Open Thread (Warriors 110, Griz 107)
Too close for comfort, but still a W. I missed the game, but please cover for me with your own thoughts below.
Too close for comfort, but still a W. I missed the game, but please cover for me with your own thoughts below.
stiff march wind
the sound
of an airball
–ed markowski
Does anyone have any fingernails left.
well adam, you better catch up on your fanhood, cause i am questioning it, how am i gonna listen to your podcast if you don’t follow the games, just kidding man you had to have had a good reason to miss a game…. pretty much the way it went is pietrus had another monster game for himself….not monster like baron’s 38 9 and 8 but good enough…jax and baron and even monta were cruising like they have been for the past 5-6 games to say the least which is understandable by most. At one point htey were up by 17, a lead which was then cut to six in the third and then to 3 late in the fourth but every time they made a run to get the lead (which the grizzlies never did) baron had a fadeaway, or 3 or another one of his stubborn layups to offset the momentum. Besides baron’s usual clutchness the bench pietrus 14 and 8, barnes 11 and 5 in 7 MINUTES, did great… one thing that worries me is that al has been struggling lately he used to be so reliable when it came to stretching the d but now it seems nelson has got him on a short leash, even shorter than it was at the beginning of the year, worrysome to me….watson had a nice game, azuibuke is a shadow of what he was in jax’s absence but he made a couple shots tonight which is ok i guess…where is webber? still lazy, ok hope he stays the hell away from my squad!!! Maybe a bit too harsh but i’m not a fan….. toilet paper>chris webber….ok that’s all i got, it was a shaky win but well deserved for the most part….my back hurts….tired of carrying adam!!!!lol
I fell asleep with a strong lead on the Griz and when I woke up it was a one point lead! How does that work?? It shouldn’t. But at least we tied it down.
The W’s can’t put teams away b/c they always play small. Small ball can’t run away from bad teams. when opposing guards get by Ellis/BD/Jax, there is nobody in the paint to protect the basket and if AB goes protect the basket, the W’s give up offensive rebounds. Thats life with Nellie’s ball.
Look at the starting lineup, AB and 4 midgets. When Nellie pull AB and replace him w/ Harrington, they became smaller.
Nellie refuses to play big guys who can’t shoot. BW is not ready altho he can play 10 or 15 minutes but Nellie rather plays MP than BW.
That’s life with Nellie’s ball. I am hoping next year will be Nellie’s last year in Oakland now that our stupid GM Chris Mullins has learned a valuable lesson.
The W’s is what they are. Small team by design.
I wanted to add that I felt sorry for Jax when they played the Suns. Jax had to duke it out against Stoudamire and it was a losing battle. I was sure that BW or Cro probably would have done a better job but that’s life with Nellie’s ball.
I appreicate that Nellie has resurrect the W’s but he is killing his players by matching them against bigger players. Just killing them.
It is obvious that the Warriors need a player equivalent to Webber’s skills. Every time that the game becomes slow the Warriors are in trouble because Baron, Monta, and Jackson can only create very few plays. Warriors can not always play the up tempo game because the players does not have the legs to do it game after game.
interesting article on how the vultures are starting to form. Posted yesterday, but just in case anyone missed it, who might be interested.
javascript:newwind(’http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/mar/15/griz-seek-talent-like-ellis/’,'111′)
sorry, linked didnt work this time……hum……. oh well. hoopshype.com rumor section.
javascript:newwind(’http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/mar/15/griz-seek-talent-like-ellis/’,'111′)
Waning crescent moon
Scritch of sneakers echoes spring
Monta glides in for 2
Matt Barnes finally making shots was the highlight of the night. Maybe its too soon to write him off. If he gets his confidence back, it would be huge.
PS, posted the paragraph above last night without the 66 next to my name and its still “awaiting moderation.”
Come on, man. The playoff push can’t wait for moderation.
