League schedule makers knew what they were doing when they scheduled five night in LA for the Warriors this month. Usually, when the Warriors are in LA, they would play a mediocre game at best or struggle.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the Golden State Warriors during the first half of this road trip. Instead, I expected the Drunken State Warriors- an unfocused, undisciplined caricature, of themselves.
Golden State as a whole was phenomenal during the first half of the 12 day road trip. A trap game in LA was pretty much a certainty that the league was betting on.
And they lost.
Here are some observations from the road trip in this week’s Town Business
Boogie’s Acclimation
DeMarcus Cousins made his season debut against the LA Clippers, and the impact on the rest of the team was instant. In Cousins, the Warriors added another dimension to their offense. His passing and playmaking were present when other attributes of his game were slow to come around.
Five games later, Cousins has steadily made strides on offense and energy. The most glaring differences are in the post. Against the Wizards, the Warriors scored a season high of 70 points in the paint.
While Cousins made the Dub’s core of bigs better with his playmaking, scoring and hustle, but fouling and pick and role defense is still a struggle.
Teflon Steph
After the Warriors’ 130-111 demolition of the Los Angeles Lakers on MLK Day, all everyone could talk about is Stephen Curry sliding across the Staple Center’s floor on a fast break, and the air ball afterwards. The sequence is easily the top candidate for Shaqutin’ moment of the the year. However, Inside the NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal granted Curry immunity from his ‘Shaqutin’ a fool segment’ because Curry is O’Neal’s fave.
In addition to O’Neal’s immunity, Curry has some of his own. After the game, he posted the fall on his instagram account, with the dramatic scroll up and Donnie McClurkin’s “We fall down” playing in his post.
Well Played.
What people don’t realize is that you can’t get “roasted” if you not only acknowledge the embarrassment but take it head on. Curry is the type of guy who doesn’t take himself constantly seriously, therefore it works to his advantage.
Lock In and Lock Down
The Warriors edged past the Celtics last Saturday 115-111, and they didn’t ice the game on offense. They clamped Boston’s offense in clutch time. The game was knotted up at 108 with 2:43 remaining in regulation. After Kyrie Irving shook Andre Iguodala and hit the game tying floater, Boston shot 1 for 5 from the field and committed two costly turnovers. Currently the Warriors lead the league in defense in the clutch with at 92.7 defensive rating. The Dubs hold opposites to 36 percent shooting, and also lead the league in clutch rebounding with 4.7 per game.
Town’s Finest
The Town’s Finest for Week 10 is Klay Thompson for his show on MLK day against the Lakers at Staples. Thompson finished the game with 44 points off of 17-for-20 from the field, including 10-for-11 from deep.
