Can Anybody Stop Curry and the Warriors Right Now?
From Zach Lowe’s 10 things to the Warriors’ continued brilliance, I broke down everything that happened around the NBA last night.
Zach Lowe’s 10 Things
It’s another edition of Zach Lowe’s 10 things. Yesterday, Lowe revealed some of the obscure things he had noticed from around the NBA. I won’t be reacting to all 10 of them, but I found one that caught my eye.
Cam Reddish Is A Microcosm Of The Hawks’ Problems
(stats and records are from before last night’s game against Denver – which they of course lost)
The Atlanta Hawks, fresh off of a surprise trip to the Conference Finals last season, are floundering. They are 4-8 and have lost 5 straight games. Their defense is among the worst in the NBA and their roster, one of the best in the NBA, is not producing enough.
You could point to a lot of reasons. Maybe it’s Trae Young’s adjustment to the new foul-calling changes. Clint Capela isn’t as open in the pick-and-rolls anymore. The Hawks might have too much depth for their own good and because of that, guys are jacking up shots more than usual.
However, one of the few things we all thought was going right was Cam Reddish. Reddish, a talented player, was finally showing us why he was a lottery pick in 2019. I didn’t think he was a problem. Until now.
Zach Lowe points out a few eye-opening stats for us. Reddish is taking a lot more shots than usual, but how is he getting those shots?
Well, for starters, he’s taking about 4 pull-up jumpers per game. That’s well above the average for his career. Reddish has only made 30% of his pull-up 3’s and 33% of his pull-up 2’s. Those percentages don’t warrant Reddish suddenly taking a lot more pull-ups.
Reddish also isn’t doing much other than scoring. 10 assists in 12 games illustrate that perfectly.
I think that Reddish just needs to calm down. I’m sure he’s been thinking about his contract when guys like Kevin Huerter and John Collins both got extensions. It’s only natural that he would do the same.
But his reckless offense is doing more harm than good for the Hawks. A better shot selection and a more relaxed mindset would help both Cam and the Hawks long-term. He’s a valuable player, a good defender, but he still has a lot of room to grow.
Portland Trail Blazers (104-92 W)
I know it’s not impressive to beat the Houston Rockets, but I’ll take anything at this point. The offense was pretty mediocre, but the defense did a good job containing the attacking Rockets offense.
Nassir Little continues to spearhead a very energetic bench unit, one that continues to impress me on a nightly basis. The starters were ok at best, but nobody could hit shots. Is it too much to ask them to play better?
We’re taking on the Nuggets next, which is a matchup we should be winning without MPJ on the floor. Hopefully, things don’t play out as they did last year, otherwise, my head will be in my lap again.
Chicago Bulls vs Golden State Warriors
This game was supposed to be better than a 2nd half runaway by the Warriors. The Bulls and Warriors have been two of the best teams in the NBA so far, but this game showed us why the Warriors are in a class of their own.
Steph Curry made history, the Warriors defense was electric, and the Bulls looked flat without Nikola Vucevic. It was an ugly, but very revealing game for both sides. Let’s talk about it.
Chicago Bulls
This was a game I wanted to see the Bulls do better in. If there’s one thing you can criticize about Chicago, it’s their lack of good performance against other good teams. Other than a win against the Jazz, they haven’t beaten good teams. In fact, they’ve looked worse against better competition.
This game was another disappointing showing for them. With Nikola Vucevic out, the offense looked flat and out of sorts. The defense struggled to contain the Warriors’ explosive offense and things got out of hand in the 2nd half.
Nikola Vucevic Is More Important Than You Might Think
Nikola Vucevic hasn’t been anything special this season. The 2x All-Star center is one of the most versatile centers in the NBA, but he hasn’t been performing as well as you’d think. While new acquisition DeMar DeRozan is top-10 in scoring, Vucevic has floundered.
These numbers don’t scream valuable at you, instead, the opposite.
13.6 points – 10.9 rebounds – 4.3 assists – 45% TS
But in a blowout loss to the Warriors, you saw how immensely valuable Vucevic was to this offense. His floor spacing, his passing, all of that wasn’t there when Tony Bradley was on the floor.
The Warriors snatched down 12 offensive rebounds in this game. They also had 52 points in the paint. While Vucevic isn’t a great rim protector, having a 7-footer to deter shots is certainly helpful in some capacity.
