Category: Golden State Warriors

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Expect more rough and tumble basketball for Games 3 and 4

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On the NBA Finals/Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors in Game 2 Toronto have to be very greatful for a go-ahead basket by Andre Iguodala that sank the Toronto Raptors 109-104.

#2 For Games 3 and 4, the Warriors come back to Oakland. Is there any chance the Raptors can pull ahead or the Warriors can clear the fence and get ahead of a unpredictable Toronto team?

#3 Warriors injuries Kevin Looney is out, Klay Thompson how long will he be out, and Kevin Durant will he be out for the rest of the series?

David Zizmor does the NBA Finals/ Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Battered and bruised Warriors find a way to beat the Raptors to even the series 1-1

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing without Kevin Durant who missed his seventh straight game since suffering a strained calf muscle, found a way to come back from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors 109-104 in Toronto.

With the win, the Warriors now own home court advantage as game three, four, and six will be played at Oracle Arena. The Warriors had two more key players injured in the game Sunday night. Kevon Looney suffered a chest injury in the first half, and he did not return. The other player injured was Klay Thompson. Thompson suffered what appeared to be a thigh or hamstring injury late in the game. Thompson hobbled off the court and was wearing an ice pack, and his leg was heavily bandaged when he gave high fives to his teammates after the game. Hopefully, the damage is not too severe, and he will be able to play on Wednesday.

The Warriors knew that they did not want to leave Toronto down two games to none. The Raptors scheme on Sunday was to not let Steph get open. Curry struggled to get shots but he found his game in the second period and finished the first half with sixteen points. Klay had 18. The Warriors and Steph, in particular, have the hearts of champions. They have been down before but have always found a way to come back and win the game.

The Warriors trailed by five after the first 24 minutes of play. As they have done so many times in the past, they came out smoking to start the third quarter. They went on an 18-0 run to lead 72-59. The run was stopped when Raptors’ Fred VanVleet knocked down a three-pointer. The Warriors maintained the lead until late in the fourth quarter. They led by 12 with a little over five minutes to play. The Raptors defense stopped the Warriors cold. They scored ten straight points and held the Warriors scoreless for over five minutes. The Raptors closed the gap to 106-104. The Raptor fans were on their feet hoping the team from the North would come back and snatch the victory from Golden State. That hope was dashed when the very savvy Andre Iguodala nailed a three-pointer to ice the win. The Warriors win 109-104.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors started DeMarcus Cousins at the center position Sunday night. Cousins played limited minutes in his first game back last Thursday. On Sunday, he was a force in the middle. Cousins played 28 minutes and had a double-double. He scored eleven points, had ten rebounds, and recorded six assists. Draymond Green had another outstanding game. He almost had a triple-double. Draymond helped out with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Iguodala tallied 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. His three-point shot with 5.9 seconds left to play helped win the game for the W’s. Klay Thompson led the team with 25, and Curry finished the night with 23. Klay made 4 threes and Steph hit six. Andrew Bogut played 7 minutes and scored three big buckets. Quinn Cook had three threes, and Shaun Livingston pitched in with 6.

The Raptors were led by Kawhi Leonard’s 34 points. The Warriors held Pascal Siakam, who scored 32 points in game one Thursday night, to just 12. The big man from Cameroon had 8 board. Marc Gaol was held to 6, and Kyle Lowry 13. Fred VanVleet, coming off Toronto’s bench, knocked down 17.

Game Three of the best-of-seven series will be played at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night. The game will start at 6 pm.

Raptors win Game 1 of the NBA Finals 118-109

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Toronto Raptors, playing for the first time in the NBA Finals, beat the Golden State Warriors 118-109 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. The Raptors’ two players, Marc Gasol and Kawhi Leonard, who has been named Defensive Player of the Year, kept the Warriors at bay after taking the lead for good late in the first period.

The Warriors, still without Kevin Durant, put Jordan Bell in the starting lineup alongside Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry. The Warriors’ small lineup had trouble with the Raptors big men. Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam killed the Warriors with their offense. Siakam knocked down a career playoff-high of 32 points. The young man from Cameroon played well on both ends of the court. Gasol, acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in February, tallied 20 and he was a force on defense. The Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard, hobbled with a knee problem, scored 23 to help the Raptors to the win.

