Is this the start of something? Getaway day on last leg of 5 game road trip, down 12 to start the 4th to a Hornets team that's 21-14, and the Warriors come back to win going away? How is that possible? (Well that's why I never bet sports). I can only hope that this is the start of a different mindset/pathway for the team and not just a one-time occurrence. The only 8 TOs makes me wonder though as to whether they just played an unbelievable game and the gods were with them.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! I think it was all in David Lee and Udoh's attitude. They inspired the team with some energy. The Dubs settled for jumpers in the 1st half, the 2nd half. They took it to Okafor got them to the line and in the paint. It was really nice watching real basketball again for once.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! The play that got Okafor fouled out was a David Lee post-up, spin into the lane, And 1. That seemed to be the point where the Warriors knew they had the Hornets.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! Although we've had little to show for it in this trip they've actually been playing these very good teams close. I wouldn't go as far as to say they played well aside from last nights game because they're still making god awful plays and mistakes but they're right there with these teams. Atlanta was a very close game, I believe we scored the most on them that anyone had in the last 12 games or something like that. Then we barely edged out Charlotte who we obviously should have beat but keep in mind they had won a few games in a row under Silas and while they're a losing team I think they're tougher than they seem on paper. Then in Miami we lost a close one after being up 20, they had a parade to the FT line and they showed why they're so much better, still only lost by single digits. And Orlando was very close and we were actually leading a lot of the game up until somewhere in the 3rd Q they broke it open and in that game there was no Lee or Beans. All games on the road keep in mind. Then in NO we come back from down 10 at the end of the 3rd Q to be up 5 only 6 minutes into the quarter. Dunno if you guys watched the game but the guy in the middle of it was EKPE UDOH. He wasn't making all the plays but its no coincidence that we made our run when he was at C with Lee at PF. During that run he changed a few shots in the lane and scored another beautiful baby hook on David West. Monta and Curry went off, Lee hit a few big shots. It seemed like a defining moment where Udoh would earn his spot in the rotation as a key member of the club...then Smart subbed him out for Vlad and we lost the lead we built. Seriously this fucking guy is a moron. Vlad didn't play AT ALL the first half and he gets 17 second half minutes including minutes down the stretch. WTF man. In other news Amundson played very well. Also Gadz and BW got a DNP CD. I say its a good thing because it means Udoh is established in the rotation ahead of them. That being said I don't know why Vlad continues to get minutes at PF when Carney just got cut and we have all these other guys. Are we playing smallball or not Smart? Pick one. Anyway we've been playing better lately and we've got this big home stand coming up. The team is fully healthy for the first time since 2008 or something like that. We'll see what the team can do. To me the key is Beans and Lee up front. They need to get back to rebounding like they did those first 8 or so games. Unfortunately they're both banged up still I think but on a positive note we've got a much better bench than we had back then with the additions of Lou, Ekpe, Acie Law, and Vlad is starting to shoot better. highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzfKPNppmS0
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! I did not see much of the game. But I found these notes to be interesting. http://www.nba.com/games/20110105/GSWNOH/gameinfo.html Warriors-Hornets notebook By Larry Holder, for NBA.com Posted Wednesday January 5, 2011 11:42PM THE FACTS: Monta Ellis sparked a major comeback as his 29 points led the Golden State Warriors to a 110-103 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena. The Warriors snapped the Hornets' three-game winning streak. TURNING POINT: The Warriors made their second largest comeback win possible when they turned an 82-72 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter into a 99-89 lead with 4:14 left in the game going on a 27-7 run. QUOTABLE: "I just thought they wanted to pace it down. We needed to pace it up with what we wanted to do. Not just be fast and taking quick shots, but get the pace up to the area of the floor that we wanted. We know what we want to do when we fast break. People see our team sometimes and think we're going to run, run, run." -- Warriors coach Keith Smart on the fourth-quarter comeback THE STAT: The Warriors scored 38 points in the fourth quarter. It was the most points the defensive-minded Hornets surrendered in a single quarter in any game this season. HOT: The Warriors in the fourth quarter as they shot 64.7 percent from the field in the final 12 minutes. Ellis scored 