On offense, the Bulls were very stagnant. The spacing wasn’t great, as not having Vucevic made the floor feel a lot smaller. The Bulls finished the night with just 18 assists. In the 11 games prior with Vucevic, they averaged around 23 per game.
With Vucevic out for 1 week+ with Covid, the Bulls will have to adjust. They will have to do a better job rebounding with smaller lineups, as they are now extremely small without Vucevic. They need to move the ball and try and create some space on offense.
I think that if they can force turnovers and get out in transition, I think they can succeed. But these next few games are going to be tough for the Bulls. This is the type of adversity that they need to overcome to be a great team. Let’s see how they respond.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are playing the best basketball in the league. On both sides of the ball, they are just a different class. They are playing dynasty-level defense, locking down a very good Bulls offense last night.
Offensively, Stephen Curry leads a much more balanced unit featuring more veterans and consistency. This season for the Warriors feels different and they are on the right path to another championship.
Gary Payton II Gives Golden State Another Wrinkle
While the Warriors have mostly relied on their veterans to start 2022, Gary Payton II breaks the bold. Payton, the son of that one Hall of Famer, has been very impressive for the Warriors this season. Unlike most other Warriors guards, he’s not an incredible scorer.
Instead, it’s his tenacious defense that makes him so valuable. Payton is averaging a ridiculous 1.3 steals per game in just 12.5 minutes of action. Per 36 minutes, he would be snatching 3.8 steals per game. He’s a shot in the arm for the Warriors.
He hounds opposing guards for a little bit every half and the crowd loves him. When he’s in the game, the energy levels get cranked to 100.
Payton has played in 150 minutes this season. In this minutes, the Warriors have a 90.0 defensive rating.
The duo of Curry and Payton has been superb. Those two have played 90 minutes together spanning 10 games. They have an offensive rating of 129.9 and a defensive rating of 79.6. That’s a net rat of…wait for it, 50.3. That’s insane.
Oh yeah. And he can do this;
Yeah, I think this is a pretty relaxing way to spend your off-day.
Stephen Curry Is Every Superlative Imaginable
Steph Curry did it, officially. For years, we have been waiting for this moment. The moment when the greatest shooter ever would pass Ray Allen on the all-time 3-pointers made leaderboard. But instead of spotting up in the corner, Curry changed the league forever with his shooting.
From his mystifying deep bombs to his contested 3’s, Curry has changed the way we look at the 3-PT shot. He single-handily changed the NBA forever, for better or for worse.
Curry, now 33, is still enjoying the prime of his career. The Warriors are back to their dynasty ways and ring #4 for Curry doesn’t sound too crazy. Another MVP also doesn’t sound out of the realm of possibilities.
My message to everyone? Enjoy him while he lasts. As hard as that is to say, with how he and the Warriors have terrorized the league for the last decade, you should do it. Enjoy this man play basketball at a high level. Because you don’t want to miss anything that he does.
Klay Thompson still hasn’t come back? Well, we’re all doomed.
The Mavericks Aren’t Impressing Me
The Dallas Mavericks are currently 8-4 on the young season. It’s a good start considering their roster construction and new head coach. Or is it?
The Mavericks have not looked like a team that is 8-4; if that makes sense. Through a combination of a weak schedule, weird numbers, and limited help around Luka Doncic, the Mavericks are perhaps the “worst” best team in the NBA.
Weak Schedule
I understand that you can only play the teams in front of you. But it should also be noted who you’re playing against. It’s safe to say that Dallas has not been playing the best of the best this season.
- Beat Raptors
- Beat Rockets
- Beat Spurs (x3)
- Beat Kings
- Beat Celtics
- Beat Pelicans
Those teams are not exactly great. Only the Celtics made the playoffs last year out of that group and Boston isn’t even that great this season. They’ve beaten the Spurs 3 times this season, which is just a weird break in scheduling for them. All of the Mavericks’ wins this season haven’t been that impressive.
So while Dallas is winning, it’s against Weenie Hut Jr. level competition. But when the Mavericks try and get into the Salty Spitoon? Let’s just say they don’t eat nails for breakfast.
- Lost by 26 to Atlanta
- Lost by 31 to Denver (scored just 75 points)
- Lost by 15 to Miami
- Lost by 10 to Chicago
The Mavs are essentially 8-0 against the little kids and 0-4 against the big boys. Not exactly impressive.
