Listed below is a breakdown of the youngest to oldest teams, tallest to shortest, and biggest to smallest.
Average Age
*Warriors- 23.4*
Portland- 23.6
Oklahoma City- 24
Memphis- 24
Chicago- 24
Charlotte- 24.8
Atlanta- 24.8
Utah- 24.9
Minnesota- 25.5
Miami- 25.6
LAL- 25.8
toronto- 25.9
Philadelphia- 26
New Jersey- 26
Washington- 26.2
Indiana- 26.2
New York- 26.4
Detroit- 26.6
Cleveland- 26.8
Sacramento- 26.9
Boston- 27.1
LAC- 27.1
Denver- 27.1
Houston- 27.5
Orlando- 27.6
Milwaukee- 28
Dallas- 28.1
New Orleans- 28.2
Phoenix- 28.2
San Antonio- 29.2
Average Height
Oklahoma City- 6'8
*Warriors- 6'7*
Portland- 6'7
Washington- 6'7
toronto- 6'7
Sacramento- 6'7
Phoenix- 6'7
Utah- 6'7
Philadelphia- 6'7
Orlando- 6'7
New Orleans- 6'7
New Jersey- 6'7
Minnesota- 6'7
Milwaukee- 6'7
LAL- 6'7
LAC- 6'7
Indiana- 6'7
Detroit- 6'7
Chicago- 6'7
Charlotte- 6'7
Boston- 6'7
New york- 6'6
Miami- 6'6
Memphis- 6'6
Houston- 6'6
Atlanta- 6'6
Denver- 6'6
Cleveland- 6'6
Dallas- 6'6
San Antonio- 6'6
Average Weight
Minnesota- 237
Utah- 230
washington- 228
Philadelphia- 226
Orlando- 226
Oklahoma City- 226
Boston- 226
New york- 225
Phoenix- 224
LAL- 224
Houston- 224
Toronto- 224
LAC- 224
Milwaukee- 222
Indiana- 222
Cleveland- 222
Charlotte- 222
New Jersey- 221
Chicago- 221
New Orleans- 220
Memphis- 220
Miami- 220
Portland- 219
Sacramento- 219
Denver- 218
*Warriors- 217*
Atlanta- 217
Dallas- 217
San antonio- 217
Detroit- 216
The team who I see the Warriors most closely related to is Portland. They are the 2 youngest teams, and both seem to be built tall, and skinny with players such as Aldridge, Wright, and Randolph.
Not suprisingly, San Antonio was the oldest, but I was suprised to see that Phoenix and New Orleans were on the bottom of that list as well.
Minnesota has a weight problem, and they are proof that bigger is not always better.
The thing that suprised me most, is that Detroit and San Antonio were both among the very few teams tied with or below the Warriors in team Weight. I always thought that they were big, beefy teams. I guess that to be strong half court and rebounding teams, you don't need giant players, just players who play harder and smarter than the opposing team. Beef is good, but not if they do not play right. Ronny Turiaf is the kind of player that plays bigger than he is, and stuff like that doesn't show up in these stats.
The Warriors are built for the long run, being the youngest team in the league. They are also tall and skinny, and I would not mind adding one more player of bulk.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Redeem Team
This was honestly the only time i will ever root for Deron Wiliams, Carlos Boozer, and Kobe Bryant. I still have never found a circumstance which I could root for Carmelo Anthony though. I stand corrected, however, when I say Carmelo Anthony will never, ever win anything in his hopefully short career. America won despite him, not becuase of him in my opinion. Moving on though, the redeem team served there purpose in the olympics this year, and avoided embarrassment by losing again. Forget embarrassment, it would have been far beyond embarrassing if we lost again. They were expected to win, and thank God they did. We proved to the world that we still are the superior basketball country despite recent failures.
It's hard to name a single player I was most unimpressed with this olympics, since I think it was our big men as a collective unit. It's hard to blame them though, because the international game isn't really built for pounding the ball down low. We all know Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh are better than Pau and Marc Gasol, but for some reason the international game doesn't show it. Hardly ever do we see the ball enter the low post, and Centers are regulated to rebounding and defense only. Since this is the case, I wouldn't mind seeing someone like Marcus Camby on the team at some point.