The Raptors led by four at the end of the first quarter. The Raptors extended the lead to 10 at the end of the first half. Curry was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. The Raptors held the Warriors to just 36% from the floor. The Raptors, on the other hand, shot 50% from the floor.

The Raptors led the entire second half. The closest the Warriors came was when they closed to within three 90-87 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala appeared to hurt his leg late in the game. The Raptors won 118-109.

Game Notes: The Warriors had three players in double figures. Steph Curry finished with 34. He knocked down four threes. It was the sixth playoff game in a row that Curry had 30 or more points. Klay Thompson had 21 points, and Draymond Green had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. The Warriors bench helped but not enough. Kevon Looney had nine. Jonas Jerebko, Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, and Alfonzo McKinnie each had six.

DeMarcus Cousins played in his first game since tearing a quadriceps muscle in Game 2 against the LA Clippers on April 18th. He played just a few minutes and appeared to get tired quickly.

The Warriors play Game 2 Sunday night in Toronto. They will have to figure out a way to stop Siakam, Gasol, Leonard, Danny Green, and Fred VanVleet. If they should win, the Warriors will have three of the last five games at Oracle Arena.

Sunday’s game starts at 5 pm.

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Do Raptors even have a chance against Golden State?

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photo from wisconsinstatejournal.com file photo: In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives on the Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcom Brogdon (13) in Toronto on May 25th.

On the NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with Dave:

#1 Much like James Harden of the Houston Rockets, will it be the same challenge for Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors? Will it be four or five guys versus Leonard? Will Leonard have to do all the heavy lifting?

#2 Is there any chance that this can be a balanced NBA Finals as the Warriors have dominated throughout the postseason? Do the Raptors have any advantage opening up the series at home in Toronto?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Welcome back Amaury after two months off from surgery; Amaury talks about A’s win streak

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twitter.com file photo: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez (left) with broadcast partner Manolo Hernandez Douen (right) prepare to call another Oakland Athletics game in Spanish at the Oakland Coliseum.

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury you were out for some two months after one of the longest layoffs in your broadcast career. What was that like being away from the mic?

#2 The A’s are currently on one of the longest streaks they’ve had in recent memory. It’s early, but folks have been talking about that 2002 season when they won 20 straight games

#3 In order to put together a win steak like that, you have to have a lot of things working for you and they’ve been getting timely hitting and long ball help from Mark Canha in place of injured Khris Davis.

#4 The Oakland A’s story has almost overshadowed the Golden State Warriors and their NBA Finals appearance starting in Toronto on Thursday night

#5 Amaury, you covered the Stanley Cup Final three years ago when the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins teed it up, This year, San Jose missed the finals by this much and now it’s going to be the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins. What was it like to be there at a very electric Stanley Cup Final when you got to cover it three years ago?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball on KIQI 1010 San Francisco, the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Warriors get some rest, wait for next opponent; Will Thornton and Karlsson stay with Sharks?; plus more

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Photo credit: @warriors

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The Golden State Warriors are now waiting to see who their next opponent will be after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in a sweep.

#2 Does a sweep by Golden State in four games over the Blazers and doing it without Kevin Durant pretty much tell the power of this team?

#3 The San Jose Sharks’ loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on Tuesday — is that a testament that after the hand pass win by the Sharks in Game 4 fired up the Blues towards a common goal?

#4 What would it mean for the Sharks if Joe Thornton and Erik Karlsson were to leave the team?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes are headed to Toronto this Sunday. The Quakes’ Chris Wondolowski scored four goals against the Chicago Fire last Saturday.

London Marq does Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors look like they could go all the way; Toronto or Milwaukee on deck

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Photo credit: sports.yahoo.com

On the NBA Finals podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 From all the looks of it, the Golden State Warriors look like they can go all the way at this point. Talk about their possible opponents for the next round in Toronto or Milwaukee.

#2 The Warriors did it without Kevin Durant. What does that show as either the Raptors or Bucks are going into the NBA Finals?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors overcome a 17-point deficit to sweep the Trail Blazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors downed the Portland Trailblazer 119-117 to sweep the Western Conference Finals. They now advance to the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive year. They join the Boston Celtics as they and the Celtics are the only teams to reach the Finals for five seasons in a row.