Weird Numbers
The Dallas Mavericks might be playing very easy competition, but their numbers on the season don’t exactly impress me. How do you have 8 wins with these numbers?
- 104.5 points per game (22nd)
- 43.6 FG% (23rd)
- 32.8 3-PT% (25th)
- 106.2 ORtg (21st)
The offense really isn’t performing that well. The only thing that they’re doing well is not turning the ball over. Other than that, it’s really mediocre numbers. The defense isn’t exactly shutting people down either.
- 108.0 DRtg (20th)
- 46.3 Opp FG% (26th)
- 35.8 Opp 3-PT% (22nd)
- 13.4 Opp TOV (23rd)
Dallas’ defense doesn’t make much sense either. Teams shoot well against them and Dallas doesn’t force turnovers. Dallas is a pretty good mid-range defense and they also don’t allow many above-the-break 3-pointers.
But again, other than that, their defense is nothing special. Their overall numbers don’t scream 8-4, more like 4-8. For a team that hasn’t really played good teams, these poor numbers don’t bode well for Dallas, whose schedule is bound to get tougher from here.
Bad Coaching/Help Around Luka Doncic
To go along with these poor numbers, the Mavericks’ scheming hasn’t always been the best this season. While it has gotten better as the season has gone along, lest we forget that the Mavericks used to post-up Dorian Finney-Smith to start the season.
There are still a lot of possessions where Luka isn’t involved, which isn’t good. Even if he doesn’t have the ball, you can use him as a decoy. Luka just standing around watching his inferior teammates try to do something isn’t that fun.
The Mavs lack of playmakers make such possessions even more frustrating. Other than Luka, Jalen Brunson is their only other capable ball-handler. So when the Mavericks try and get cute, it doesn’t work. Jason Kidd might have the right idea in using Luka off-ball, but the Mavericks aren’t talented enough to do that.
The Mavericks have been starting Dwight Powell and Kristaps Porzingis together, for some reason. While Doncic/Powell pick-and-rolls are good, the duo of Powell/Porzingis hasn’t been good. In 90 minutes together, the two have a 94.1 offensive rating.
The only duo that needs more minutes together is Doncic and Brunson. The two have played 187 minutes together and sport a 113.1 offensive rating. I think that putting Brunson in the starting lineup/giving him more minutes would be a great idea.
Jason Kidd doesn’t have a lot to work with, but he could still be doing better. I loved the way Porzingis played against the Spurs last night, used more in the pick-and-rolls plus some post-ups against smaller defenders. The Mavericks need him to do that more.
The Mavericks also need to put the ball in Luka’s hands and let him work. They aren’t good enough to succeed without him. Even with their limited roster, simple fixes like playing Brunson more with Luka could help them a lot.
Dallas isn’t a very good team, but as I just outlined, they can certainly get a lot better. They aren’t very deep, I don’t think they’re contenders, and they might not impress me. But I just wish they could be doing more.
James Harden (Finally) Stopped Worrying About Fouls
After a few weeks of hopelessly trying to draw fouls, James Harden finally started to play basketball again. Even without free throws, Harden is still a premier scorer in the NBA. We got to see that on display against the Pelicans last night.
39 points – 5 rebounds – 12 assists – 61% FG – 6 3-PM – 11/15 FT
Ok. Maybe he didn’t fully get away from the free throws, but this was easily Harden’s best game of the season.
Harden’s 3-PT shot looked good. He hit some off the dribble, but he didn’t really have to work for a majority of them. He got downhill and looked to be a scorer. He still got to the free-throw line, but that wasn’t his primary focus.
The 12 assists are something that Harden can do every night. He did a great job playing off of Durant, waiting for the exact moment to give KD an open shot. KD and Harden played off of each other beautifully in this game, closing things out late against the Pelicans.
Altogether, Harden and Durant put on one of their best games together as a duo.
James Harden After The Game
When asked what opposing defenses can do when the two All-Stars are cooking at the same time, Harden paused.
“Ummm, pray?” Harden cracked. “I’m just playing [around]. I mean, it’s difficult. We’re two unselfish basketball players. We’re versatile. Obviously, Kevin is known for his scoring, efficient scoring, but he’s also a willing passer, especially when there’s double teams and things like that. It’s difficult to guard him, and it’s difficult to guard me, especially when we’ve got it going.”
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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