I was most impressed by Dwayne Wade in the olympics. Everyone knows he can play, when healthy, but he upped his own game for 2 weeks. He was almost always the best scorer on the court, all while playing sufficient defense. Besides Wade, Chris Paul and Deron Willaims played well. Obviously so did Kobe and Lebron, but that is almost a given. Paul and Williams scored when needed, and got into the lane against the zone. Not to be overlooked, Jason Kidd will probably end his olympic carreer undefeated. He played unselfish and great team basketball in the olympics, and everyone looks to him as the captain of the team.
Finally, the long term commitment was rewarded with a gold medal, and USA is once again on top of the basketball world.
It's hard to name a single player I was most unimpressed with this olympics, since I think it was our big men as a collective unit. It's hard to blame them though, because the international game isn't really built for pounding the ball down low. We all know Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh are better than Pau and Marc Gasol, but for some reason the international game doesn't show it. Hardly ever do we see the ball enter the low post, and Centers are regulated to rebounding and defense only. Since this is the case, I wouldn't mind seeing someone like Marcus Camby on the team at some point.
I was most impressed by Dwayne Wade in the olympics. Everyone knows he can play, when healthy, but he upped his own game for 2 weeks. He was almost always the best scorer on the court, all while playing sufficient defense. Besides Wade, Chris Paul and Deron Willaims played well. Obviously so did Kobe and Lebron, but that is almost a given. Paul and Williams scored when needed, and got into the lane against the zone. Not to be overlooked, Jason Kidd will probably end his olympic carreer undefeated. He played unselfish and great team basketball in the olympics, and everyone looks to him as the captain of the team.
Finally, the long term commitment was rewarded with a gold medal, and USA is once again on top of the basketball world.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Clutch Performers
From observing games last year, most fans would say that Baron Davis was our crunch time player, followed by Stephen Jackson, and besides that we didnt really have anyone else. As a team, most people would say we came through pretty good in the clutch, usually coming from behind and winning in the last minutes. A clutch stat would be defined as how well the team played in the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter or overtime, when the teams are within 5 points of eachother.
Now if you were one of those people who thought that our team as a whole was extremely clutch, you would be exactly right. Imagine if the whole game was a "clutch situation". Looking at it this way, gives us the option of seeing how a team or player did, in 48 minutes of clutch time. The warriors were 1st in the league, averaging 128 points per 48 minutes in a clutch situation. That means if somehow the whole entire game could be considered a clutch situation, we would average 128 ppg. That number is incredible if you think about it. We significanty bumped up the total points we scored when the game was close in the last 5 minutes to 128 ppg. That number was the best in the league, but now lets look at the players we had.
Many people thought that Baron Davis was our most clutch player last year, in a way you would be correct, but not when looking at Points per 48 minutes in clutch time. Our most clutch scorer would actually be Stephen Jaskson. Jackson averaged 39.7 points per 48 minutes of clutch time last year. This number was 10th in the league. The number also is very decieving, because 85% of those points in clutch time were assisted. 85% is by far the highest percentage of anyone else in the top 10, and we all know who assisted him all those points... Baron Davis. Still though, this shouldn't be taking anything away from Stephen Jackson, who was an amazing and efficient scorer in clutch time last year. He also shot .474% from the field, and an amazing .457% from the 3 point line.
Now, taking a look at Baron Davis, he averaged 36.8 points per 48 minutes in clutch time. Just 2.9 points lower than Jackson, and also good for 17th in the league. More importantly however, he averaged 10.1 assists and shot .494% from the field. Another interesting stat, is that of the 36.8 points he scored, only 13% of those were assisted. This means that he was extremely good at creating his own shot.
Monta Ellis also made the list, at number 46. This number may seem low, but don't forget that he had 2 of the most efficient and effective scorers in the whole league on his team. Somehow he managed to average 27.5 points per 48 of clutch time, despite hardly getting any looks toward the end of games. He was even more efficient than Baron Davis or Stephen Jackson, and shot .534% from the field. Also, only 54% of his points were assisted, which is a decent number, and means he can create his own shot. My favorite stat he has, is that he averaged 10.5 Rebounds per 48 min of clutch time. For a 6'3 guard, that is unbelievable.
