Carl...

[rtiff68]

I didn't have the opportunity to watch the game, but I did follow it on Gamecast, and after reading a recap and checking the box score, it looks like you guys pulled off exactly what I was afraid of.

You guys turned the Warriors over (won the battle 15-8), and slowed the pace of the game way down holding GS to only 5 fast break points. That's how you beat the Warriors.

Unfortunately, Curry had one of those 4th quarters you can't game-plan for, and apparently Green grabbed a rebound in the closing seconds over Gobert and Favors (huh)? Either way, good game. Hayward put up big numbers...

[AbeVigodaLive]

I watched only the ending on NBATV.

Why is Rodney Hood the "go-to" guy for Utah? I'm not talking about only the last shot. He put up multiple shots late.

I know he's a promising player. Are they grooming him to be that guy? Does he seek it out? Did he go off-script? Was it a matchups thing?

[Kingcarl24]

Abe's question is my question. I watched the play by play on my phone and couldn't understand why they went to Hood when down by 1. The guy had hit some clutch shots down the line but he wasn't that hot.

The Jazz played them well but just couldn't get over that hump. I like this Jazz team a lot. It feels like they are just 1 great player away from being a really good team.

[Johnnyblazzed]

Hood's shot has been a bit off to begin the season. I was a bit surprised to see Hood go right on the final shot, had he taken one dribble left, he had Burks open to drive the lane.

Alec Burks should be the Jazz go-to guy as he can create his own shot, get to the rim, and often gets fouled.

[Kingcarl24]

Hood's shot has been a bit off to begin the season. I was a bit surprised to see Hood go right on the final shot, had he taken one dribble left, he had Burks open to drive the lane.

Alec Burks should be the Jazz go-to guy as he can create his own shot, get to the rim, and often gets fouled.

Completely agree. I didn't watch the game but it felt like Favors was having his way in the post. Why not feed him with that much time left? Also, didn't Hood shoot the ball with like 7 seconds on the clock still?

[rtiff68]

Abe's question is my question. I watched the play by play on my phone and couldn't understand why they went to Hood when down by 1. The guy had hit some clutch shots down the line but he wasn't that hot.

The Jazz played them well but just couldn't get over that hump. I like this Jazz team a lot. It feels like they are just 1 great player away from being a really good team.

One other thing: when I said yesterday that I couldn't think of another team in history outside of GS capable of sustaining small-ball advantageously for extended periods, I missed an obvious one: the Miami Heat during LeBron's tenure there.

Bosh and Draymond are obviously different players stylistically, but putting both at the 5 puts both at the same individual disadvantages defensively and gives their respective teams as a whole the same advantages offensively.

[Johnnyblazzed]

Hood's shot has been a bit off to begin the season. I was a bit surprised to see Hood go right on the final shot, had he taken one dribble left, he had Burks open to drive the lane.

Alec Burks should be the Jazz go-to guy as he can create his own shot, get to the rim, and often gets fouled.

Completely agree. I didn't watch the game but it felt like Favors was having his way in the post. Why not feed him with that much time left? Also, didn't Hood shoot the ball with like 7 seconds on the clock still?

Favors game was on point last night from outside the paint. He played well in the post, however I wish he would have done more in the post, particularly against Green. Green has been able to convince people he's a phenomenal defender... I don't buy it. I believe he's above average, however dude's like Favors, Cousins, and other built bigs should punish him often down low. Green knows how to use his body and legs to maintain leverage and position; I am of the belief a constant pounding would wear him down and come the 4th quarter, dude would have nothing left.

But yeah, they should have fed Favors more in the waning seconds. I don't recall how much time was left when Hood launched his 3, but I was cringing when he went right and tossed it up.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Hood's shot has been a bit off to begin the season. I was a bit surprised to see Hood go right on the final shot, had he taken one dribble left, he had Burks open to drive the lane.

Alec Burks should be the Jazz go-to guy as he can create his own shot, get to the rim, and often gets fouled.

Completely agree. I didn't watch the game but it felt like Favors was having his way in the post. Why not feed him with that much time left? Also, didn't Hood shoot the ball with like 7 seconds on the clock still?

Favors game was on point last night from outside the paint. He played well in the post, however I wish he would have done more in the post, particularly against Green. Green has been able to convince people he's a phenomenal defender... I don't buy it. I believe he's above average, however dude's like Favors, Cousins, and other built bigs should punish him often down low. Green knows how to use his body and legs to maintain leverage and position; I am of the belief a constant pounding would wear him down and come the 4th quarter, dude would have nothing left.