The latest on Pau…
By Mike Bresnahan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 16, 2008
HOUSTON — Pau Gasol is out indefinitely because of a moderate ankle sprain, perhaps putting the Lakers’ drive to stay atop the Western Conference on hold as well.
With the margin of error in the West already slimmer than slim, the Lakers will be without a true post presence today against Houston and probably the rest of their trip against other top Western teams.
Gasol was hurt Friday against New Orleans after landing on Vladimir Radmanovic’s foot while cutting through the lane early in the first quarter. X-rays during the game were negative, and an MRI exam Saturday at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston revealed a moderate sprain.
After today’s game against Houston (45-20), the Lakers play Dallas (43-23) on Tuesday and Utah (44-24) on Thursday before returning home to play Seattle (16-50) on Friday. The Lakers (45-20) are tied with Houston for first in the West.
“Pau’s out for sure for the Houston game, most likely out for the rest of the trip, but we don’t really want to say that for sure,” Lakers spokesman John Black said. “He’ll be reevaluated in two or three days. It’s not great, but it’s not horrible.”
Gasol said after the game that he hoped to miss only two weeks after sitting out about that long when he suffered a sprained left ankle in training camp that produced “similar pain, a similar reaction,” he said.
Gasol was unavailable for comment Saturday. He was averaging 19.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in 18 games with the Lakers before his 2 1/2 -minute appearance in Friday’s game.
Ronny Turiaf, who is listed at 6 feet 10, will start at center as the Lakers temporarily convert their offense to more of a “small-ball” scheme. They have little choice, with three 7-footers now sidelined.
Amateur wordsmiths
ruining basketball blog
haiku getting old
oh give me a break
do you have to comment
on everything?
#7
im mildly concerned about Memphis in the Monta sweepstakes. Speculation from the South can only drive Monta’s pricetag up, nothing more, because it would be hard for Monta to survive defensively in a system where Baron and Jax didnt have his back night in, night out.
our girl Janny from the Chron came out with a nice piece talking about Monta:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/15/SP8HVK2AP.DTL
as other people have said countless times before, Monta is the new facet to our offense we didnt have last year. Although we miss JRich’s physicality, we really needed someone that can curl and drain a shot at a high clip–we cant be all threes, layups, Baron fadeaways, and Biedrins dunks.
Sign the kid and put some more pieces around him, cause Jax and Baron arent getting any younger.
13 posts so far and no CC…
WTF!!!
I can just imagine all the beer cans littering his counter this morning, with that pizza box balanced precariously on some of them. It sux that the Dubs managed to pull out the victory to the WORST team in the league, to ruin your night.
P.S. I loved his play by play commentary from last thread. it kinda showed how he thinks during the game. Scary…
Thanks, CC…
“I am hoping next year will be Nellie’s last year in Oakland now that our stupid GM Chris Mullins has learned a valuable lesson.”
That SNSB is not only cost effective, but fairly competitive, and a cheap, easy way to go from the cellar to at least a playoff pretender?
“I appreicate that Nellie has resurrect the W’s but he is killing his players by matching them against bigger players. Just killing them.”
Some truth to that, but they’re also killing the competition, most nights. Hard to argue too vociferously against a methodology that works better than any we’ve seen since the last time we’ve seen it.
“but they’re also killing the competition, most nights.”
Yep. 57-29 isn’t bad, is it? Well, its not bad unless you expect 13 years of no post-season play to be followed by a championship immediately.
Brian, CC’s going through a difficult time right now. Warriors winning, GHC pummeling him….could it get any worse?
Barnes comes into the game, and less than a minute later, he makes a stupid pass and turns it over. It was a relief to see him hit some shots and contribute. What surprised me was how many bad passes BD and SJ were making- even after Memphis made it close. Oh well, a W is a W, but this one was definitely not pretty. We have to take better care of the ball… 20 TO’s isn’t going to cut it against the teams we’re going to be facing in the following weeks.