Lets take a look at our newest player, Corey Maggette. He finished in between Baron Davis and Monta Ellis on the list, at number 24. He averaged 34.3 points per 48 minutes of clutch time, however 76% of those were assisted. He was also extremely efficient, shooting .472% from the field, and .500% from the 3 point line. My favorite stat, is that he did all his scoring, while only attempting 16 shots per 48 minutes. This number was 2 shots less than Monta Ellis, and 11.4 shots less than Baron Davis.
Other clutch performers
Keleena Azubuike averaged 25.7 points per 48 minutes
Andris Biedrins averaged 13.3 points per 48 minutes, and 18.4 rebounds!
I was extremely pleased to see that Corey Maggette performs well in crunch time, because my main concern was that we would fall flat at the end of games. I doubt we will be as dominant as last year, but things don't look so bad anymore. Rest easy Warrior fans, we may not be as bad off as people expected.
82games.com check it out, some crazy helpful stats
Now if you were one of those people who thought that our team as a whole was extremely clutch, you would be exactly right. Imagine if the whole game was a "clutch situation". Looking at it this way, gives us the option of seeing how a team or player did, in 48 minutes of clutch time. The warriors were 1st in the league, averaging 128 points per 48 minutes in a clutch situation. That means if somehow the whole entire game could be considered a clutch situation, we would average 128 ppg. That number is incredible if you think about it. We significanty bumped up the total points we scored when the game was close in the last 5 minutes to 128 ppg. That number was the best in the league, but now lets look at the players we had.
Many people thought that Baron Davis was our most clutch player last year, in a way you would be correct, but not when looking at Points per 48 minutes in clutch time. Our most clutch scorer would actually be Stephen Jaskson. Jackson averaged 39.7 points per 48 minutes of clutch time last year. This number was 10th in the league. The number also is very decieving, because 85% of those points in clutch time were assisted. 85% is by far the highest percentage of anyone else in the top 10, and we all know who assisted him all those points... Baron Davis. Still though, this shouldn't be taking anything away from Stephen Jackson, who was an amazing and efficient scorer in clutch time last year. He also shot .474% from the field, and an amazing .457% from the 3 point line.
Now, taking a look at Baron Davis, he averaged 36.8 points per 48 minutes in clutch time. Just 2.9 points lower than Jackson, and also good for 17th in the league. More importantly however, he averaged 10.1 assists and shot .494% from the field. Another interesting stat, is that of the 36.8 points he scored, only 13% of those were assisted. This means that he was extremely good at creating his own shot.
Monta Ellis also made the list, at number 46. This number may seem low, but don't forget that he had 2 of the most efficient and effective scorers in the whole league on his team. Somehow he managed to average 27.5 points per 48 of clutch time, despite hardly getting any looks toward the end of games. He was even more efficient than Baron Davis or Stephen Jackson, and shot .534% from the field. Also, only 54% of his points were assisted, which is a decent number, and means he can create his own shot. My favorite stat he has, is that he averaged 10.5 Rebounds per 48 min of clutch time. For a 6'3 guard, that is unbelievable.
Lets take a look at our newest player, Corey Maggette. He finished in between Baron Davis and Monta Ellis on the list, at number 24. He averaged 34.3 points per 48 minutes of clutch time, however 76% of those were assisted. He was also extremely efficient, shooting .472% from the field, and .500% from the 3 point line. My favorite stat, is that he did all his scoring, while only attempting 16 shots per 48 minutes. This number was 2 shots less than Monta Ellis, and 11.4 shots less than Baron Davis.
Other clutch performers
Keleena Azubuike averaged 25.7 points per 48 minutes
Andris Biedrins averaged 13.3 points per 48 minutes, and 18.4 rebounds!
