Mark Jackson

LGW: Stephen Curry Interview With Dan Patrick: #DubBracket, NCAA Tournament, And Playoff Goatees
(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)

(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)

Stephen Curry is a superstar on and off the court. He has the confidence but also the humility of a true star.

On Monday, Curry displayed this confidence on the Dan Patrick Show when he discussed his chances in the #DubBracket Challenge, the three-point shooting bracket challenge that Golden State Warriors’ players and coaches — although only head coach Mark Jackson remains alive after one round — are participating in, his defense, and more.

Curry came out and declared that he will win the Warriors’ #DubBracket Challenge.

“Guarantee it,” Curry said. “Klay Thompson will not be happy about that.”

Patrick questioned this statement, because he pointed out how Mark Jackson was able to beat him in a three-point shootout earlier in the season. Curry explained that he lost to Jackson because he was icing his shoulders right before they started shooting.

Curry also displayed confidence when discussing his defense, which has been highly criticized over the course of his career.

Patrick asked Curry, “Can you guard anybody?”

Curry answered without hesitation, “Of course.”

Curry credits his defense to his quick hands and his peskiness. He also claims that he tries to make his opponent uncomfortable on defense. These are all reasons why Curry believes that he could shut down Coach Jackson if he were to guard him.

“Shooting threes, he got the best of me one day, but I don’t think he can score on me,” Curry said about Coach Jackson.

Read more about Curry’s thoughts on the NCAA Tournament, Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, and the Warriors’ plans for playoff goatees at Let’s Go Warriors.

LGW: Golden State Warriors Passing: Best in the NBA?
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Are the Golden State Warriors the best passing team in the NBA?

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle recently asked Mark Jackson, Andrew Bogut, Jermaine O’Neal, and Steve Blake that question, and they all had similar answers.

Coach Mark Jackson, past master of the assist, answered my true-false question with, “I would probably say, off the top of my head, true, because we have playmakers and good to very good to excellent passers.
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Bogut answered “true,” with a caveat: “I think we are (the best passing team), but our hindrance is turnovers. … The asterisk you would put next to that is we’ve got to limit our turnovers to be the best passing team in the league.”
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Steve Blake answered the T-F question, “Quite possibly. … That’s a big part of what we do. We’ve got certain guys we need to be aggressive at times and just go one-on-one. But at the right moments, guys are making really good passes.”
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So enjoy it while you’ve got it, Warriors fans, because as O’Neal said, “It’s rare in professional sports that you get a team that likes each other and is very unselfish. Basketball can really become a very individualized sport within a team system. You see that a lot on some teams, but for us it’s about making the extra play, making the extra pass.”

Ostler brings up an excellent point in the article that O’Neal touched upon also. The Warriors’ excellent passing could be partially attributed to their elite team chemistry.

They all want to win badly, and that brings them closer to together. That underdog mentality and that never-say-die attitude breeds excellent team chemistry, which can take a team far.

So what makes the Warriors such a good passing team?

Well, first of all, all five of their starters are arguably elite passers, for their position.

Stephen Curry is a creative, crafty passer who can pass well with either hand, Klay Thompson is a great passer out of pick-and-rolls, Andre Iguodala is also a creative passer who creates plays and can drive-and-kick, David Lee has great anticipation of what his teammate is going to do and when and how he should pass the ball to them, and Bogut, for a center, also has great timing and anticipation as a passer.

Read more about the Warriors’ passing and check out some advanced passing stats in the rest of the article at Let’s Go Warriors.

LGW: Golden State Warriors Turnovers: How They Can Improve And Limit Them
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors have potential to become a top-four team in the Western Conference. However, they must improve on limiting turnovers, especially the sloppy, avoidable ones, if they want to become a contender in the West.

In Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors committed just seven turnovers through the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ offense unraveled, and they committed six turnovers.

Despite scoring a game-high 34 points, Stephen Curry committed four of those six fourth quarter turnovers on Sunday. He finished the game with six turnovers.

Curry understood that he needs to cut down on those timely turnovers. He has a high amount of attention on him on any given night, and he’s still learning how to respond. This is all in the process of becoming a superstar.

Mark Jackson reiterated this point to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle after Sunday’s loss.

