Category: Golden State Warriors

Transcendent Warriors Dismantle Spurs

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By Ben Leonard

They say defense wins championships. They said it was going to be the game of the year, if not the millennium. The Warriors’ (41-4) top-ranked offense against the Spurs’ (38-7) top-ranked defense.

But what “they” say doesn’t seem to apply to the Warriors. Behind a yet another standout performance from Stephen Curry, Golden State continued to defy conventional wisdom on Monday night, ripping a historically great San Antonio defense to shreds in a 120-90 win. Everyone around the league took notice — the West is Golden State’s to lose.

Against a Spurs team that had owned the reigning NBA MVP throughout his career, taking 13 of the previous 16 contests, Curry was the Warriors’ go-to guy, dropping 37 points to carry Golden State to the victory. Curry had averaged *just* 18.6 points per game against San Antonio, his second-worst mark against any team, but he stood up to the challenge. Curry had 15 points in the first quarter, sending Oracle Arena into a frenzy.

And it felt like Curry had put the game in the refrigerator by halftime — the Warriors 62-47 lead at the break felt like 162-47, for all intents and purposes.  It was the most points the Spurs had given up at the half all season long– just another day at the office for the Warriors, who shot 58.5% from the field in the first.

While the Warriors’ offense gets bucketloads of hype(no pun intended), its third-ranked defense earned its stripes as well on Monday. Sure, Tim Duncan was out, but the Warriors were lights out, holding San Antonio to shoot just 41.9% from the field. Only one Spur scored more than 12 points — All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, with 16.

Curry didn’t even need to play in the fourth quarter, logging just 28 minutes while the Warriors coasted to the victory. And turning the ball over just once.

With their 39th straight win at Oracle Arena, Golden State remained undefeated at home, and are now five short of tying Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ home win streak. 41-0 at home remains well within sight, with one more home showdown with the Spurs remaining.

 

 

Curry’s triple double helps Warriors to victory in Kerr’s return

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

photo credit: The Sporting News–Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton and head coach Steve Kerr

OAKLAND — Stephen Curry recorded his seventh-career triple double (second of the season), finishing with a game-high 39 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, helping the Golden State Warriors pick up their 40th win of the season with a 122-110 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers Friday night at Oracle Arena in head coach Steve Kerr’s first game of the season.

Kerr, who missed the first 43 games of the season while recovering from multiple back surgeries, was welcomed back with a thunderous applause from the sold out home crowd of 19,596.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time … I really missed the routine,” Kerr said after the game. “It feels like the first game of the season, which it is for me. Fortunately our team’s in a pretty good groove and hopefully we can keep going.”

Curry, who was voted to start in his third-straight All-Star game Thursday, shot 11-of-19 from the floor, including knocking down 8-of-15 three-pointers. Curry drilled two half-court shots (one after the first quarter ended which didn’t count, and the other at the buzzer to end the first half).

For the season, Curry has connected on 204 three-pointers, becoming the first player in NBA history to have four-straight seasons with 200 made three-pointers.

Ray Allen is the only player in NBA history with five seasons of 200 made three-pointers.

Curry shot 9-of-9 from the free throw line as he recorded his sixth 30-plus point game in his last eight contests.

In addition to Curry, Golden State finished with five players scoring in double figures.

Starters Draymond Green had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Klay Thompson scored 18 points, while Leandro Barbosa had 13 points and Andre Iguodala finished with 10 points off the bench.

Golden State raced out to a 25-8 lead in the first quarter by making 10 of their first 14 shots from the floor, before Indiana shot 47-percent from the floor, while limiting Indiana to 17.3-percent on three-pointers.

Rookie forward Myles Turner led the Pacers with a career-high 31 points off the bench. Former Warrior Monta Ellis scored all 18 of his points in the second half, as Golden State swept the season series from Indiana, 2-0.

Pacers All-Star forward Paul George scored just 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

Many believed that this could’ve been a trap game for Golden State (40-4), who will put their 38-game home winning streak dating back to last season and 20-0 home record this season on the line when they host the equally hot San Antonio Spurs (38-6) Monday night.

Indiana (23-20) continues its West Coast swing Saturday night at Sacramento.