“I appreicate that Nellie has resurrect the W’s but he is killing his players by matching them against bigger players. Just killing them.”
If Nellie’s just “killing” his players, why are they 41 and 23? ME, Jax, Pietrus and AH are regularly matched against bigger players,you think we should get rid of them? Bring back Murf and Foyle and Dun (who plays 2 at Indy). Great idea,lets do it.
Nobody said to bring back the duds. That logic doesn’t work. Read more posts and get what people are saying.
Ugly win - I’m particularly concerned about how careless we were with the ball when Memphis made a run late in the game. We did come away with a win, though, on a day when 2 teams above us were upset.
4 games separate the top 8 WC teams. No team in the West is on a pace to win more than 57 games. It looks like parity is here - until you look at the East. I can’t ever remember a year when so many major stars were traded. In the short term, it’s incredibly exciting (since we’re still in the race), but I can’t help but think it’s not good for the NBA in the long term.
Gone are the days when we can just be happy with a win. The bar has been set higher and we expect the Warriors to blow away weak teams especially at home.
So last night’s performance seems to have raised equal doses of concern and relief. We’re relieved because they got another win, especially since both San Antonio and Utah lost. But we’re also equally concerned because the Dubs we’re just lucky enough to win the game.
At this point of the season we expect the team to be really, really sharp heading into the playoffs. So almost laying a big fat egg last night was very disconcerting. I bet there were quite a bit of profanities hurled at TV sets all across the bay area. I couldn’t have been the only one upset with their lack of focus! Are we wrong to feel this way? Should we be just happy with a win or do we have a legitimate reason to be concerned?
At least Gasol’s ankle sprain provided another piece of “good” news for the Ws. Maybe he won’t be back 100% when we play them later in the month. At this point we could use all these breaks because the Warriors can’t seem to sustain their intensity every game.
My concern is and has been for some time, the core group getting tired. Sure, they’re pro’s and they better play when tired and banged up, but giving them rest is important. Whenever, I see them go listless or make lazy passes or moves, or go into a stagnant one on one format, I look to see are they tired and conserving energy for later in the game. Often times they are. Maybe since they know they have to play most of the game, they have to have periodic slow down times to conserve energy?
Most people on this blog agree that while BW and POB (when he was suited)were a little raw, they could have played and given the core group some rest, especially when the W’s were way up in a given game. Plus, of course, it gives them some time to develope so that they would be ready when really needed. I’m not a Nellie basher, but not developing and playing young players (Bellineli here as well) is a shortcoming of his.
Last nite late in the game when the ‘griz were making their move and the W’s were spinning their wheels, I would have like to see some new energy off the bench, like BW, come in and see if he could bring some stuff. Riskier than putting him in with a lead, but I’d like to see Nellie show some confidence in his young player and maybe be surprised.
AS an aside, I’ve watched the warriors for over thirty years, and this team rates right up there for being an entertaining bunch to watch. Nellie’s not great or terrible, but he has made it fun to watch this team again. Point out his errors or weakness, but acknowledge his accomplishments.
Thanks for the blog, Adam….Charlie
Valr,
To answer your question…Should we just be happy with a win? Answer…YES!! We’re not close enough to playoff time to expect that the Dubs will be sharp for each game. Back to backs, injuries (no matter how minor) and just physical fatigue all play a role in making this a “crap shoot” as to where it will wind up. Each game has no relation to the one(s) beforehand. IMO we should focus on the bench production and that looked pretty good last night. We are really going to need CJ, MP and MB down this stretch. Now, if AH can get back to normal, we’ll be ok. As I posted awhile back, this team needed something besides ME’s improved play over last year and MP has really stepped it up. I look for the Dubs to get down to business if they can just get by Sac Tuesday and the Clips on Wed. Houston looks like a team of “overachievers” like the Dubs and maybe their mojo can catch on with the Dubs for the VERY challenging run through the toughest part of the remaining schedule. let’s hope!!