Asked how many of those possessions he wanted back, Curry said, “All of them. … The fact that they came one after another made it tough. It’s very frustrating. … You’re under a microscope at the point, so it’s definitely tough, but those are plays I’m going to keep making and hopefully keep executing.”
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“Steph is good enough, that no matter what defense he is seeing, to not leave a game with six turnovers,” Jackson said. “He knows he’s got to be better.”

Curry leads the NBA in turnovers this season. So far, he has committed 227 turnovers.

Yes, this is a lot of turnovers, but he also handles the ball the majority of the time for the Warriors. Because of this, he’s bound to turn the ball over more than the average player because he’s in possession of the ball much more than the average player.

He needs to find a way to cut down on the avoidable turnovers and the timely ones such as his fourth quarter turnovers.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, their turnover problems don’t start and end with Curry. The Warriors commit 15.4 turnovers per game, the third most in the NBA.

Read the rest of the article and find out how the Warriors can specifically limit their turnovers on Let’s Go Warriors.

Golden State Warriors: What Constitutes A Good Second Half

Dec 25, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala (9) celebrates with point guard Stephen Curry (30) after drawing a charge for an offensive foul against Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The Golden State Warriors’ first half of the 2013-2014 season can be described as…underwhelming. At first glance, the Warriors haven’t had a disappointing season at all. They currently have a 32-22 record.

However, given the immense amount of talent on this team, the Warriors could certainly improve and have a better record, especially given the fact that they boast one of the best starting lineups in the NBA.

Many NBA fans and analysts had high expectations for the Warriors this season, and some even believed that they were championship contenders. That might’ve been a little premature, but the Warriors, despite some underachieving, still have a great chance at making the playoffs and possibly moving up into the top four or five in the Western Conference.

If they want to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs, although it might be difficult, the Warriors need to improve in several areas in the second half of the season.

First of all, they need to play better at home. The Warriors’ record at home doesn’t look too bad. They currently have a 16-10 record at Oracle Arena. However, the Warriors boast one of the best, if not the best, home court advantage and the best fans in the NBA.

Warriors fans are known for being raucous, loud, energetic, and extremely passionate. The Warriors sometimes appear complacent when playing at home, as they assume that they will get easy wins because of their quality crowd.

The Warriors can’t make these types of assumptions, and they need to compete hard every night. Of course, this is easier said than done. The Warriors need to play with more effort at home in the second half.

Feb 19, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) speaks to point guard Stephen Curry (30) during a stoppage in play in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 101-.92. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Feb 19, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) speaks to point guard Stephen Curry (30) during a stoppage in play in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 101-.92. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of making assumptions, the Warriors have also had a bad habit of playing down to their competition. Often when they play a team with a lesser record than theirs, they don’t play as dominantly as they could. On several occasions, they lose these games because they didn’t take their competition seriously.

On the flip side, they play up to their competition as well. In theory, this is a good characteristic, but it promotes an inconsistent playing style. The Warriors have been able to beat elite teams like the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Los Angeles Clippers, but they have lost to teams they should’ve beaten like the Charlotte Bobcats and the Washington Wizards.

As Jermaine O’Neal told Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, the Warriors need to fight for each game and show how badly they want to win.

“There’s 29 games left, and I’ve said all along that this team, we’re going to be a reflection of what the players put into it,” O’Neal said. “I know it’s been a lot conversation about Coach Jackson, and to me it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard, because at the end of the day, the players have to have a certain type of will.

“It’s all will. It boils down to if you want it bad enough, you’re willing to do whatever it is.”

If the Warriors want to have a strong second half of the season, this inconsistent play needs to stop. The elite teams have off nights, but they find ways to beat teams they should beat and play well every night. The Warriors need to prove that they can play on that level.

In order to have a successful second half, the Warriors also have to find a way to limit their turnovers, which they have struggled to do all season. Turnovers are to be expected in the NBA, but the Warriors need to limit the sloppy, careless, and avoidable turnovers that lead to easy buckets for their opponents.

Those are the types of turnovers that kill momentum, slow the game down, and decrease a team’s chances of winning. Those are the types of turnovers that the Warriors need to cut down on if they want to have a strong second half.

Lastly, one of the most important factors in order for the Warriors to have a successful second half is health. The only Warriors that have played in all 53 games so far this season are Draymond Green, Marreese Speights, and Klay Thompson.