12 of his game-high 29 points in the final quarter. NOT: The Hornets from the free throw line and holding onto the basketball. New Orleans missed 12 free throws and turned the ball over 18 times, which turned into 21 points for the Warriors. QUOTABLE II: "It's not me calling these guys out, (but) too many times our starters are giving us leads and we're not sustaining. That's unfair to the starting lineup. ... We have to have balance. Trying to change the rotation on a night-in, night-out basis to cover up some of the mistakes we're having. ... I've got to make some changes in my rotation." -- Hornets coach Monty Williams on the poor bench play ROOKIE WATCH: Warriors first-round pick forward Ekpe Udoh hit a couple of big shots in the fourth quarter and played eight minutes in the final frame. NOTABLE: Warriors forward/center David Lee returned to the starting lineup after missing Monday's game in Orlando with a bruised lower back. Lee scored 13 points in 25 minutes of action. ... Warriors center Andris Biedrins played and started for the first time after missing the previous nine games with a sprained left ankle. Biedrins scored four points in 13 minutes. ... You can't blame the loss on Hornets guard Chris Paul as he scored 24 points and dished out 13 assists. You can't blame the Hornets starters either as they shot 54.9 percent from the field. UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Friday vs. Cleveland, Sunday @ L.A. Clippers, Wednesday vs. L.A. Lakers. For the Hornets, Friday @ L.A. Lakers, Sunday @ Denver, Wednesday vs. Orlando. Also looking at the box score, Udoh had the highest +/- at +17. I thought maybe Vlad had a good game. He was +16 with 8 points (3-4 from FG, 1-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 block, 0 turnovers. The Warriors are a hot/cold team. I mean they scored 36 points in each of the first two quarters against the Heat, and 38 points in the 4th against the Hornets. Then you have quarters where I believe they've scored 12 points or 18 points. The team is strongest when it has production from the bench. Against the Magic the bench was very productive. I believe they outscored the Magic bench very handedly. The second half the bench got completely dominated by the Magic bench. In this game against the Hornets, it looks like the team got some good production from players like Udoh, Vlad, Lou to really help out. The big thing in this game is how few turnovers they committed. That was huge. They were not great on the boards, they didn't shoot it exceptionally well compared to the opponent, but that 8 to 18 turnover difference must have been huge for the Warriors taking 5 more shots than the Hornets and ultimately winning the game. What I really liked from watching the highlites was Udoh on the low post, and Lee on the high post. There were some good offensive plays made from that formation. The highlite before that showed Udoh and Lee in the same spot setting a ball screen at the 3 point line for Ellis. I don't know if that was the called play, it led to a score, but it didn't look pretty. The two or so highlites after that with the 4 at the high post and 5 at the low post were nice though. In fact, depending on how the rebounding fares (not so confident yet in Udoh's rebounding), I'd like to see more of Udoh at the 5 (on the low block) and Lee at the 4 (high post) with the other starters (even as the starting lineup, it would be fun to experiment). It gives the team a threat in so many areas where the team can attack, including in the paint. It's good to get a win. 2-3 on that roadtrip is acceptable. Let's see the wins keep coming though.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! Yes, totally. What's nice is the balance with Lee and Udoh together. Lee on the high post, Udoh down low. Lee can pass out of the high post, and it seems to me like Udoh is a very nice option to score down on the block. On the defensive end, Udoh can block shots, and Lee can rebound. The particular dynamics between those two bigs make them a very nice combination together. That could definitely be the start of something. Also, both Monta and Curry were just clutch in that 4th quarter, hitting threes and coming up with steals. They looked like a dynamic duo backcourt in the 4th, I thought. And yes, Vlad is very frustrating to watch. For every seemingly good play he has, there are always one or two brain-farts to negate it. He did hit a big three in the 4th... he also had some very bad plays as well. He is a defensive liability at the PF, which is where Smart insists on playing him. At the SF it wouldn't be so painful to watch, but at PF, it's not pretty. I knew Phil Jackson called Vlad a "space cadet" and "my favorite martian," but I never knew he told him he needed psychotherapy: http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/lakers/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_lakers_notes_07.410f6a4.html I mean, after BWright's nice 1st half against Orlando.... seriously... a DNP, while you ride Vlad at the PF? Not good coaching in my opinion. Usually I would hope the coach knows something we don't, but it's starting to seem pretty obvious, IMO...