I was extremely pleased to see that Corey Maggette performs well in crunch time, because my main concern was that we would fall flat at the end of games. I doubt we will be as dominant as last year, but things don't look so bad anymore. Rest easy Warrior fans, we may not be as bad off as people expected.
82games.com check it out, some crazy helpful stats
Friday, August 15, 2008
Just sneaking by
Not only was last year statistically improbable when looking at the standings, but it also got me thinking about if we have, or if we will ever see it again. Intrigued, I took a look at the last 10 years in which the league played a full season (throwing the lock out year away in 98/99). Last year was a fluke of a year, something that only happens every so often. No other 8th seed has even come close to that number 50 Denver put up last year; with 47 being the next highest in 00/01. This may just be a pathetic attempt to make myself feel a little better about missing the playoffs, but nonetheless here are the numbers.
In the last 10 seasons, only one 8th seed in the West has finished with a higher win amount than the Warriors 48, and that was Denver of course last year, with 50.
The average number of wins for 8th seeds in the West over the last 10 seasons is 44.5. 3.5 wins lower than what the warriors finished with last season.
Statistically, the Warriors would have made the playoffs 9 out of 10 years. I call it bad luck that we did not get in last year, but that does not mean I consider it a succesful season. 48 wins is definately a good year, but it can hardly be considered successful if we don't reach the playoffs.
I have previously predicted the Warriors will win 45 games this upcoming season, which would be a little step down from last year's 48. But if they make the playoffs, it has to be considered more successful, especially with the growing pains that most fans are expecting.
45 wins in the last 10 seasons, would have gotten the Warriors into the playoffs 7 times. 2 times missing out, and one time finishing in a tie. Personally, if the warriors get to that number 45, I like our chances at making the playoffs this season.
97/98 - Houston Rockets 41 wins
98/99- lockout year
99/00- Sacramento Kings 44 wins
00/01- Minnesota Timberwolves 47 wins
01/02- Utah Jazz 44 wins
02/03- Phoenix Suns 44 wins
03/04- Denver Nuggets 43 Wins
04/05- Memphis Grizzlies 45 wins
05/06- Sacramento Kings 44 wins
06/07- Golden State Warriors 42 wins
07/08- Denver Nuggets 50 wins
In the last 10 seasons, only one 8th seed in the West has finished with a higher win amount than the Warriors 48, and that was Denver of course last year, with 50.
The average number of wins for 8th seeds in the West over the last 10 seasons is 44.5. 3.5 wins lower than what the warriors finished with last season.
Statistically, the Warriors would have made the playoffs 9 out of 10 years. I call it bad luck that we did not get in last year, but that does not mean I consider it a succesful season. 48 wins is definately a good year, but it can hardly be considered successful if we don't reach the playoffs.
I have previously predicted the Warriors will win 45 games this upcoming season, which would be a little step down from last year's 48. But if they make the playoffs, it has to be considered more successful, especially with the growing pains that most fans are expecting.
45 wins in the last 10 seasons, would have gotten the Warriors into the playoffs 7 times. 2 times missing out, and one time finishing in a tie. Personally, if the warriors get to that number 45, I like our chances at making the playoffs this season.
97/98 - Houston Rockets 41 wins
98/99- lockout year
99/00- Sacramento Kings 44 wins
00/01- Minnesota Timberwolves 47 wins
01/02- Utah Jazz 44 wins
02/03- Phoenix Suns 44 wins
03/04- Denver Nuggets 43 Wins
04/05- Memphis Grizzlies 45 wins
05/06- Sacramento Kings 44 wins
06/07- Golden State Warriors 42 wins
07/08- Denver Nuggets 50 wins
Sunday, August 10, 2008
For better or Worse
The 2008 Warriors bring a whole new look to the franchise compared to last year. With new arrivals brings new strengths to the team, and also opens up some new problems we haven't had before.
Scoring- Basically we replaced one 20 point scorer with another this offseason. Corey Maggette brings scoring, but Baron brought scoring for himself and scoring for other team mates. At the most, there might be a 1 or 1.5 PPG drop off, but nothing significant. In order to avoid "Draws", advantage go's to the 2007 team.