 

 

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: After Detroit did W’s get good and mad; Kerr travels with club but is he ready to come back?

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On the Warriors podcast the Warriors after loosing to Detroit last week picked up wins in Cleveland and Chicago. Was it a matter of the W’s being a tired ball club in Detroit and just keying in against the Cavs and the Bulls or did the Warriors just get outright mad and demolished Chicago and Cleveland after losing in Detroit.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been traveling with the Warriors. He does get light headed when he sits down. How important is it to have Kerr on this current road trip and how concerned are the team about Kerr’s health?

Dave’s got it all take a listen to the Warriors podcast below at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Warriors Stay Dominant, Down Bulls 125-94

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By Shawn Whelchel

CHICAGO–The Warriors continued their domination of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, as Golden State followed up Monday’s impressive victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a blowout 125-94 victory against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Wednesday.

By the conclusion of the first quarter, Golden State’s lead would never drop beneath a double-digit advantage, as a strong night from the Splash Brothers helped to keep a comfortable lead. But Curry- who had 25 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds- and Thompson weren’t alone in their aptitude for scoring. Harrison Barnes followed close behind with 19 points of his own, while the bench scored an additional 49 points for Golden State, led by Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights with 12 points each.

Meanwhile, the Bulls couldn’t buy a bucket on their home court, as they finished the game with a dismal 37-percent shooting from the field. Compounding this was an atrocious 1-for-20 shooting from beyond the arc, as the team sunk their chances of staying competitive by their reliance on the long-ball. Some of Chicago’s poor shooting could be attributed to solid Golden State defense, while other open shots just refused to fall for the Bulls on a night in which they suffered their worst loss of the season at 31-points.

What offense Chicago could muster came from stars Derrick Rose-who finished with a game high 29 points but only two assists from the point guard position- and Jimmy Butler, who added 23 of his own points. Chicago’s starting unit would go on to score just seven points on 3-of-22 points, with center Pau Gasol putting up a donut in eight attempts due to solid defense from Andrew Bogut.

The lopsided scoring totals were indicative of what ultimately sunk Chicago’s efforts. While Rose and Butler may have got their points, the contest looked hardly like a team effort from Chicago’s standpoint, as they notched just 14 assists throughout the game, as compared to Golden State’s 38.

The Warriors were also able to force Chicago to run their game, as they broke away for 21 fast-break points on the night as compared to Chicago’s eight.  The loss gave Chicago a three game losing streak at home, as well as leading them to drop the last five out of seven games.

Golden State will return home from their three game road trip to take on the Indiana Pacers on Friday at Oracle Arena.

Warriors dominate Cavaliers on the road

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By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors laid a thorough beatdown on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, winning 132-98 in an NBA Finals rematch in Cleveland.

The Warriors led by 26 at halftime and did not look back, starting the second half on a 9-0 run to essentially put the game away extremely early. It was the largest loss of the season for the Cavaliers as the Warriors led by as many as 43 points.

Stephen Curry poured in 35 points, making 7-of-12 from three-point range and did not need to play the fourth quarter. Andre Iguodala added 20 points off the bench as every player on the active roster played and scored for the Warriors.

Golden State cracked 100 points with still more than a minute to play in the third quarter, and a three by Curry gave the Warriors a 40-point lead at 104-64. They took a 27-point advantage into the fourth.

The Warriors jumped out to a 10-2 lead on a barrage of threes by Curry and Klay Thompson. They played free-flowing offense and dominated the Cavaliers on both ends. Consecutive threes by Curry after drawing an offensive foul on LeBron James put the Warriors ahead 34-19 late in the first quarter.

They continued to outscore the Cavaliers at a furious pace in the second quarter. A 14-1 run midway through the quarter capped off by a Curry layup off a turnover gave the Warriors a 57-32 advantage. The Warriors went up by 30 late in the half on a three by Draymond Green, and took a 70-44 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Warriors Start Road Trip Off With Sluggish Loss To Pistons.

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By Shawn Whelchel

AP photo: Golden State’s Klay Thompson couldn’t encourage the Warriors enough to get over the hump with the Pistons on Saturday night

The Golden State Warriors continued to look less and less like the once dominant offensive NBA team that they were at the beginning of the season, as a cold shooting night handed them their second loss in the last three games.

