GAME THREAD: Warriors @ Heat (12/23, 4:30pm PST)

Post comments. I predict the Warriors could win this one as long as we control the %'s and take better care of the ball. Even if we get outrebounded, we could pull something similar to a previous win where we got outrebounded but played better %'s and made points off their turnovers.

I think Dun, Biedrins, and Pietrus could have some good minutes tonight. Let's hope Baron is on as well and that Jrich plays within the flow of the game. I hope Nelson also puts Ike in there. I can't wait to watch this guy play, finally.

 

Never inbound to Foyle!

 

J-Rich the shooter

 

Where is Ike? Is he injured? I am tired of watching fade aways and three pointers.

 

No kidding. That's Don Nelson's style though...

He wants isolations and up tempo to put a lot of pressure on the other team. But we'll never get to fit his style if we don't have high% perimeter players that can move the ball one on one, shoot, and that can get to the line and make free throws. If we could get opposing matchups in a lot of foul trouble, that puts more pressure on the other team. There's not much motion activity on offense, other than one guy trying to play 1 on 5. We just throw away the posession and they run it back out on us. We saw the same thing last year, then we tried to run a slower tempo to get something better, but it's the same thing only we're destroying ourselves faster because we're not making baskets.

Last year we were about the same record as now, but if the month of January and the months after becomes bad, then we're looking like an exact repeat of last year where we start out okay, but we give up or can't finish the season until the games no longer count (towards playoffs)...

The Warriors just have to do something other than just stand around. I think they do it because they just don't know what to do to make plays or they don't have the right position roles to make the team plays work. If our team had 5 guards of various sizes, who tries to play like the center or power forward?... It just won't work that way IMO unless everyone is a fantastic one-on-one player on the perimeter. We still need big heavy anchors who can play like the positions are supposed to be played inside the posts... It's like in football, you have different positions/individual roles for a reason and they are counted on to protect/support the other positions.

Plus, physical matchups and position skills are so important in order to win the matchups. Every once in a while there is a guy that redefines the position or creates a new one which nobody can defend against or compete with, but I don't think Murphy, Jrich, Dunleavy, or whoever are players that re-define any positions. Still, I would rather hold onto Jrich because 20ppg scorers are too hard to find. Murphy and Dunleavy, I could deal without. They are just tall, nothing special compared to guys who can do what they do and move a little bit faster and play tougher. That's my opinion though. We've known this for a long time and it's probably heard about every single day. LOL. But that's why we lose... Mullin just did not go into 2004 thinking about what could have happened along the next couple of years. We could have acquired a big free agent like Baron or gotten an impact rookie like D-wade, and who knows... maybe Shaq would want to play for us or we get some true big paint player... Anything could happen, but Mullin was in over his head like most of his hires and decisions. He probably even brought in his own friends that would support him having the last word, instead of a guy like Nelson who would be critical and stop him from making dumbass decisions before he even knew what he had as a functional playoff worthy team.

 

Monta's down after a defensive play that needs to quit being used by players.

 

Sorry if that got negative, I'll just watch the Bulls/Bobcats game... I just can't follow the Warriors when they're showing their dark side. It's too hard to cope with the losses, given the moves made this offseason after two disappointing seasons with essentially the same roster.

If I get negative, it's because I'm trying to be pragmatic about the situation that I'm observing with the Warriors for years and years. My only solace is that the Warriors could very well change by all-star break given a few good moves.

I hope tonight's game, Nelson learns that we're not like any of his Dallas or Run TMC rosters. We gotta work the ball down low when Ike gets healthy or when Biedrins owns the matchup. A good big man score is going to have more of an impact than a lower % guard, but that is not Don Nelson's style...

 

I agree with you Custodian..I'm just hoping they trade someone to spark up this lineup. Hopefully either Murphy or Dunleavy even though he's been playing good lately. Its the same team and same skills. We need a new player on here!

 

<div class="quote_poster">iLL PiLL Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I agree with you Custodian..I'm just hoping they trade someone to spark up this lineup. Hopefully either Murphy or Dunleavy even though he's been playing good lately. Its the same team and same skills. We need a new player on here!</div>

We need a player that gets to the line a lot and shoots at 80%. Maggette!