*Worse*
Rebounding- The only tall player that rebounded for the Warriors last year that we lost is Austin Croshere, and that's a good thing. The Warriors made a point this offseason to improve in the rebounding department. Whether it's the signing of Ronny Turiaf, the drafting of Hendrix, or the improvement of Wright and Biedrins, the Warriors will be a far better rebounding team than lasy year.
*Better*
Defense- The 2 key departures in this category are Baron Davis and Mickael Pietrus. Baron Davis never played much defense, giving the illusion he does to the average fan who looks at the stat sheet. Often times going for the steal on every play, he left his team mates out to dry more times than not, which led to easy baskets for the opponents. When Pietrus came to the Warriors he was known for his defense, now that he leaves we know whoever gave us that impression should probably be fired and never scout again. He showed glimpses however, but most of the time he was wild and got into foul trouble. His basketball IQ is definately what holds him back. Turiaf should be a good defender for the Warriors, as well as Wright who should get more playing time this year.
*Better*
Depth- Last year teh rotation was often times limited to 7 and when us fans were lucky we would see an 8th man out there. This was more of a testiment to Don Nelson's stubborness, and not as much a result of not having anyone to play. Brandon Wright and Bellineli rotted on the bench last year, which unfortunately could happen again this year. However if Nelson decides to use our bench, he will definately have more to work with this year compared to last. Marcus Williams, Ronny Turiaf, Brandon Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph, CJ Watson, and Richard Hendrix all could actually see playing time this year. I doubt Nelson would do it, but we could potentially be running at least 10 deep every game.
*Better*
3 Pt. Shooting- Take a look at these stats from last year, and why we really need some good 3 point shooters. 29% of all shots we took last year, were 3 pointers. That number was good for second best in the league. However what that number was not good for was our 3 point percentage. The Warriors shot 34% last year, which was 23rd out of 30 in the league. From the 3 point line last year, Baron Davis shot 33% on 525 attempts, and Pietrus shot 36%. Our new arrival Corey Maggette shot 38% on only 203 attempts. In conclusion this year's team will shoot less, and more efficient 3 pointers.
*Better*
Clutch- When looking at the clutch stats statistics on 82games.com, Stephen Jackson actually led our team in clutch points. He was 10th in the league, while Baron was 17th. The problem with this, is when you scroll over to the amount of times those point by Jackson were assisted, the number is 85%. Basically that means on 85% of those clutch points, he was set up for a good shot, and we all know who was doing the setting up in crunch time. Our new star, Maggette was ranked 24th last year in clutch points, so he should be helpful in that department with the absence of baron Davis. Monta Ellis was also in the top 50, without getting many shot attempts with Baron and JAckson firing away at the end of games. Overall we will be a little worse in the clutch department, but I don't think we will be in serious trouble at the end of games like some people suggest.
*Worse*
In 6 major categories compared to last year, I anticipate the Warriors will be better in 4 of them. The other 2, offense and clutch shooting, should not even be a major drop off. This year expect to see a more all around balanced team, who takes better shots and plays a little better defense. This is still a team looking for a true identity, but it can also be a very good and exciting team.
Scoring- Basically we replaced one 20 point scorer with another this offseason. Corey Maggette brings scoring, but Baron brought scoring for himself and scoring for other team mates. At the most, there might be a 1 or 1.5 PPG drop off, but nothing significant. In order to avoid "Draws", advantage go's to the 2007 team.
*Worse*
Rebounding- The only tall player that rebounded for the Warriors last year that we lost is Austin Croshere, and that's a good thing. The Warriors made a point this offseason to improve in the rebounding department. Whether it's the signing of Ronny Turiaf, the drafting of Hendrix, or the improvement of Wright and Biedrins, the Warriors will be a far better rebounding team than lasy year.
*Better*
Defense- The 2 key departures in this category are Baron Davis and Mickael Pietrus. Baron Davis never played much defense, giving the illusion he does to the average fan who looks at the stat sheet. Often times going for the steal on every play, he left his team mates out to dry more times than not, which led to easy baskets for the opponents. When Pietrus came to the Warriors he was known for his defense, now that he leaves we know whoever gave us that impression should probably be fired and never scout again. He showed glimpses however, but most of the time he was wild and got into foul trouble. His basketball IQ is definately what holds him back. Turiaf should be a good defender for the Warriors, as well as Wright who should get more playing time this year.