The Warriors won their fifth game in a row with superstar Kevin Durant on the sidelines. DeMarcus Cousins, who injured a quadriceps muscle in the series against the LA Clippers was not available either. Andre Iguodala hurt his calf in Game Three in Portland and was questionable for Monday’s game. Warriors coach Steve Kerr opted to not play Andre. Kerr made changes in the starting lineup, and they paid off as the W’s won. It was not easy as they had to do it in overtime, but they did it.

The Blazers who had a 17-point lead in game two, and an eighteen-point point in game three, were able to gain a 17-point advantage in game four. The Blazers’ Damian Lillard, who suffered a rib injury and wasn’t at his best in games 2 and 3, was determined to play better and lead his team to a win. Blazers’ head coach, Terry Stotts, shuffled his lineup and inserted seven-foot-one -inch Meyers Leonard in the lineup. Leonard, who was averaging about six points a game, had the game of his life. He scored twenty-five points in the first half and knocked down five threes.

The Warriors, without Andre Iguodala, started forwards Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie. It was the first time that either player ever started an NBA Playoff game. The Warriors were hoping the “next man up” philosophy would work and it did.

The first period was very fast and furious. Both teams raced up and down the court. There were nine lead changes in the first quarter alone. The Warriors finished the period with a slim 36-35 lead. Steph Curry had 12, and Klay Thompson added 10 to pace the Warrior attack. Portland’s Meyers Leonard put 14 on the board, and CJ McCollum had 8, and Lillard added 7.

The Blazers, behind Leonard, McCollum, and Lillard outscored the W’s 34-29 to finish the first half leading 69-65. They led by eleven 66-55 late in the second period. Steph Curry made two three and a deuce to end the half trailing 69-65.

The Blazers knew it was now or never. They knew that they had to put away the Warriors. They knew that the Warriors had come back from significant deficits in game 2 and 3. They knew that if they hoped to win, they had to shut down the W’s offense and, at the same time, find a way to break down the Warriors defense. They held Draymond Green to just two points in the first half. Without Iguodala, could Draymond do it again? He answered the question. Yes, he did it again. The Blazers led 98-78 late in the third quarter. The Warriors scored the last eight points of the quarter to trail by eight 95-87. The Warriors knew that they had work to do in the final period, but an eight-point deficit is not impossible to overcome.

Curry hit a three to start the fourth quarter. Portland hit two-threes to go up by eleven 101-90. The Warriors defense started to throttle the Blazers’ offense. The Warriors went on a 14-3 run to tie the game at 104. Portland’s Rod Hood made a bucket, but Kevon Looney countered with one of his own to tie it at 106. Draymond gave the W’s the lead 108-106. Lillard made a three and Leonard added a bucket to put Portland ahead 111-108. Klay Thompson knocked down a three to tie it, and the game went to overtime.

The Warriors fell behind 115-114. Alfonzo McKinnie made a bucket to give the W’s the lead 116-115. Draymond Green made his only three-pointer of the game to provide the W’s their most significant lead of the night 119-115. Lillard connected on a two-point shot to close the gap to two 119-117. Neither team could relax. With 3.3 seconds left, Portland had the ball. If they made a two-point bucket, they would have tied the game and forced another 5-minute overtime period. If they made a three, they would have won. The Warriors held on, and Portland could not get off a shot. The Warriors win and end the Blazers’ season.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors bench players all performed well in Monday night’s win. Jordan Bell had seven, Alfonzo McKinnie was in double figures with 12. Kevon Looney continued his excellent play. He had a double-double with 12 points 14 rebounds. He, again, did a superb job getting offensive rebounds. Klay Thompson had 17, and he was tasked with trying to shut down Portlands CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. The Warriors had another first as they had two players that had a triple-double. Draymond Green, held to two points in the first half, finished the night with 18 points, 14 boards, and 11 assists. Step Curry had his fifth game in a row with 30 or more points. He tallied 37 and had 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Shay Livingston added 8, coming off the bench.

Meyers Leonard led Portland with 30 points and 12 rebounds. McCollum finished with 26. Damian Lillard had a double-double for Portland with 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 12 assists. Zach Collins was the other Blazer in double figures with 10.

The Warriors outrebounded the Blazers 55-28 The W’s had 15 offensive rebounds. Portland had six. The Warriors had 10 steals and 5 blocks.

