That does make all the difference, when you consider that few NBA teams have dominant large-bodied centers that can make Golden State pay for going with an undersized center, whereas lots of teams have excellent wings that can make Portland pay for having a 6'3'' small forward. One team is going small at a position where they can get away with it, the other team isn't.
I don't think our size is the problem. I think our lack of defense is the problem. And no, I don't think our size CAUSES our lack of defense: replace CJ, Dame and Norm with CP3, Jrue Holiday and Marcus Smart and we'd have an elite defense. Also: I was being a bit facetious. The reason small ball works with a small center is because the center is less valuable with dominant three-point shooting. Every team has at least one seven footer that, if you sent him back to the seventies or even eighties, would be an all-star, but the three point shot (plus anti-handchecking rules) has killed that position. Now, if the new foul rules are actually a step back towards handchecking, it will be interesting to see if the Warriors can be slowed down as teams adjust. It's nice to see super-big teams like the Cavs succeed a little.
Dude when those guys are talking about how much harder it was for them, they aren't talking about getting pushed while in the air in their shooting motion or after the gather and they aren't talking about contact with their arms while shooting or going to the hole. It was harder for them back then to get to their spots. It was harder for them to get to a place where they could get to the hole or a decent shot up. The physicality of the old NBA was being bumped while dribbling, being bodied up, getting hand checked, physical play off the ball when jockeying for position but they all got calls when they got touched while shooting or going for a layup/dunk. The shit that people are getting away with this season is unprecedented and the refs haven't even let the game get more physical in the old way... still calling ticky tack shit off the ball, on screens, hand checking and whatnot. Now it's just cool to push someone while shooting, or give a shove in the back while someone is driving or hack down and get all arm in either of those situations. The knew rules were destined to be a clusterfuck because the league is expecting nuance from these refs. There's no time for these refs to figure out if they're being tricked or not so they're just swallowing their whistles when their whistles are needed the most. Shots (jumpers, runners or layups/dunks) cannot be altered by contact from the defender... that's not basketball. If they were just not calling that shit at all I guess we would just call it a new game but it's still being called intermittently.