*Better*
Depth- Last year teh rotation was often times limited to 7 and when us fans were lucky we would see an 8th man out there. This was more of a testiment to Don Nelson's stubborness, and not as much a result of not having anyone to play. Brandon Wright and Bellineli rotted on the bench last year, which unfortunately could happen again this year. However if Nelson decides to use our bench, he will definately have more to work with this year compared to last. Marcus Williams, Ronny Turiaf, Brandon Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph, CJ Watson, and Richard Hendrix all could actually see playing time this year. I doubt Nelson would do it, but we could potentially be running at least 10 deep every game.
*Better*
3 Pt. Shooting- Take a look at these stats from last year, and why we really need some good 3 point shooters. 29% of all shots we took last year, were 3 pointers. That number was good for second best in the league. However what that number was not good for was our 3 point percentage. The Warriors shot 34% last year, which was 23rd out of 30 in the league. From the 3 point line last year, Baron Davis shot 33% on 525 attempts, and Pietrus shot 36%. Our new arrival Corey Maggette shot 38% on only 203 attempts. In conclusion this year's team will shoot less, and more efficient 3 pointers.
*Better*
Clutch- When looking at the clutch stats statistics on 82games.com, Stephen Jackson actually led our team in clutch points. He was 10th in the league, while Baron was 17th. The problem with this, is when you scroll over to the amount of times those point by Jackson were assisted, the number is 85%. Basically that means on 85% of those clutch points, he was set up for a good shot, and we all know who was doing the setting up in crunch time. Our new star, Maggette was ranked 24th last year in clutch points, so he should be helpful in that department with the absence of baron Davis. Monta Ellis was also in the top 50, without getting many shot attempts with Baron and JAckson firing away at the end of games. Overall we will be a little worse in the clutch department, but I don't think we will be in serious trouble at the end of games like some people suggest.
*Worse*
In 6 major categories compared to last year, I anticipate the Warriors will be better in 4 of them. The other 2, offense and clutch shooting, should not even be a major drop off. This year expect to see a more all around balanced team, who takes better shots and plays a little better defense. This is still a team looking for a true identity, but it can also be a very good and exciting team.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Schedule Breakdown
Everytime a small announcement such as the Warriors schedule is announced, it seems my basketball withdrawles are relived and i realize how much i miss the Warriors season. Most of us will probably stare at this schedule countless hours at work or bored at home, anticipating something might happen or change, or maybe that all of a sudden we will have another nationally televised game. I guess its good to hope, we all have to do something until the season starts.
I can't tell exactly if the league hates the Warriors, or they secretly want us to succeed. By scheduling 24 of the first 38 games on the road, the mentality may be to just keep pace. The schedule could be either devastating or amazing, depending on which way you look at it. Either the Warriors could fall terribly, and be way out of contention by the time they start to play more home game. Or they could keep pace, and be around 500%, which would give them a huge edge after that. If they come out of the first 38 games with a 500 win percentage or better, than we could be in for a great run at the end of the year at home.
Every year when looking at the schedule, there are two parts that nearly everyone always looks at. The first few games, and the last 10 games. Last year if it weren't for the first few games, the team would have made the playoffs. Looking at the first 7 games this year, I think this team could suprisingly go 4-3 in almost the worst case scenario. I could also see them going 6-1, losing to only New Orleans.
The end of the season however, just looks downright ugly. Our best hope for the last 4 games, is that Houston, Utah, San Antonio, and Phoenix will all have there playoff spots sealed before they get to us. It is interesting though, that we play Phoenix our last game of the year, because I think we could be fighting for a playoff spot with them all the way until the end. Despite the final 4 games being so tough, the 6 before that don't look to bad at all. We play games that we should win against Memphis, Minnesota, Sacramento (2 times), and Denver; and also a game that we probably won't win, against New Orleans.
