The Dubs 2015-16: chasing history

[Sam Ray Not]

Lowry with an insanely good 41 points on 26 fga.

Curry with 44 on 24 fga.

Ws win a squeaker in Toronto, pass the 1884 St Louis Maroons to become the only team in American major pro sports history to start 21-0.

Very much looking forward to seeing these lovable winners live in Brooklyn tomorrow.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Stoked you are going to see them live.

Impressive win given that they were without Barnes and Bogut (but hey, their injury luck has been almost unprecedented!!!).

Steph Curry has now scored 40 or more points in seven of the Warriors 21 games this season. And he has done so with historic efficiency.

 

[nattysez]

If Bogut can't play tomorrow, the GSW are going to have their hands full with Brook Lopez. I also have to think Walton is going to try not to play Curry and Draymond more than 30 minutes. I'll be curious to see what happens if Brooklyn keeps the game as close as they did in Oakland.

 

[DukeSox]

You can get tickets to any nets game in brooklyn for like $20 on stubhub.

Except tomorrow - nosebleeds are going for $150, halfway decent seats are $400.

Curry effect insane.

 

[Drocca]

Same deal with Charlotte, Wojo.

He's the best thing about sports right now.

 

[nattysez]

I am surprised Walton had Curry and Draymond play in the fourth today. The second unit had the game pretty well in hand.

I'll be a little surprised if the Warriors run the table @IND, @BOS, @MIL (back-to-back), but at this point you'd be crazy to bet against them.

 

[Blacken]

I'm just going to paste graphs in here until we all die.

 

[bowiac]

If I promised you Steph and Draymond play all 82, what are the odds they run the table?

 

[LondonSox]

low single digit percentage? Got to be very small.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Less than 1/10th of a percent at 82-0, according to Nate Silver's blog.

But they give them a 44% shot at breaking the Bulls' record (73-9) and a 54% of at least tying it.

Their most likely projections seem to fall in the 68-76-win range, with a 99.1% shot at at least 60 wins, which is hilarious to me this early in the season.

Needless to say, all of these odds seem way high to me. No jinx!!!

 

[HomeRunBaker]

They will likely be underdogs in Indiana.

Yeah I was spot on here....Dubs are 6-point favorites. Wow I'd be all over the Pacers at this number if I were back in the gambling days.

 

[ifmanis5]

Honest question: How good is this league? Seems like so few teams are truly elite. Not to dismiss the Dubs but the competition level feels off. Look at the Pacers, they were supposed to be a "test." They have one great player, some question marks and got blown out.

 

[Blacken]

I think, anecdotally, the average quality is worse this year than last in the West, maybe a little better in the East. But I think the best teams--Dubs, Spurs, Cavs--are much better than last year's teams.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Yeah I did not expect that outcome as I thought that the Pacers were better than that (or at least than they showed tonight). This team now has a realistic shot at being undefeated by Christmas Day when they face the LeBrons.

 

[The Social Chair]

The Celtics have a shot if Klay sits out Friday.

I do think the league is better than during the Bulls 72 win season.

 

[nattysez]

Honest question: How good is this league? Seems like so few teams are truly elite. Not to dismiss the Dubs but the competition level feels off. Look at the Pacers, they were supposed to be a "test." They have one great player, some question marks and got blown out.

The Warriors have not played the second-, third- and fourth-best teams in the Western Conference or the first and second-best teams in the Eastern Conference, so the streak is being assisted by a scheduling quirk. In January, the Dubs play the Heat, Spurs, Mavs, Cavs, and Bulls, so the sledding will get tougher.

The Celtics have a shot if Klay sits out Friday.

I agree, and I'll be surprised if they play Klay on Friday given that they have a back-to-back Friday-Saturday.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

TS% of Warriors top ten players (in minutes played)

.700 Curry
.683 Bogut
.630 Rush
.624 Iguodala
.604 Barnes
.600 Thompson
.576 Ezeli
.560 Green
.550 Livingston
.530 Barbosa

.530 is league average.

 

[Cellar-Door]

I think the idea that IND was a serious threat was more wishful thinking. IND has over achieved but I doubt they are a top 10 NBA team. I think the 4 best wins on their schedule so far are LAC and TOR.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

Yes......you'd be hard pressed to find a player to give Kemba less defensive resistance as he lit Rajon up for 39 including 18 in the 4th quarter of the Hornets comeback win. At least he made up for that poorous effort against us in Mexico City.

I know I know. I ate my humble pie in the post right above yours, but I don't mind a pile on.

Anyway, we are getting close to Coremiller's arbitrary 25-0 so we can start talking about 33 soon

 

[coremiller]

I know I know. I ate my humble pie in the post right above yours, but I don't mind a pile on.