 

<div class="quote_poster">iLL PiLL Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I agree with you Custodian..I'm just hoping they trade someone to spark up this lineup. Hopefully either Murphy or Dunleavy even though he's been playing good lately. Its the same team and same skills. We need a new player on here!</div>

Yeah... We can't keep getting owned by the other team's no-name small forward and getting nothing inside to show... If we take away more touches from the perimeter and convert it to inside scoring % we'll be more balanced, I think (especially at the foul line)... and we won't have to worry about the flat missed 3 pointer turning into a fast break against us. The 3-pointer is the lazy way to make offense. See Antoine Walker on laziness.

I'm not sure if this team has the right chemistry to swing the ball around /move off the ball like the Pistons or Jazz do, or shoot from midrange or play D/rebound like they do. I always feel disappointed about the Warriors current roster, but I'm never surprised. We talk about it everyday, but it doesn't help to revisit the pain constantly. I think it hurts especially when the Heat have been playing so badly, that I thought the Warriors would actually win this game. LOL. The Heat were so crappy without Shaq and all of a sudden some guy 6'8 tweener named Matt Kapono starts destroying us from the baseline 20 foot mark and then 3 point range.

 

<div class="quote_poster">custodianrules2 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The Heat were so crappy without Shaq and all of a sudden some guy 6'8 tweener named Matt Kapono starts destroying us from the baseline 20 foot mark and then 3 point range.</div>

If theres one thing that the Warriors do consistently, it's making super-stars look like gods, all-stars like super-stars, and scrubs like all-stars. I can't think of any other team that gives no-names career nights like the Warriors do.

 

They didn't show me a clear replay, but that play that Monta got injured on sure looked dirty. Doesn't help that it's James Posey, who I've seen pull some pretty cold crap in the past (the most visible being when he floored Hinrich in the open floor last year). The replay I saw looked like Posey lowered his shoulders to increase the impact.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Montaman Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">They didn't show me a clear replay, but that play that Monta got injured on sure looked dirty. Doesn't help that it's James Posey, who I've seen pull some pretty cold crap in the past (the most visible being when he floored Hinrich in the open floor last year). The replay I saw looked like Posey lowered his shoulders to increase the impact.</div>

I think Ellis would have gotten back up if it was only Posey that hit him. Right after he started falling, 'Tione Walker tripped Ellis and he fell faster and harder than he should have. Fcuk Tione.

 

Well, looks like we're without monta for at least a month....hope i'm wrong, but the way his shoulder looked..yikes!

 

I'll never understand why some players have to be dirty. They don't realize some of their actions can potentially ruin someones career.

 

I'm not too worried about this loss (minus the injury to Monta [also I just heard Yao got injured tonight which is good for the warriors but also disappointing for as a fan of basketball to see him injured yet again {there seems to be a ton of injuries to key players this season, must be the new ball...}). I'm not worried about the loss because it's been a long road trip and a back to back game. They seemed tired and there just could not make shots.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Gohn Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not worried about the loss because it's been a long road trip and a back to back game. They seemed tired and there just could not make shots.</div>

You're right, it was a back to back game on the road. Back to backs can be tough, and playing on the road sucks.

 

Well, yes, back-to-backs are difficult, but the good teams work through that. It was a lacklustre effort both physically and mentally and I don't think Nellie "performed" very well as a coach, either. Uncreative offensively and too late making adjustments. Another no-name career benchwarmer torching us. I bet he never cracks 20 again for the rest of the season. One can make all kinds of excuses for the loss, but it seems like there's always an excuse, and no buildup of momentum that leads to an extended winning streak. One night this team looks great, the next they just don't even show up.

Diogu was once again underutilized, especially with Biedrins clearly hurting and unable to play fully. I keep hearing maybe Diogu is not so great defensively, but tell me who on the Warriors is? Personally I don't think he's that bad, but don't the Warriors give up over 100 every single game anyway? Why not get some scoring, rebounding, and freethrow shooting with the reliable foul magnet that is Ike?

 

BTW any word on why baron only played 25 minutes???

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">BTW any word on why baron only played 25 minutes???</div>
The game was a blowout by the third quarter. Also Nellie rested Baron for a good part of the second quarter.