After posting an impressive 30-point first quarter, the Detroit Pistons defense hunkered down on the reigning NBA champions, holding them to just 95 total points on 38 percent shooting on the night, handing them just their fourth loss of the season in a 113-95 loss for the visitors.

The Warriors night was filled with unremarkable moments from the usually solid team. From anyone not named Steph Curry or Klay Thompson struggling to find the basket, to frustrations spilling over in the form of multiple technical fouls called on Golden State, Saturday night’s effort was a forgettable affair amidst a historic season.

Curry did his part to keep his team in the game, netting 38 points on 13-of-26 shooting from the field, including seven makes from beyond the arc. Thompson trailed behind him with 24 of his own points in 32 minutes.

But beyond the splash brothers, no other Golden State starter cracked double digits in points, with the rest of the starting squad-including a healthy Harrison Barnes- combining for just 16 points on the night. Curry and Thompson dominated the touches, taking 44 of the total 67 shots from the starting unit. Festus Ezeli saved a sluggish bench performance as well, being the only other Warrior aside from Curry and Thompson to score in double digits with 10 points.

Golden State lost in nearly every major statistical category, going on to yield less rebounds, steals, blocks, assists, points in the paint and giving up more turnovers than the Pistons did on the night, effectively sinking their chances to gain momentum at the start of their road trip.

Meanwhile, the normally solid Warriors defensive effort was just as absent as their scoring, with all five starters scoring in double-digits for Detroit. Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Pistons with 20 points a piece. Aron Baynes had a solid night for Detroit down low, as the center put in 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting to lead the Pistons’ reserves.

The night was a tough start to a three-game road stretch for the Warriors. In a rematch of the NBA finals, the Warriors will have to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday in order to avoid their first two-game losing streak of the season. The team will then follow that up with a meeting with the 23-16 Chicago Bulls.

The Warriors win again at home, defeat the Lakers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Image result for golden state warriors

The Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-98 Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, retiring after the season, made his final appearance in Oakland. Bryant played about 28 minutes and left the game late in the fourth quarter. The fans, both Warrior and Laker fans, gave Bryant a standing ovation. The Lakers, who are rebuilding, fielded a very young lineup. They played the Dubs fairly even in the first half. Golden State did not shoot well from the floor as their field-goal percentage was just 35.6%. The Dubs led by one at the end of the first period and by three at the half 52-49. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson led the Dubs with nine each. Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with ten each while Lou Williams pitched in with nine.

The Dubs were not successful extending the lead early in the third period.  They had a seven-point lead midway through the period but the Lakers would not quit. The Lakers kept coming back and closed the gap to three trailing 73-70. At this point, the Warriors went on a 12-2 run to take a ten-point lead with 1:26 left to play.  Dubs lead by fourteen 86-72 after three periods.  Steph Curry made two key three-point shots in the period. Steph, at this point, had made eight three-point shots good for 24 points. He made a dunk late in the period. It was his only two-point basket in the game. Steph finished with twenty-six points.

The Warriors bench extended the lead to twenty to start the fourth period. Shaun Livingstone and Leandro Barbosa were huge off the bench. The Lakers tried but could not catch up. They did cut the deficit a little bit but the Warriors refused to wilt and the Dubs won again at home by a final score of 116-98.

Game Notes- The Warriors are 19-0 at home this year and have won 37 consecutive games in a row at Oracle Arena. Their record for the season is now 37-3. Steph Curry led the Warriors in scoring with 26 points. Klay Thompson had twelve and Draymond Green added seven and had nine rebounds to his credit. Shaun Livingstone, Leandro Barbosa and Harrison Barnes scored seventeen, fifteen and twelve respectively. With the loss, the Lakers drop to 9-32 for the season. Jordan Clarkson scored twenty for LA. Lou Williams added eighteen while Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell each had fourteen.  Kobe finished with eight.

The next three games will be on Saturday January 16th against the Detroit Pistons, Monday, January 18th against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Wednesday, January 20th against the Chicago Bulls.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: With Green hurt Warriors now getting into the really physical part of the schedule

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by David Zizmor’

photo credit: abc7news.com Golden State’s Draymond Green  is currently sitting out and resting

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors loss on Wednesday night to the Denver Nuggets 112-110 was just one of those things it’s the tough part of the schedule. The W’s have a lot of road games between now and the end of February. It’s the really physical part of the schedule.