Anyway, we are getting close to Coremiller's arbitrary 25-0 so we can start talking about 33 soon

The 25 number itself isn't so important, it's just important because it marks the end of the long East Coat road trip with multiple back-to-backs. After the road trip ends, 7 of the 9 they would need to get to 34 are at home. I think their odds of 33 go way up if they can survive the road trip unscathed.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

Dude, credit where credit is due. Nice call on the getting to 25 before start the 33 discussion. 24-1.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

The Celtics essentially ended the streak on Friday. No double OT game and I think the Warriors win vs Milwaukee fairly easily.

 

[coremiller]

It's a schedule loss. They flew TOR -> NYC -> IND -> BOS -> MLK, with the Bucks game their 5th game in 8 days. I read somewhere that no NBA team has ever had a 7-0 road trip. It's just too hard to maintain peak effort/energy/intensity when the travel and B2Bs start to stack up. It's not a surprise that last two games were two of their worst shooting games of the season, that's what happens when you have tired legs (e.g. Iggy shooting 1-9 last night after playing a season-high 44 minutes against Boston). A 6-1 road trip with wins over 5 current playoff teams is still really impressive.

That said, if Barnes and Thompson hadn't both picked up injuries, they might have made it through. But them's the breaks.

 

[dhellers]

The Celtics essentially ended the streak on Friday. No double OT game and I think the Warriors win vs Milwaukee fairly easily.

At the end of Friday's game, I was wondering if the celts could get a fraction of a Milwaukee's moreThanLikely win?


BTW: forgive my ignorance about SOSH internals, but how did I get that amusing avaater?

 

[SumnerH]

At the end of Friday's game, I was wondering if the celts could get a fraction of a Milwaukee's moreThanLikely win?


BTW: forgive my ignorance about SOSH internals, but how did I get that amusing avaater?

When you fail to set an avatar yourself, one of the dopes/mods will eventually set one for you.

 

[ifmanis5]

Klay with 43 last night. Chris Broussard: best NBA backcourt duo ever.

 

[coremiller]

The Dubs were talking last night about how they noticed Milwaukee celebrating just a little too much at the end of last week's game.

Thompson:

Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams had a breakaway dunk and then proceeded to look toward the Golden State bench where most of the starters were sitting.

"We thought at the time they could have won with a little more class some of those guys, but I'd have been fired up, too, so we definitely remember that," said Thompson, who was held to 4-for-14 shooting in the loss in his first game back from a sprained ankle.

"There's nothing wrong with the dunk," Thompson added, "but the stare-down and trying to talk mess at the end of the game like that. It's like, 'All right, you realize you see us next Friday and in our building, too,' so that's going to be fun. ... We've got to send a message to them when they come to our building."

Curry:

"We were just kind of laughing at some of the stuff going on," Curry said. "It was a big game for them, and Friday will be a big game for us."

http://www.mercurynews.com/warriors/ci_29267272/warriors-rout-suns

This should be fun. Is there any chance the Warriors win this game by less than 25?

 

[BigSoxFan]

Really is annoying that the first Warriors/Spurs game isn't until late January and then the next one is mid-March. In a weird scheduling quirk, they then play twice in 4 days in April to close out the season, which could very well be meaningless games for both teams.

 

[Kliq]

The Dubs were talking last night about how they noticed Milwaukee celebrating just a little too much at the end of last week's game.

Thompson:


Curry:


http://www.mercurynews.com/warriors/ci_29267272/warriors-rout-suns

This should be fun. Is there any chance the Warriors win this game by less than 25?

Pretty funny coming from a team that employs Draymond Green and celebrates three pointers before they even go in.

 

[nattysez]

Tomorrow night's line opened at 16 and is now 18.5 or 19.

Pretty funny coming from a team that employs Draymond Green and celebrates three pointers before they even go in.

Small difference between the MVP and reigning champs doing it and the Milwaukee Bucks staring down the bench, but haters gonna hate, I guess.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Tomorrow night's line opened at 16 and is now 18.5 or 19.



Small difference between the MVP and reigning champs doing it and the Milwaukee Bucks staring down the bench, but haters gonna hate, I guess.

Not sure why you think there's a difference. If you want to celebrate every good play you make, you can't whine when a team celebrates when they beat you. (Well you can, but it makes you look like a clown.)

 

[Kliq]

For the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with any of it. If I did some of the stuff that Steph does on the basketball court I would be running into the stands and high-giving fans during the middle of the game. I just think it's silly to get mad at MCW looking at your bench after a dunk when GS does the same thing all the time.

 

[nattysez]

Not sure why you think there's a difference. If you want to celebrate every good play you make, you can't whine when a team celebrates when they beat you. (Well you can, but it makes you look like a clown.)

This is the equivalent of saying that there is no difference between Giancarlo Stanton pimping a homer and Garrin Cecchini pimping a homer. I guarantee one of the guys is going to get hit his next time up, and it's not Stanton.