But yeah, they should have fed Favors more in the waning seconds. I don't recall how much time was left when Hood launched his 3, but I was cringing when he went right and tossed it up.

Isn't part of the problem even getting the ball in good positions in the post?

With zones and what-not, it's not as easy anymore to just dump it into the post. Guys can front. Help can come early. Et al.

[rtiff68]

Hood's shot has been a bit off to begin the season. I was a bit surprised to see Hood go right on the final shot, had he taken one dribble left, he had Burks open to drive the lane.

Alec Burks should be the Jazz go-to guy as he can create his own shot, get to the rim, and often gets fouled.

Completely agree. I didn't watch the game but it felt like Favors was having his way in the post. Why not feed him with that much time left? Also, didn't Hood shoot the ball with like 7 seconds on the clock still?

Favors game was on point last night from outside the paint. He played well in the post, however I wish he would have done more in the post, particularly against Green. Green has been able to convince people he's a phenomenal defender... I don't buy it. I believe he's above average, however dude's like Favors, Cousins, and other built bigs should punish him often down low. Green knows how to use his body and legs to maintain leverage and position; I am of the belief a constant pounding would wear him down and come the 4th quarter, dude would have nothing left.

But yeah, they should have fed Favors more in the waning seconds. I don't recall how much time was left when Hood launched his 3, but I was cringing when he went right and tossed it up.

Think about that this way, though: who's legs are going to get tired first? Green's legs attempting to hold his ground against a guy like Zach Randolph, or Randolph's legs after Zach is forced to chase Green up and down the court and out to the 3-point line regularly?

From what I've seen, the best way to attack Green is to attack him with skill in the paint. He tends to do well against bigs that like to shoot jumpers (Dirk, Aldridge, etc.) and unskilled, "all athlete" guys who can really only score on put-backs and dunks (Jordan, Favors, etc.). The guys who hurt him the most are the guys capable of taking him low and beating him with technique like Duncan, Randolph, both Gasols, etc.).

[rtiff68]

Completely agree. I didn't watch the game but it felt like Favors was having his way in the post. Why not feed him with that much time left? Also, didn't Hood shoot the ball with like 7 seconds on the clock still?

Favors game was on point last night from outside the paint. He played well in the post, however I wish he would have done more in the post, particularly against Green. Green has been able to convince people he's a phenomenal defender... I don't buy it. I believe he's above average, however dude's like Favors, Cousins, and other built bigs should punish him often down low. Green knows how to use his body and legs to maintain leverage and position; I am of the belief a constant pounding would wear him down and come the 4th quarter, dude would have nothing left.

But yeah, they should have fed Favors more in the waning seconds. I don't recall how much time was left when Hood launched his 3, but I was cringing when he went right and tossed it up.

Isn't part of the problem even getting the ball in good positions in the post?

With zones and what-not, it's not as easy anymore to just dump it into the post. Guys can front. Help can come early. Et al.

Green excels are fronting power players and denying them the ball. It's how he manages to do so well against DeAndre Jordan.

[Johnnyblazzed]

Speaking specifically of GSW, I haven't watched enough games to see how often they use a zone defense. As tiff noted, Green will front. A big who knows how to post, a coach who knows how to design plays, and a team that knows how to counter a defense can find ways to get the big the ball down low. Double teams can pose a problem if your goal is to punish Green down low, however a smart big will find the open man to punish the defense for the double team. In theory it's simple, in practice it hasn't yet been successful against the Warriors.

To tiff - Green is the 3rd offensive option on the team. Some will argue 2nd, particularly due to Thompson's early season struggles. Though a threat offensively, I don't believe Green is wearing down too many young bigs on the offensive end. I'm with you on how to attack Green - in the paint by a skilled big a la Dunacn, the Gasols, Randolph.

One quick note - Favors of the past 2 seasons is not a mere put back/dunk offensive player. As you saw last night, he has a decent mid range shot, and his post play has vastly improved.

[rtiff68]

Speaking specifically of GSW, I haven't watched enough games to see how often they use a zone defense. As tiff noted, Green will front. A big who knows how to post, a coach who knows how to design plays, and a team that knows how to counter a defense can find ways to get the big the ball down low. Double teams can pose a problem if your goal is to punish Green down low, however a smart big will find the open man to punish the defense for the double team. In theory it's simple, in practice it hasn't yet been successful against the Warriors.