The Warriors are coming off a road game and are playing back to back with a game at the Oracle Arena on Thursday night against the Lakers. They’re tired just from the altitude in Denver alone and it’s really tough. Not having Draymond Green Wednesday night that was physical too.

The Warriors did a pretty good physical job on defense but the shots weren’t falling. That might be them just getting a little bit tired and a little worn down. It just seems a week or two their shots haven’t been falling quite as much as their offense has been lacking.

David gives you all the latest on the state of the Warriors this week listen to the podcast below at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Baseball demographics reflect the USA

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

photo credit: pintablecoluringpages.co.uk One of the very few African Americans in the majors Coco Crisp of the Oak A’s

In the world, only China and India have a larger population that the United States of America. Today, of over 323 million people live in our country, the largest minority is comprised of Hispanics.US government statistics as of 2014 list Hispanics are 17.4% and African-Americans 13.2% of the total US population. It was some time ago that Hispanics passed African-Americans as the largest minority in the United States. in Baseball, Hispanic player participation in the game is much higher than the 17.4% and it keeps growing each year. With the relaxing of relations with the country of Cuba, more Cuban players are coming into the United States and are signed by major league teams.Since the 1800’s Cuba’s #1 sport has been baseball and not even the Cold War could stop Cuban players from coming into the United States.

 While Hispanics continue to increase in the major leagues, the same cannot be said about African-Americans, unlike some of the other main professional sports leagues in the country, the NBA and the NFL, Major League Baseball has been struggling in recent decades making baseball more attractive to African-Americans, but not much success there. For example, right here in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Giants, recently signed outfielder Denard Span, and that makes him, the only African-American on their roster as today and the Oakland Athletics with Marcus Semien and Coco Crisp.
Asian players have also been coming to the major leagues, although not in the same numbers as Hispanics/Latinos. According to SABR(Society American Baseball Research)as of 2012 Hispanic/Latino players made 26.9 % of all players in the major leagues, African-Americans 7.2% and Asian players 1.9%. Most recent and according to SBN(Sports Business News)The percentage of Hispanic/Latino players increased from 28.4 percent in 2014 to 29.3 percent on 2015 opening day rosters.The percentage of Asian players decreased from two percent in 2014 to 1.2 percent in 2015.
Statistically speaking, baseball is changing in step with the United States That is only fitting, since baseball still likes to be called The National Pastime.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
     

Draymond Green-Less Warriors Fall In Denver

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By Ben Leonard

photo credit: bleachereport.com Golden State’s Stephen Curry’s face says it all in the Warriors third loss of the season

Stephen Curry might be the reigning MVP, but Draymond Green might be nearly as valuable to Golden State. //

Without Draymond Green’s stifling defense, the Warriors (36-3) looked listless on defense in the high altitude at lowly Denver (15-24), falling 112-110 to snap a seven-game winning streak.

Interim head coach Luke Walton decided to rest Green. It made sense — he had been nursing a leg injury that had hobbled him. But it was evident that Golden State certainly missed Green’s athleticism and energy, yielding ten more points than their season average while allowing four Nuggets to score 18 or more points. 

Stephen Curry wouldn’t let his Warriors go down without a fight, dropping 38 points while draining 5 of his 12 three-point attempts. However, he might have been trying a little too hard to will his team to victory — he turned the ball over eight times, including a pivotal one with under 15 seconds left, with the Warriors down just two points. With a chance to be the hero, Curry lost his handle on the ball, allowing Denver to sink two foul shots to put the game on ice. 

Little-used power forward Jason Thompson took Green’s place in the starting lineup, but was relatively ineffective, scoring just four points in thirteen minutes on the floor. With that total, he almost doubled his minutes played this season, as he had seen the floor for just 18 minutes this season.

Danilo Gallinari led the way for Denver, dropping 28 points despite a poor effort from the field (5-14 FGA) — because he made 17 of 19 free throws. Will Barton also chipped in with 21 points for Denver.