In any event, I do think that this is overblown, as this is really just the Warriors finding ways to motivate themselves. A Friday night game v. Milwaukee in December would normally be going-through-the-motions win, but not now.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Bucks just put a 70 spot on the Warriors in the first half.

 

[Tangled Up In Red]

Dubs down 12 at the half to a Bucks team that shot 60% and put up 70 in the first half. Kryptonite? Coach Kidd?

 

[HomeRunBaker]

The Bucks are finally getting most of their team back from injuries. Parker is rounding into shape, Mayo is back, and MCW is playing the best ball of his life the past week. They have talent it's a matter of them building cohesiveness and chemistry with the new lineups out there this year with Monroe and Parker learning how to play with each other and the rest of the team.

 

[jon abbey]

10 games now without Harrison Barnes might be starting to take its toll, he seems to carry them for a crucial short stretch almost every game, and his youth/athleticism/energy is tough to replace given their bench.

 

[jon abbey]

And GS wins anyway with a big 4th quarter, 36-19, 121-112 final.

 

[nattysez]

Three things:

(1) Draymond starting stuff with OJ Mayo after the game was very weak. I hope Kerr and Walton talk to him. Enough is enough.
(2) I was really impressed with the Bucks' plan. This is the first time all year I can remember a team really working hard to exploit Curry's defense, which is not always that great. MCW looked fantastic, and all of the Bucks did a great job passing when double-teamed.
(3) Curry's TOs are starting to become an issue again. Not sure if it's fatigue or what, but he's been increasingly sloppy with the ball.

 

[Cellar-Door]

I couldn't believe Green didn't get T'd up at least once in this game. any other crew probably hits him with at least 1. If it was Crawford he's have been tossed for sure. He needs to learn how to control himself better.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Three things:

(1) Draymond starting stuff with OJ Mayo after the game was very weak. I hope Kerr and Walton talk to him. Enough is enough.
(2) I was really impressed with the Bucks' plan. This is the first time all year I can remember a team really working hard to exploit Curry's defense, which is not always that great. MCW looked fantastic, and all of the Bucks did a great job passing when double-teamed.
(3) Curry's TOs are starting to become an issue again. Not sure if it's fatigue or what, but he's been increasingly sloppy with the ball.

I am not sure I agree that this was entirely on Green. Mayo was jawing with Green the whole game and during the post-game when they were all walking off the court. I understand that Draymond Green is a lightning rod of a player (who is backing it up right now btw) but the league is filled with guys who talk shit to each other on the court. Everyone pretending that there just a few of these guys is in denial or just isn't paying attention.

I know this is the Dubs thread but HRB is right - the Bucks playing the Warriors tough isn't a fluke. MCW gave Curry fits all night and he was responsible for many of Curry's TOs as well as his lack of production from beyond the arc. I will not be surprised to see Milwaukee start winning consistently. They are pretty deep and guys like Monroe (when healthy), Parker, Middleton, MCW and, in particular, Antetokounmpo are all really talented. They create some serious mismatches for the Warriors small ball squad because their bigs are fast and long enough to disrupt the Warriors free shooters.

Finally, back to Draymond Green - the guy has gone from an important cog, two seasons ago, to a key player last year to the clear cut second best all-around player on the Warriors this season. The guy does virtually everything above average now, is a leader and isn't afraid to assert himself at crunch time. I don't care about the all-star game but I will hear no more from those who say his success is simply a function of playing along side Curry. He is a really talented player in his own right and despite the fact that he irks fans of opposing teams and the get-off-my-lawn types, anyone would be stoked to see him suit up for their squad.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

I couldn't believe Green didn't get T'd up at least once in this game. any other crew probably hits him with at least 1. If it was Crawford he's have been tossed for sure. He needs to learn how to control himself better.

What did he do that he deserved a technical for during the game?

 

[Cellar-Door]

What did he do that he deserved a technical for during the game?

Constant jawing with other players, repeatedly screaming at refs, touching the ball after made baskets, it's amazing he doesn't get T'd up more than he does (he's still one of the league leaders).
I'm not the only one who noticed it:

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Constant jawing with other players, repeatedly screaming at refs, touching the ball after made baskets, it's amazing he doesn't get T'd up more than he does (he's still one of the league leaders).
I'm not the only one who noticed it:

So you and a few folks on Twitter noticed something that Greg Monroe also did in the exact same game last night:




You don't like Draymond Green and that is entirely ok. But the things you dislike him for are done by plenty of other players in the Association and I know you watch enough NBA to know that. This sort of shit goes on literally every sequence and if the refs T'd guys up for it everytime the games would be six hours long and there would be lots of guys tossed every single night.