There are some games every year, that no Warrior fan shoud miss. Of course Warriors fans should never miss any games in my opinion.. but there are a few that even the most casual Warrior fans should enjoy.
First off, all nationally televised games are must watch, because it is always interesting to see what the neutral announcers have to say about our team.
Then, opening night AT HOME, against New Orleans. Not only is this a must watch game because it is opening night, but more importantly it is Monta's first night as our true PG, and it happens to be against the best PG in the game.
Next, November 26 on the road against the defending champion Boston Celtics. Monta had what I thought was his best performance of the year last year when we beat Boston, it'll be intersting to see how they try and contain him this time.
On Decenmer 5th we play At Houston. This is important because it's really our first look at the new Rockets with Artest, who i think may contend for the best team in the West this year.
The next one, on December 28th the Warriors play in LA against the Lakers. This is important because it's our first look at the best in the west from last year.
January 5th we play at Utah. This game will be so great, becuase Utah might be the sole reason we went out and got a player like Turiaf.. That night we'll see if he was really the answer we've needed.
Every game is pretty crucial this year since it will come down to the wire in the Western conference. If we are still around after the tough stretch of road games, expect big things from this team in the second half. If not, we may be out of it before we even knew the season started.
I can't tell exactly if the league hates the Warriors, or they secretly want us to succeed. By scheduling 24 of the first 38 games on the road, the mentality may be to just keep pace. The schedule could be either devastating or amazing, depending on which way you look at it. Either the Warriors could fall terribly, and be way out of contention by the time they start to play more home game. Or they could keep pace, and be around 500%, which would give them a huge edge after that. If they come out of the first 38 games with a 500 win percentage or better, than we could be in for a great run at the end of the year at home.
Every year when looking at the schedule, there are two parts that nearly everyone always looks at. The first few games, and the last 10 games. Last year if it weren't for the first few games, the team would have made the playoffs. Looking at the first 7 games this year, I think this team could suprisingly go 4-3 in almost the worst case scenario. I could also see them going 6-1, losing to only New Orleans.
The end of the season however, just looks downright ugly. Our best hope for the last 4 games, is that Houston, Utah, San Antonio, and Phoenix will all have there playoff spots sealed before they get to us. It is interesting though, that we play Phoenix our last game of the year, because I think we could be fighting for a playoff spot with them all the way until the end. Despite the final 4 games being so tough, the 6 before that don't look to bad at all. We play games that we should win against Memphis, Minnesota, Sacramento (2 times), and Denver; and also a game that we probably won't win, against New Orleans.
There are some games every year, that no Warrior fan shoud miss. Of course Warriors fans should never miss any games in my opinion.. but there are a few that even the most casual Warrior fans should enjoy.
First off, all nationally televised games are must watch, because it is always interesting to see what the neutral announcers have to say about our team.
Then, opening night AT HOME, against New Orleans. Not only is this a must watch game because it is opening night, but more importantly it is Monta's first night as our true PG, and it happens to be against the best PG in the game.
Next, November 26 on the road against the defending champion Boston Celtics. Monta had what I thought was his best performance of the year last year when we beat Boston, it'll be intersting to see how they try and contain him this time.
On Decenmer 5th we play At Houston. This is important because it's really our first look at the new Rockets with Artest, who i think may contend for the best team in the West this year.
The next one, on December 28th the Warriors play in LA against the Lakers. This is important because it's our first look at the best in the west from last year.
January 5th we play at Utah. This game will be so great, becuase Utah might be the sole reason we went out and got a player like Turiaf.. That night we'll see if he was really the answer we've needed.
Every game is pretty crucial this year since it will come down to the wire in the Western conference. If we are still around after the tough stretch of road games, expect big things from this team in the second half. If not, we may be out of it before we even knew the season started.
Friday, August 1, 2008
USA basketball
Reminiscing about the Dream Team days brings back some fond memories of the high point in USA basketball. Whether the competition has gotten stronger, or the American stars have gotten to big headed to play with each other, something over the years has changed. The Dream Team, despite having Christian Laettner.... and Charles Barkley.. would have beaten our current team by 20 points, if not more. They had pride to play for there country, and ultimately I don't think they ever would have let themselves lose.