To tiff - Green is the 3rd offensive option on the team. Some will argue 2nd, particularly due to Thompson's early season struggles. Though a threat offensively, I don't believe Green is wearing down too many young bigs on the offensive end. I'm with you on how to attack Green - in the paint by a skilled big a la Dunacn, the Gasols, Randolph.

One quick note - Favors of the past 2 seasons is not a mere put back/dunk offensive player. As you saw last night, he has a decent mid range shot, and his post play has vastly improved.

It's not Green himself in a vacuum, it's the team's general pace of play when they play him at the center position. To continue with the Memphis example, guys like Gasol and Randolph-- as good as they are-- simply are not built to chase guys like Barnes and Green around (the Warriors' 4/5 when they go small). I've seen it happen in nearly every game since the start of last year-- when they go to that line-up, teams try to attack the mismatch in the post.

Something that is very underrated about this GSW squad's small-ball line-up is their length. Curry is 6'3, Barnes/Thompson/Green are all 6'7-6'8, and Iguodala is 6'6 and has a longer wingspan than any of them. They create deflections-- which often lead to TO's-- like crazy with that line-up, and even when they get scored on, they instantly start to push the ball, forcing the opposing team's traditional bigs (if they're going that route) to sprint back.

When you do that to a team 3 or 4 times, the big guys start to get a little winded, and that's when the transition 3's and dunks start coming in bunches.

[Johnnyblazzed]

Speaking specifically of GSW, I haven't watched enough games to see how often they use a zone defense. As tiff noted, Green will front. A big who knows how to post, a coach who knows how to design plays, and a team that knows how to counter a defense can find ways to get the big the ball down low. Double teams can pose a problem if your goal is to punish Green down low, however a smart big will find the open man to punish the defense for the double team. In theory it's simple, in practice it hasn't yet been successful against the Warriors.

To tiff - Green is the 3rd offensive option on the team. Some will argue 2nd, particularly due to Thompson's early season struggles. Though a threat offensively, I don't believe Green is wearing down too many young bigs on the offensive end. I'm with you on how to attack Green - in the paint by a skilled big a la Dunacn, the Gasols, Randolph.

One quick note - Favors of the past 2 seasons is not a mere put back/dunk offensive player. As you saw last night, he has a decent mid range shot, and his post play has vastly improved.

It's not Green himself in a vacuum, it's the team's general pace of play when they play him at the center position. To continue with the Memphis example, guys like Gasol and Randolph-- as good as they are-- simply are not built to chase guys like Barnes and Green around (the Warriors' 4/5 when they go small). I've seen it happen in nearly every game since the start of last year-- when they go to that line-up, teams try to attack the mismatch in the post.

Something that is very underrated about this GSW squad's small-ball line-up is their length. Curry is 6'3, Barnes/Thompson/Green are all 6'7-6'8, and Iguodala is 6'6 and has a longer wingspan than any of them. They create deflections-- which often lead to TO's-- like crazy with that line-up, and even when they get scored on, they instantly start to push the ball, forcing the opposing team's traditional bigs (if they're going that route) to sprint back.

When you do that to a team 3 or 4 times, the big guys start to get a little winded, and that's when the transition 3's and dunks start coming in bunches.

I agree matching Gasol and Randolph against Green and Barnes, with their pace of play, causes issues for Memphis.

Watching GSW play is entertainment, it's like watching a video game at how well they execute, shoot, and defend. I do believe there are teams in the league that are young enough and athletic enough to counter the GSW juggernaut, particularly the death squad line up. I'm excited to see OKC finally play GSW.

[rtiff68]

Speaking specifically of GSW, I haven't watched enough games to see how often they use a zone defense. As tiff noted, Green will front. A big who knows how to post, a coach who knows how to design plays, and a team that knows how to counter a defense can find ways to get the big the ball down low. Double teams can pose a problem if your goal is to punish Green down low, however a smart big will find the open man to punish the defense for the double team. In theory it's simple, in practice it hasn't yet been successful against the Warriors.

To tiff - Green is the 3rd offensive option on the team. Some will argue 2nd, particularly due to Thompson's early season struggles. Though a threat offensively, I don't believe Green is wearing down too many young bigs on the offensive end. I'm with you on how to attack Green - in the paint by a skilled big a la Dunacn, the Gasols, Randolph.