 

[Cellar-Door]

So you and a few folks on Twitter noticed something that Greg Monroe also did in the exact same game last night:




You don't like Draymond Green and that is entirely ok. But the things you dislike him for are done by plenty of other players in the Association and I know you watch enough NBA to know that. This sort of shit goes on literally every sequence and if the refs T'd guys up for it everytime the games would be six hours long and there would be lots of guys tossed every single night.

Actually I really like Draymond. I just think he's one of the worst offenders in the league on this stuff. Right up there with Chris Paul. He got a lot more rope than usual last night.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

For the talk of the Warriors' defensive regression, it took a few pointed words from Kerr and two games' worth of renewed defensive focus (v. Utah and Cleveland) to get them back to #2 in the NBA in defensive efficiency. Their 97.4 pts allowed per 100 possessions is actually a bit better than last year (98.2) when they were #1 -- though relatively speaking you could say they've slipped, since last year league defense overall was worse, and the Spurs were not the defensive monster they've been so far this year (92.9 pts allowed per 100??)

Worth noting that the've now played 11 straight games without the uber-versatile Harrison Barnes, whose 30+ minutes at the 2-3-4 are a big part of what they do both offensively and defensively. At 23, he was really blossoming when he went down (16 pts per 36 on .604 ts).

One side benefit of Barnes' absence from the team's perspective is that it has allowed Brandon Rush key minutes to rediscover his confidence, his three ball (48% this season, 40.5% career, or #25 all-time), and his overall game following a gruesome knee injury a couple years ago. His solid D on LeBron last night was eye-opening to me. Add one more skilled, versatile, high hoops IQ, 7-foot-wingspanned dude to the Warriors' mix ... you know, just for good measure.

28-1 notwithstanding, Kerr, Green, Curry and others have all noted that they're not that happy with the team's current level of play, and think they can improve significantly. Looking forward to seeing if there's another gear this team can hit when Barnes and (hopefully) Kerr return.

 

[jablo1312]

Pretty light schedule for the Dubs coming up over the next 3 weeks before their rematch of yesterdays game on Monday (?! Not sure how ABC didn't put this on Sunday afternoon this winter/spring, or TNT on Thursday night) the 18th. 12 games, 9 against Western Conference opponent, and just 4 against current playoff teams (@ Dallas, @ Houston, vs Miami, @ Detroit)

Mon, Dec 28 vs Kings
Wed, Dec 30 @ Mavericks
Thu, Dec 31 @ Rockets
Sat, Jan 2 vs Nuggets
Mon, Jan 4 vs Hornets
Tue, Jan 5 @ Lakers
Fri, Jan 8 @ Trail Blazers
Sat, Jan 9 @ Kings
Mon, Jan 11 vs Heat
Wed, Jan 13 @ Nuggets
Thu, Jan 14 vs Lakers
Sat, Jan 16 @ Pistons

The real bummer is that their game against the Rockets is NYE at 7:00 so roughly no one in the entire country will be watching due to the CFP/going out.

I don't think anyone would be surprised to see them come out of this stretch 11-1, which would put them at 39-1. From there, they'd STILL need to go 34-7 to break the wins record, which really puts into perspective how difficult this record is to break.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

The great DJBMHR shortly after the Mark Jackson firing:

"The Warriors are nowhere close to the elite in the West. Furthermore, while Jackson gets grief for his rotations, its unclear to me what sort of roster he really has."

The sort of roster that goes 95-16 after they can Jackson's sorry ass, sandwiched around a 16-5 steamroll to an NBA championship?

But sure Coach Jackson, James Harden's the real MVP, Draymond and Bogut stink, and Curry's ruining the game of basketball. (OK, he didn't say Bogut and Draymond "stink," but he did disparage each of them on separate occasions).

Yeah, I know what Jackson meant with respect to the "hurting the game" quote, but I'd more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt if he didn't consistently come off as a graceless and self-serving tool with respect to his old team and players. And if he hadn't been an absolute sh*tshow of coach who constantly feuded with his assistants, sowed discord in the locker room, and somehow managed to get this team — currently the best passing team in the league, with the NBA's best offense in the past 20+ years — to finish #12 in the league in offense, with the fewest passes per possession in the NBA.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Curry is changing the game for kids in the same way that Jordan, Iverson, and Bird/Magic changed the game on the playgrounds back in the day. Kids emulate greatness so in this respect Jackson has a point however he wasn't the person who should be conveying that message due to his past association with the Warriors. I did attend my friends sons high school game last week and while the kid dropped 30 there was an obscene number of 3-pointers that were taken by players who should not be taking 3-pointers and certainly while not in the flow of the offense. It was kinda painful to watch at times with the pitiful shot selection.

 

[swingin val]

High school basketball players taking ill advised three pointers certainly never happened until Steph Curry became a star