Despite hyping up the only team ever that doesn't even need hype (the Dream Team), this current team we have is no slouch. The USA is still home to the best players in the world, and should win the upcoming olympics. The thing is though, that winning the olympics is not guarenteed, which is a little unsettling because I couldn't handle seeing a repeat of last time this team was together. So far, they've looked solid, running there first few opponents off the floor with little trouble. The real challenge however, will come when they have to face the likes of Argentina, Spain, China, and even Greece. I would put USA at about a 92% chance of winning this year, especially since i feel they don't want a repeat of 3rd place which was worse than embarrassing for teh country. We'll most likely come together and destroy every team by 20 points and win the gold; but in the off chance that we don't I don't even want to imagine what it will be like to be an American basketball fan. The country that every European player dreams of coming to one day to play with the best players, can't even win the olympics anymore? The thouht is scary.
Now for a little fun, here's what my 2008 "Dream Team" would look like assuming everyone accepts the invitation to play.
Starting lineup
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Dwayne Wade
SF: Kobe Bryant
PF: Lebron James
C: Dwight Howard
Reserves
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce, Tayshaun Prince
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire
Coach: Don Nelson
The USA is committed to playing the running style of game in the olympics, and who better to teach it than Nelson?
Also i think a couple flawes with the current USA team is the lack of big men. If Howard gets into foul trouble against China or go's down with an injury, the team would be forced to use Boozer or Chris Bosh against Yao, which isn't gonna work. Adding Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire there will never be a lack of big men. Ray Allen was put in for Michael Redd since he played better D, and basically as a reward for winning the finals. Paul Pierce was put in for Carmelo Anthony, since Anothony is a chemisrty killer, and any team he will ever be on will win despite him, not because of him.
An interesting idea someday might be to use the NBA championship team and have them play in the olmpics. That way chemistry will never be an issue, and almost guarenteed they will win every time. The only problem obviously is the growing interest from otehr countries in the NBA, and the championship team might be full of foreign players. Just a thought.
Despite hyping up the only team ever that doesn't even need hype (the Dream Team), this current team we have is no slouch. The USA is still home to the best players in the world, and should win the upcoming olympics. The thing is though, that winning the olympics is not guarenteed, which is a little unsettling because I couldn't handle seeing a repeat of last time this team was together. So far, they've looked solid, running there first few opponents off the floor with little trouble. The real challenge however, will come when they have to face the likes of Argentina, Spain, China, and even Greece. I would put USA at about a 92% chance of winning this year, especially since i feel they don't want a repeat of 3rd place which was worse than embarrassing for teh country. We'll most likely come together and destroy every team by 20 points and win the gold; but in the off chance that we don't I don't even want to imagine what it will be like to be an American basketball fan. The country that every European player dreams of coming to one day to play with the best players, can't even win the olympics anymore? The thouht is scary.
Now for a little fun, here's what my 2008 "Dream Team" would look like assuming everyone accepts the invitation to play.
Starting lineup
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Dwayne Wade
SF: Kobe Bryant
PF: Lebron James
C: Dwight Howard
Reserves
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce, Tayshaun Prince
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire
Coach: Don Nelson
The USA is committed to playing the running style of game in the olympics, and who better to teach it than Nelson?
Also i think a couple flawes with the current USA team is the lack of big men. If Howard gets into foul trouble against China or go's down with an injury, the team would be forced to use Boozer or Chris Bosh against Yao, which isn't gonna work. Adding Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire there will never be a lack of big men. Ray Allen was put in for Michael Redd since he played better D, and basically as a reward for winning the finals. Paul Pierce was put in for Carmelo Anthony, since Anothony is a chemisrty killer, and any team he will ever be on will win despite him, not because of him.
An interesting idea someday might be to use the NBA championship team and have them play in the olmpics. That way chemistry will never be an issue, and almost guarenteed they will win every time. The only problem obviously is the growing interest from otehr countries in the NBA, and the championship team might be full of foreign players. Just a thought.
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