“Most people on this blog agree that while BW and POB (when he was suited) were a little raw, they could have played………..”
fleas and lice biting
awake all night
a horse pissing close to my ear
-basho
Mike Miller cutting to the hoop for multiple lay ups is the memory sticking in my head from this game. Mike Miller for crissake. Nellie better put in some more time on scheming small ball interior defense.
8-2 over our last ten, not bad everyone, great job! It seems like we just wupped on Housted yesterday and now they are the Boss of the West…props Rocketmen
Adam, I’ll give you a mini version of the Lauridsen player by player evaluation.
Baron Davis - Saved our butt with his scoring and dishing in the 2H. Seemed like he made every important play. 1H didn’t score, primarily because he was trying to get other players involved, forgot how to pass the ball (5 TO’s) and Nellie gave him a couple of good blows on the bench. 2H he was the MAN and we needed him to be.
Monta Ellis - Looked human for the second game in a row. Contributed some, but clearly forgot his cape.
Andris Biedrins - Absolutely changed the game in the 1Q. He almost single-handedly eliminated any points in the paint for Memphis: 2 blocks, 8 rebounds, several changed shots and tips to teammates. Was pretty ordinary after that. I think he’s still getting back into shape.
Mickael Pietrus - Co-conspirator with AB in the paint in 1Q. Good energy.
Stephen Jackson - Like the whole team had turnoveritis. 20 TO’s as a team, Jax had 4. Made what would otherwise have looked like a solid effort, less so.
Brandon Wright - Looked good for one minute on the floor, making himself available for one dunk and one layup, was invisible the other 4…rookies are like that.
Al Harrington - had 2 assists, a layup, 5 footer and capped it off with a 25-foot 3 pointer in Q2 & Q3. I thought this might get him going. Alas, it was not to be.
C.J. Watson - Did most of his damage in the 2Q (2 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound). This was great. Unfortunately, the bench production didn’t sustain beyond Q2.
Kelena Azubuike - You gotta like this kid’s energy. But lately he seems to have turned in his 200 Watt bulb for a 100 Watt bulb. Something is missing.
Matt Barnes - Made significant contributions in limited playing time. Given recent performances, it wasn’t surprising that he wasn’t one of the first options off the bench. But when he got his chance, this time he came through. 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in only 9 minutes. The energizer was back!
Our playoffs start this week. Every game is crucial. Denver just reached a hundred before the midway point of the third friggin quarter. They’re starting to gel and it concerns me. We’re reasonably healthy, focussed and we need to win two out of every three going forward; against good teams. It can be done.
Should be a blast watching these guys. Here’s hoping Gasol’s ankle doesn’t heal up in the next week. I’d like to win two out of two against L.A.
Re energy… there’s physical energy- pure “effort”; there’s mental energy (the “focus” and “concentration” factor); and there’s emotional energy, the most mysterious of the three, and the one that can really be a factor in building confidence and momentum (see: Dallas series) . I think we’re struggling somewhat in all three areas, as a whole (as a team).
First, the physical… I think the nagging injuries to BD, SJ, ME, and probably a few others are starting to become more and more difficult to deal with. The injuries, combined with high minutes-played by our starters, are having a larger and larger effect, it seems to me. Okay, we have to deal with it as best we can. You can’t choose not to be hurt.
