The Warriors are still going to get out there and run with the best of them. Keith Smart hasn't changed that. Everyone in that lineup (other than maybe Biedrins or their other centers) has the ability to score in different ways and pass the ball. During the times when they were flowing, particularly in the fast break, it was beautiful to watch. The Warriors were also seemingly committed to playing defense surprisingly, and they were led in this regard (also surprising to me) by Monta Ellis. Ellis and the rest of the Warriors did a great job at forcing turnovers, and collapsing the D, especially on Tyreke Evans. The entire Warriors team did a great job at playing the passing lanes too. You will not be able to throw a lazy pass or have a loose dribble around these guys, or they'll take advantage of it quickly.
The Warriors did have a couple problems though, and it mainly involved interior defense and perimeter shooting. The Warriors definitely had an off-night from range, or this game might have gone a little differently. The Warriors had a lot more success in the mid-range. As for interior defense, the Warriors couldn't handle the Kings big combo of DeMarcus Cousins and Carl Landry. They did a good job collapsing when Tyreke drove, but Carl Landry kept beating David Lee with the same move, and DeMarcus was just way too powerful for any of the Warriors bigs, although Biedrins started off playing nice D on him with an early block. The Warriors had difficulty rebounding the ball as well, and once the bench came in, the offense got sloppy as well.
Still there was a lot to like about the game from the Warriors perspective, and after the jump I'll have player evaluations.
Monta Ellis was a stud. He was carving up the Kings defense, and I blame a lot of that Tyreke's very lazy defense. He was able to get to wherever he wanted on the floor, and his mid-range jumper looked very smooth. He was less effective from range, but all the Warriors had a problem there last night. He was also a leader on defense, playing Tyreke very tough, and along with some help defense from Dorell Wright, forced a lot of turnovers from the young Kings star. Ellis also looked extremely comfortable running the team, making few mistakes himself and setting up his teammates nicely. He only had 4 assists, but he could have had a few more if teammates had hit their shots. If Ellis plays with this kind of defensive intensity all year, combined with his offense he'll definitely make a legitimate case for the All-Star team.
Stephen Curry showed off his great scoring skill. He has more moves once he gets to the rack than a lot of big men in this league. He's really a very smart player, although he did make plenty of poor decisions last night (credit the Kings with some pesky D on him) and he led the game with 6 turnovers. His defense was also pretty iffy, gambling a lot and getting a lot of reach in fouls.
David Lee is a good fit for these Warriors. His jumper was not going in, but he mopped up on the glass, and he had a lot of success taking it down low. He also knows how to find the open man. His defense was spotty, and he continually bit on Carl Landry's jab step, allowing him room for his bread and butter jumper. He also was forced to foul in a few situations where he got backed down too far.
Andris Biedrins is really quick. He also had a pretty spin move and half hook at one point over DeMarcus. He didn't try to do too much on offense which was good. His free throw form looks as bad as ever though, which will be a problem if it continues. On defense he was active, but he often gave up deep post position to the Kings big men. He did avoid foul trouble however, and he had one really nice block on DeMarcus.
Dorell Wright looks like a nice pickup. He's a great help defender, helping out on the double teams quite a bit. His offense looked spotty however, with nothing really falling for him, although he was open. Hopefully its just rust or an off-game because he has a reputation as a pretty good shooter. He also showed off some poor decision making with the ball in his hands. I'd prefer to leave the ball handling duties to Ellis or Curry. He missed one dunk, but it's clear the guy can elevate.
Aaron Miles looked solid. He had a nice jumper, looked comfortable running the Warriors system, and could get up and down the floor really quickly. He was one of the poorer defenders on the floor however, continuously getting beat by Jeter, Head or whoever he was guarding.
Reggie Williams had a disappointing game, missing shot after shot, and turning the ball over a bit as well. I like him coming off the bench though, he can provide a real scoring punch when he's on.
Vladimir Radmanovic likes to spot up for threes. They weren't falling tonight, but that didn't stop him from shooting them. He hustled on the offensive boards though, and got a few mop-up baskets because of it. His defense was pretty atrocious and I would hope he only gets spot minutes at power forward.
Jeff Adrien is a tough guy, but he had some pretty stupid mistakes. He hung on the rim to try to block Thompson's shot, and it cost the Warriors a technical and a shooting foul. He also got another technical for complaining to the referees. Still, I'd like him on the floor more than Radmanovic. He brings some needed toughness to Golden State.
Charlie Bell got a couple steals although he didn't really play too much. He didn't do anything that really stood out to me.
Jeremy Lin got the biggest cheers of the night from all the Warriors fans in attendance. Every time he got the ball the crowd began to buzz, and when he missed his shot (a jumper and a free throw) you could hear the collective groan. You would have thought it was a playoff game when he made his only point from the stripe, with all the Warriors fans cheering loudly, despite their team down 20. I almost feel bad for the guy, with all that pressure on him.
That's my recap, and if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.
Agree 100% about Lin.
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