand is a different story entirely. To Nelson’s credit, after watching the 76ers cut apart the Warriors in the first half with their half-court offense, he turned to Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, and Ronny Turiaf to block, bang, and pick-and-roll the Warriors back into the game. It was too little, too late this time around. Next time? Only Nelson knows whether the Warriors’ tall ball comeback made an impression.
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Donne may have been writing about spiritual isolation, not the Warriors’ offense, but the point still holds as we saw vividly Friday night. Don Nelson’s reliance on the isolation play is nothing new. It’s his best way of picking mismatches and exploiting the advantages small ball is supposed to bring. It’s also not clear that he had any other choice given the Warriors’ lack of a guard capable of both dribbling and seeing the court (all our guards seem to do one or the other — let’s hope Crawford is different). But after 12 games of isolating Jackson, Maggette, Azubuike, and even Morrow, the Warriors’ offense appears to be grinding to a halt. Here’s what went wrong — and what I’d try to fix it.
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There’s no denying that the Warriors suffered a disappointing loss Friday night against the Bulls, but you don’t have to look far to find silver linings. First, we likely won’t have to face such a painful cascade of turnovers again once Jamal Crawford joins the team next week. Second, Anthony Randolph — despite the missed lay-up at the end — had a tremendous game, completely energizing the team and shifting the momentum back towards the Warriors with defense, rebounding and raw aggression. Finally, Don Nelson, if only for one night, did a fantastic job with the rotations — keeping hot hands on the court, searching for answers during slow stretches, and putting the Warriors in a position to win despite a scortching hot game from Rose and below-average play (for the first time this year) from Andris. A loss is a loss, but this one didn’t seem in vain. More to follow tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the open thread.
While Warriors fans anxiously await Anthony Morrow’s next display of superhuman skills (check here to read the ever growing legend of Money Morrow), there are finally some juicy rumors swirling around Al Harrington. According to ESPN, Jamal Crawford could be on his way to the Warriors as early as Friday. There are, of course, no guarantees that the deal actually goes down, but here’s my initial impression.
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For long stretches, particularly in the second half, Tuesday’s match up between the Warriors and Blazers looked like many of the other games of the Warriors’ young season: Stephen Jackson or Corey Maggette settled into isolation plays while the four other Warriors stood around and watched on offense. CJ Watson, Kelenna Azubuike, and Stephen Jackson struggled with fundamental ball-movement tasks, like in-bounding and dribbling the ball up court. And with the game on the line, the outside shots largely stopped falling. Despite all of the above, there was one very key difference: the Warriors finally managed to close out a close game against a quality opponent. May the voices of all Warriors homers unite in one joyful cry: progress.
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