The mental… Look at the way we turned the ball over against the Grizz. Even Davis and Jackson were getting very careless. At this point in the season, when just about everybody should be “sharp” in terms of executing fundamental basketball skills, it’s less and less acceptable to see a lack of focus. Despite Barnes’ good effort offensively, I still can’t believe how dumb his passes can be (and Monta had a brutally ugly crosscourt pass that defied any kind of explanation). I have a hard time forgiving dumb plays- whether we win or not. It’s time (I mean really and truly… NOW is the time) to start taking better care of the ball and making the most of every possession- even if we’re up 20!! Instead, what I see when we’re up 15 or 20 is too often cockiness, and sloppy, hot dogging stuff (see Charlotte game). Lets’ take care of the ball, focus, and blow somebody OUT, for crying out loud. That will help to build some confidence and positive emotion (and allow the starters to rest for more 4th quarters). Which leads me to the third element here…
Emotional energy… I think we’ve been playing with a decent amount of confidence for most of the year, but I think it could be better, and needs to be in the coming weeks. I want to see Baron being even more of a leader in this respect. We see it in flashes (the dance after the winning shot against Boston, the way he’s chewed out Pietrus and Harrington in recent games, etc). Especially when we’re playing at home, we need to play like we expect to win, and show more emotion (positive energy, even if it’s demonstrated as constructive criticism) when times are tough. When frigging MEMPHIS comes into our building and almost beats us, I want us to demonstrate (emote) that we’re not happy about it! We look too calm and passive too much of the time. That’s not us. If it’s partly due to BD (the motor) being somewhat worn out, then the rest of the team needs to pick it up the energy level on his behalf. Let’s play with more emotion! That’s who we are, that’s how we build our momentum, that’s how we blow people out. We’re good enough to have had more laughers this year, but we’ve wasted too many opportunities.
Okay, whew, sorry… time for my pill.
Man, this is going to be a battle! Even the Kings and Clips are bound to give us a fight, and after that, Sheesh!
I hope the Rockets knock off the Celts and Hornets, so the Dubs, who were the victims of the streak’s beginning, can end it — but I don’t think they will…
All that said, I’m still predicting Dubs Championship! In a year as crazy as this, what would be more appropriate?
TNT Commentator Craig Sager:
Well, Baron, obviously the eighteen points, five rebounds,four assists, three steals, you guys forced twelve turnovers… yet, it’s only a five-point game! Things are gettin’ edgy out there as well, what’s the second half gonna be like?
Baron Davis:
(Laughs) Nice outfit.
Was it just me? Or did the Lakers/Rockets game look really uninspiring?
To me, I didn’t see anything in that game that screamed out that these two teams are playing the best basketball around.
I know the W’s are two games away from not making the playoffs, but I didn’t see anything today that says the W’s don’t belong in this top 8 group, and that all 8 teams are pretty much even — not like previous years where there was just no way the tiny dubs were ever going to get past the Spurs.
Denver whupped Seattle by 52 points!
Maybe they got inspired after seeing the Warriors barely squeak by Memphis.
Sense of urgency vs. coasting.
Stay tuned. It’s bound to get more interesting.
Monsta, I think your right to a point. But, as in the Suns game it’s when a team can blow another team away and dominate in 2 or so minutes that counts. I don’t know what it is with the Warriors but they can’t dominate even though they have all the talent. I don’t see on paper how the Rockets can do it and the Warriors couldn’t put together even a 10 game streak all year. Play Wright, Nellie!
The most interesting thing about the Lakers/Rockets game today was how well Shane Battier played Kobe. I don’t think I’ve seen anybody defend him so well. I believe Kobe was 11 for 33. Every shot was contested. A lot of face guarding - sticking his hand in front of Kobe’s eyes.
I suspect our best Kobe defender, Stephen Jackson, is dealing with some significant ankle injuries and isn’t the defensive player he was at the beginning of the year; his health may determine how far the team can go.
Monsta, I was really impressed with the play of Houston and LA. I agree, it wasn’t as ENTERTAINING as the Warriors, but the execution was fantastic. For long stretches in that game you saw no mistakes on offense or defense by these teams, wonderful sharing of the ball, especially by the Rockets, consistent intensity on both ends of the floor. No it wasn’t flashy, it was just very, very good execution.
Reminded me of the Spurs, when they are at their best.
memphis is going all the way.
cheerleader’s wink
i drible the ball
between my legs
excuse the spelling error!
cheerleader’s wink
i dribble the ball
between my legs