One quick note - Favors of the past 2 seasons is not a mere put back/dunk offensive player. As you saw last night, he has a decent mid range shot, and his post play has vastly improved.

It's not Green himself in a vacuum, it's the team's general pace of play when they play him at the center position. To continue with the Memphis example, guys like Gasol and Randolph-- as good as they are-- simply are not built to chase guys like Barnes and Green around (the Warriors' 4/5 when they go small). I've seen it happen in nearly every game since the start of last year-- when they go to that line-up, teams try to attack the mismatch in the post.

Something that is very underrated about this GSW squad's small-ball line-up is their length. Curry is 6'3, Barnes/Thompson/Green are all 6'7-6'8, and Iguodala is 6'6 and has a longer wingspan than any of them. They create deflections-- which often lead to TO's-- like crazy with that line-up, and even when they get scored on, they instantly start to push the ball, forcing the opposing team's traditional bigs (if they're going that route) to sprint back.

When you do that to a team 3 or 4 times, the big guys start to get a little winded, and that's when the transition 3's and dunks start coming in bunches.

I agree matching Gasol and Randolph against Green and Barnes, with their pace of play, causes issues for Memphis.

Watching GSW play is entertainment, it's like watching a video game at how well they execute, shoot, and defend. I do believe there are teams in the league that are young enough and athletic enough to counter the GSW juggernaut, particularly the death squad line up. I'm excited to see OKC finally play GSW.

The combination of Kanter's post game and Westbrook/Durant/Ibaka's explosiveness should be a fun one to watch. I imagine Durant will see a whole lot of Iguodala. If GS makes Durant/Westbrook into volume scorers and prevents Kanter from killing them with bunnies, I still like the Warriors' odds.

Like many of the league's current best teams, OKC wants to play fast, and unless there's a major injury I don't see any team beating the Warriors in a playoff series playing fast. It's not just Curry, Thompson, and Green, it's their depth: Barnes, Iguodala, Livingston, Barbosa, Bogut, Ezeli...hell, even Jason Thompson and Mauresee Speights are effective when deployed in short bursts (i.e. getting Speights long 2's from the elbow-to-the-top-of-the-key, where he almost never misses). It's difficult to out-run a team with more horses than you.

[AbeVigodaLive]

What's the story with Ibaka?

He's always been an above average three point shooter (percentages). Last year, he seemed to commit to the three point line a bit, averaging 3.5 attempts per 36 minutes. It didn't seem to hurt his efficiency. He still shot 38%. By comparison, that's better efficiency than Kevin Love in his career.

But this year, he's shooting less than half that number of attempts per game (only 1.5). That seems weird as the rest of the league keeps embracing the shot more and more. I would think that even with Durant and Westbrook healthy that they would dig the spacing with Ibaka in the corner...

[Kingcarl24]

What's the story with Ibaka?

He's always been an above average three point shooter (percentages). Last year, he seemed to commit to the three point line a bit, averaging 3.5 attempts per 36 minutes. It didn't seem to hurt his efficiency. He still shot 38%. By comparison, that's better efficiency than Kevin Love in his career.

But this year, he's shooting less than half that number of attempts per game (only 1.5). That seems weird as the rest of the league keeps embracing the shot more and more. I would think that even with Durant and Westbrook healthy that they would dig the spacing with Ibaka in the corner...

It would probably require Westbrook to pass though. That's not happening unless he has to.


(BUT Karl, Westbrook is averaging almost 10 assists per game.... I know. It was a joke. Just thought I'd save Abe a post.)

[AbeVigodaLive]

[Edit: Karl just trolled me. And I fell for it.]

[rtiff68]

What's the story with Ibaka?

He's always been an above average three point shooter (percentages). Last year, he seemed to commit to the three point line a bit, averaging 3.5 attempts per 36 minutes. It didn't seem to hurt his efficiency. He still shot 38%. By comparison, that's better efficiency than Kevin Love in his career.

But this year, he's shooting less than half that number of attempts per game (only 1.5). That seems weird as the rest of the league keeps embracing the shot more and more. I would think that even with Durant and Westbrook healthy that they would dig the spacing with Ibaka in the corner...

Perhaps it's a strategic thing by Donovan, for whatever reason? I can't really think of a reason he would want to do that, but...