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! I'm extremely impressed by Udoh's offensive success in the post. Barnett I believe was saying how he reminds him of Duncan, not in scoring ability but in how they're both mechanical (i.e. not smooth/fluid like a Gasol or Bosh) in the post but it works for them. He qualified by saying he won't be a Duncan as far as being such a prolific go-to scorer but how money would that be if we could dump it in to him 5-10 times a game and get some low post scoring from him? He could be like an Al Horford type player. Not a great option in the post but capable in spots, Udoh is already showing off a pretty solid jumper too. He definitely makes the offense much more dynamic, any time you've got a guy who can score in the post you either a) get that good low post, high % shot or b) draw a double and leave our guards open on the perimeter. In fact I'll bet that our guards' reputation is allowing Udoh to get looks down there without any help defense coming at him. So far the baby hook is money, hes shown a better baby hook in the last 5 games than BW ever has and the 7 or 8 moves I've seen from him are more than any big man we've had since Webber probably. Smart needs to start running some post plays for him. Right now he only gets the ball when hes established good position down low. And more specifically on how he makes the offense more dynamic, I think this is where we can see Lee thrive as well. Obviously Lee's bread and butter is the pick and roll but with that jump shot he keeps the opposing PF close to him on the perimeter and if Udoh were to kick it out Lee can shoot or drive well. Lee can also clean up on offensive rebounds. And like I said, Udoh can hit a jumper so thats just another weapon. Dunno how he does with pure catch and finish situations but hes active on the offensive glass, setting screens, etc. Don't think he'll be supplanting Beans as the starting C quite yet but I really hope Smart starts giving him a few looks down low. If he continues to do well we could have a player on our hands. We know hes a factor on defense. If he can score a little bit that would be HUGE and very unexpected.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! http://www.contracostatimes.com/sports/ci_17021967?source=rss&nclick_check=1 Do you really need to baby him Smart? Yeah hes a rookie but hes been performing perhaps better than any of our other bigs.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! Yeah, it's not as if he's had the rookie jitters or he's been an immature head case like Randolph was. At times, Udoh seems like one of the most composed players on the court. He carried the team at Baylor, and he just seems to have some of that calm leadership. Plus, he's been out so long, his body is fresh and ready to go. Give him some run!
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! Here's to you Mr. Riley, you were right, Udoh was a great pick! I watched Baylor in the NCAAs and did not think that Udoh was as big and strong as he looks now.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! BTW I know we've covered how Vlad is a moron but someone on the W's needs to get this through his head- in December he shot 49% on 3's, in January hes shooting 43% on 3's. His overall FG% is actually quite good but for the love of god someone needs to tell him to be a friggin spot up shooter and stop trying to be Kobe. With all the real big men back and Carney gone he should get a lot of time at SF and take into account the penetration and passing of our guards it should be easy pickins' for him at the 3 pt line.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! You know, I think his injury worked in his favor. People (and the coaches) allowed him to gradually grow without complaining. He's going to have his ups and downs from this point, but I really like his game and attitude. He's a real scrapper and seems to be intelligent as well. Now I have a reason to watch every game from this point out (not that I've missed a game in 15 years or so)
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! Oh and one other play that I think got overlooked last night was the Monta driving in and dropping the assist to Udoh for the dunk. I think this is a microcosm of Monta's maturity lately. Before he would have forced that shot up amongst NO's frontcourt defenders, possibly turning it over, possibly making it, possibly missing it. Dumping that ball to Udoh is so crucial because it makes the play much less risky. They ended up with a high percentage shot from Udoh but even if he misses it the chances of a NO fast break are less likely if Monta isn't spilled all over the ground and Udoh is still on the baseline waiting for the pass. The chances of an offensive foul and/or turnover resulting in a controversy with Monta and the refs which would have perhaps distracted the team are fewer and Monta is that much more difficult to guard if defenders know he could dump it off to Udoh/Lee for an easy dunk. And it always helps to get others, especially big men, more involved. Oh and that wrap around pass was very reminiscent of Baron back in the day. Guys who can score in the 4th quarter are those who can pass it. I think before teams knew to pack the lane because Monta probably wasn't going to drop the dime. Hes been passing better lately and I believe we're seeing a correlation between the improved passing and Monta's improved success in the 4th quarter. Also that was a ballsy shot by Lee on the baseline to put a mini dagger in them. He didn't hesitate even though his shooting %'s have been crap lately and he wasn't really open. I love the attitude although it would be frustrating if it didn't go in lol.
Re: No Way! Tell me I'm Dreaming; Warriors come back in 4th to beat Hornets on road! I like all of your analysis, Run, and I agree he has definitely passing better lately. But that particular play on the dish to Udoh -- I remember thinking to myself that it was just luck for Monta that it turned out that way. I could be wrong, but to me it seemed like the usual Monta -- getting hung up in the air with nowhere to go, and then needing to get bailed out. He did get it to Udoh, though, regardless. But that's what separates a good playmaker from a great one. Guys like Nash and Paul, they set the defenders up. They bait them. They play off their body language, position... Paul uses his scoring ability to set the defenders up, knowing the whole time that he's going to find Okafor for an easy dunk. Whereas most of the time, Monta has no clue what he's going to do. Neither do his teammates, often times. Sometimes, it's a spectacular play. Other times, it's total improv. Which isn't a bad thing... being in the zone and all. But when you are truly in the zone, you don't lead yourself into situations with no options, or into deep water where you need to be bailed out. Monta seems to be part pure "in the zone" improv, but mixed with part fearlessness that can get him into undesirable situations. He definitely seems to be getting better at finding the right pass at the right time, though, I agree. I agree -- a young, promising rookie like this is exciting and it gives us fans a reason to care! I mean, I still care about the team, and haven't missed a game myself in 12 years... but they could be blown out by 20, and I'd still watch to see the young Udoh play garbage minutes. I can't say the same about Corey Maggette.