The Warriors will now have a few days off as they await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks lead the Series 2-1. Game four will be played in Toronto Tuesday night.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Curry’s wife on Jada Pinkett show to talk about lack of attention from men; Kerr says Green’s a wrecking ball; plus more

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Photo credit: buzzfeednews.com

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 On the Facebook Red Table Talk show with Jada Pinkett, NESN.com reported Golden State Warriors wife Ayesha Curry said that while she didn’t like groupies hanging around her husband, she had developed a bit of “an insecurity” and getting “zero male attention.” One writer Bari A Williams tweeted Ayesha might feel this way is because she’s 30, has three kids and might not feel and look the same way she did before she had kids.

#2 Golden State Warriors head coach Steven Kerr said that Draymond Green was a wrecking ball in Game 3 on Saturday with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals, and a blocked shot.

#3 St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington said about San Jose Sharks Timo Meier’s one hand pass assist that led to the Sharks’ game-winning goal in Game 4 for the overtime win on Eirk Karlsson’s goal: “It’s just madness. You hope for the best and try to close the door.” The Blues were pretty angry and took it out on Game 5 in San Jose on Sunday for the win 5-0 to take a 3-2 series lead.

#4 The red-hot New York Yankees have won 10 of their last 14 games and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said of the 17 starters or key players who are on the injured list the replacement by the younger players have come out and done a great job. ”Young guys are stepping up, they realize this is an opportunity that they might not otherwise have had and they’re making the most of it.” said Steinbrenner.

#5 The Oakland A’s, during this current road trip after losing two straight in Seattle, won three straight in Detroit. The A’s regrouped after the pair of losses to the Mariners and are really making a go of it in Detroit.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez on the News and Commentary podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a freelance reporter for Area Grande Spanish Newspapers

Draymond Green shines as Warriors defeat Trail Blazers 110-99 for 3-0 series lead

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors walked into the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals Saturday night. The Warriors entered with a 2-0 series lead, which was commanding, but the series wasn’t over yet. The Warriors still had some work to do.

The Warriors’ starting lineup featured Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Damian Jones. Andrew Bogut was initially slated to start, but Damian Jones reportedly got the nod just moments before the tip-off.

The Blazers played beautiful basketball in the first half.

The Blazers’ back court of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum hit back-to-back three-pointers early in the first quarter. Also, Meyers Leonard made the most out of his second career postseason start. Leonard was a last-minute replacement for Enes Kanter in the Blazers’ starting lineup.

Steph Curry hit a couple of threes and Shaun Livingston’s mid-range shooting game was on fire. But the Blazers held a 29-27 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The Blazers, however, showed the Warriors how basketball should be played in the second quarter. Zach Collins blocked Klay Thompson’s shot for a potential bucket early in the second quarter. Also, Evan Turner made mid-range shots as well as threes from the corner.

Sure, Dub Nation was thrilled to see Draymond Green make a buzzer-beating layup to end the first half. But it was the Blazers who took a 66-53 lead to the locker room at the break.

Meyers Leonard achieved a playoff career-high 16 points in the third quarter. But it was Draymond Green who stole the show by playing with such great energy. Green made some spiffy layups, despite multiple Blazers defenders all around him.

The Warriors finally took a one-point lead 77-76 with 1:54 left in the third quarter. The explosive play of Draymond Green and the slight leadership of Steph Curry and Jordan Bell contributed to the Warriors’ big run. Green had his seventh career playoff triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Blazers gave the Warriors a hard time and Steph Curry made a pass to Jordan Bell for a two, but the buzzer sounded before the shot was made and the Warriors settled for a 82-79 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Blazers were well-aware that they had 12 minutes to get the lead back.

CJ McCollum slid down the court on an arguable right hand grab and received a pair of free throws, but failed to make one or both of them. McCollum later made a two that pulled the Blazers within six 90-84 with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter. Then, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called a timeout for his team to regroup for a little bit.

It was quite a turnaround for the Warriors, who had an 11-point lead 100-89 with 4:18 left in the fourth quarter. Steph Curry stepped up his game, too. Curry’s efforts helped the Warriors to a 110-99 win and a 3-0 series lead.

Check out the Warriors’ final stats below.

Moreover, Draymond Green became the fifth player in NBA history to tally a triple-double (20 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals) in three straight NBA Playoffs series in a single postseason.

Game 4 will be Monday night at 6:00 pm on ESPN.