This is something you guys can add to if you've noticed this, but I remember one of the announcers said, "they <Warriors> just don't have any identity on defense." Besides the obvious 47-50% allowed field goal percentages for our opponents, I think he meant like sometimes the Warriors, as a team, don't really have a set of rules about how to counter a pick and roll or how to force baseline and trap the ballhandler and get out on the passing lanes. Let's just say defense is inconsistent. Or maybe the running game has them believing they can always score more points to make up for lousy/lazy defense, but these guys have really up and down team defense... Sometimes they can make stops, sometimes they can't. How can this team improve their defense? One of Monty's strengths was coaching team defense but can it be taught to a franchise that historically has never played a lick of defense since before the run tmc days? I mean for teams that don't play any consistent defense it's either a.] Early exit from the playoffs b.] You don't make the playoffs period. No way did Mullin think this was a playoff team because who has played any defense last year? It was pretty bad last year, but Robinson/Dampier duo made it tough to go inside which put less pressure on the perimeter defenders. Now that we are a donut squad with nothing in the middle, the perimeter defenders and overall team defense has to improve because there's a lot of weaknesses all around and not enough communication and teamwork being done to prevent anyone from pulling up in the lane for the slam or the midrange jump shot. The defense has got to move as a cohesive unit aware at all times where the ball is going to go to and how to get in front of players moving off the ball, around a screen or going through a backdoor cut with teammates to help out if beaten on a play. This team will not improve next year unless they set some mile stones for how to play tough or we'll end up getting beaten by the same set play over and over. We can't go on giving up 50% shooting each game to other team in the paint and we can't leave open jump shooter uncontested when they cycle the ball around. Games have been exciting, but it's also been disgusting because it's just masking how really awfully we are protecting the basket. I hope we're not falling in love with this style of Warriors small ball because you'd could easily watch And1 basketball and see as much defense being played. Even when we've had Murphy healthy in the lineup, we must have given up shooting %'s at least 46% a game. That's one of the worst in the league in field goal percentage allowed. The team will definitely have to figure out how to play together, barring injuries and the revolving door Injured Reserve List we have seem to have had last year and this year.
IMHO, Speedy, Pietrus, and J rich all have the abilty and athletiscm to play defense. BUT, speaking from expierence, When you see 2 or three other teamates, flopping around and not busting there ass on the defensive end, and just chucking shots, totally disregarding the effort and energy you have just taken to stop your man from scoring its kind of dis-heartning. I think thats the reason pietrus chooses to look for his shot wayyyy more now then ive ever seen, and also he gets beat quite frequently to the basket (i wonder how those kebabs taste). Defense is something you have to take pride in on the court, again im speaking from expereince on a NON PROFESSIONAL level. Im not even getting paid, These guys get paid millions, they have to WANT to play, they can, they just dont WANT to because of the reasons i pointed out above.
Those announcers were killing me. They were talking bad about Pietrus' ball handling and jump shot, but he is a better ball handler than Jrich and his jump shot is pretty solid IMO when he gets set. Its the one footed leaning jumpers that often miss iron. I would rather see Pietrus in the 3 guard set starting than Fisher even though Fisher is playing pretty solid the last few games.
Also nobody be expected to guard anyone by himself all the time, he needs at least one defender back to help out and challenge the ballhandler away from the rim, otherwise he's got to let him go or take the foul. Pietrus is supposed to be a good defender, the problem is the Warriors have so many other players that don't do diddly on the defensive end to help out (like our big men). Also Warriorsfansnc93 has a point about setting your feet when shooting, these athletes are so bent on beating their men off the dribble or the chance to nail an open shot, they hurry and don't practice their proper shooting form. He tries to do too many Steve Nash impersonations, except Nash makes them.
I watched a junior college game a few nights ago and what really struck me was that everyone busted their butts on D,with tight coverage,with more focus on solid basics and effort than gimmicks. I'd been so used to the NBA game I was surprised that the simple idea of stay on your man and don't give him anything easy wasn't somehow obsolete. For the Warriors,in recent times there was the double-up on the ball idea,which only works if everything is executed well and the players have the quickness and stamina to double and trap and still get back to cover the man left open. A lot of NBA players idea is you bump,grab,hack and hold and hope the refs are numb to so many slop fouls
Well in the NBA, the 5 guys that are on the court, are usually much more difficult to contain, but I see what you mean about busting your ass on defense. Everyone knows in the NBA that not only are they athletic, but they also play physical. So I'll give the Warriors the benefit of the doubt that it is not easy to guard the players they face (especially since they are at disadvantage physically with small ball), but they need to show more effort between posessions. I think the W's basically just tried to play the passing lanes and go for steals rather than trying to play straight up when they give up 5 inches to their opponents. Luckily, the Warriors were able to run and score on second chance points and 3 pointers. Unfortunately that won't be our game because we're not a great rebounding team without Murphy and we're not a great 3 point shooting team without Fisher. The Warriors did have better playmaking with 4 great passers on the floor at the same time. I think what is upsetting is that a lot of us just want the Warriors to be like the Spurs. Be able to play any style in halfcourt/open offense and master defense and set plays. Looks like we have to find our own identity because we can't force it with the players we have. We just have to go with the flow even if the flow is down the gutter to the sewers and out to the bay.
This is just my opinion but for the Warriors, it's not that they don't try to play defense, it's just that they either don't play defense correctly ( i.e. being out of position because of steals or blocks, rotating or forcing the defender in a certain direction) or have physical limitations. For example... let's take Adonal Foyle. The guy can be absolute beast sometimes.. he can rip the rebound from other big men and swat dunks and shots with the best of them. He's a great weakside defender, someone who can come off his defender and give you a double team or a swat, but then theres the times when he doesn't get the swat and ends up out of position. That's what kills the Warriors the most when Foyle plays, he takes himself out of rebounding position by trying to stuff every shot within his reach. This problem isn't always evident because you have board monster Murphy gobbling up the rebounds most of the time. However, the Warriors biggest problem is physical limitations. Speedy gets abused on pick and rolls because hes 5'11'', Fisher probably has ankle problems from guarding all the 2 guards that are way faster than him. Both are good defenders but they're limited in a sense. I see the reason why Ray Allen was so good in the first half was because Fisher was guarding him. Allen stands at ( im guessing here) 6'6", and Fisher is 6'1". That five inch difference is a huge. However, in the second half, Richardson was guarding Allen more often. The difference between JR and Fishy? Jrich is listed at 6'6". Fisher is a better defender than Jrich, but Jrich has the height and tasty hops to distract even the most accomplished shooters.