When Stephen Curry, Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut all start, the Warriors have won 69.7 percent of those games. Those five players have only started together in 33 games this season though.

Despite all these games missed by the starters due to injuries, the Warriors are still in the playoff hunt. That’s the good news.

In terms of goals for the second half of the season, Mark Jackson has said that the Warriors want to build on the lessons they’ve learned in the first half of the season, hit their peak near the end of the season, and then ride that momentum as long as they can in the playoffs.

Curry shared that same sentiment with Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“We’re trying to secure our spot in the playoffs and make some noise,” point guard Stephen Curry said. “The goal is obviously to represent the Western Conference in the Finals, so that’s on the horizon for us – if we take care of business.

“I feel good about it. We’ve learned a lot. Obviously, we haven’t played to our potential so far when it comes to playing at home and winning games that we’re supposed to, but those are things that will toughen us up. We’re a hungry team that is going to come back on a mission.”

If the Warriors can bring more effort in their home games, play hard every night against any opponent, limit their careless turnovers, and stay healthy, the Warriors will have a strong second half and will ride that winning momentum into the playoffs.

How the Golden State Warriors Got Their Defensive Groove Back

Jan 26, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) stands next to Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The Golden State Warriors have been in a funk recently. Before Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, they had given up 120 points or more in three of their previous five games. For any other Warriors team or in any other year in recent history, that might have been expected from the Warriors given their history of poor defense.

However, for the Warriors of the past two seasons, this is an unacceptable stat. Last season, the Warriors ranked fourth in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage at 43.9 percent. This season, the Warriors, again, rank fourth in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage at 43.4 percent.

This string of poor defensive games was strange and out of character. Mark Jackson seemed frustrated with the team’s defensive effort when he spoke to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“We haven’t been playing well defensively. We’ve been out of rhythm and out of sync,” Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said. “During the course of the season, you’re going to have nights like that. You’re going to have moments. But good or great teams make sure that it does not become a prolonged period of time where you’re playing that way.”

As Coach Jackson said, the Warriors had to bounce back at some point, and on Sunday, they did.

The Warriors’ 103-88 win over the Blazers was impressive on many levels, but mostly because of the Warriors’ stellar team defense. The Blazers are the highest-scoring team in the NBA. They average 109 points per game, so the fact that Warriors held the Blazers to a season-low 88 points was impressive.

They also forced the Blazers to commit 14 turnovers, and they limited the Blazers to 33.7 percent shooting, which made the Warriors the first team in the NBA this season to hold the Blazers under 40 percent shooting. When the Warriors hold teams to under 40 percent shooting, they are 14-3. They are also 20-2 when they hold their opponents to under 100 points in a game.

Another impressive defensive stat from the Blazers’ game is that they held the Blazers to just 12 points in the third quarter, which was the Warriors’ best defensive quarter of the season. They also forced the Blazers’ two main offensive weapons, Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, to miss 23 of their 30 shots.

Jan 26, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) attempts a shot over Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) in the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Although the Warriors’ win over the Blazers was impressive, the Warriors didn’t play perfect defense the whole game. One of the main reasons why the Warriors have struggled defensively recently is that they get off to slow starts.

Before the Blazers game, the Warriors had allowed at least 30 points in the first quarter in seven of their previous 11 games. The Warriors often appeared sluggish and even confused on defense during the first quarter recently. It usually took them at least a quarter or two to find their defensive groove.

The same thing happened against the Blazers. They gave up just 22 points in the first quarter, but they gave up 33 points in the second quarter. Then, as mentioned before, they gave up just 12 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth quarter.

Stephen Curry told Simmons that Coach Jackson motivated the team to play with energy on defense and get back to the defensive identity that they had established earlier in the season.

“Coach Jackson challenged each and every one of us to find that next gear, especially on the defensive end,” Curry said. “… We can score the ball, but it sucks to come into the locker room, see that everybody had big (offensive) nights and we still end up losing. It’s all for nothing.”

Also, before the Blazers game, the Warriors had allowed three out of their last five opponents to make at least 50 percent of their shots, which happened only five times in their first 39 games of the season.

To fix this, the Warriors got back to closing out hard on jump shooters, contesting jump shots quickly, and pushing players out of the paint as much as possible against the Blazers. Coach Jackson told Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group that he was impressed with how the Warriors bounced back from that stretch of poor defensive games.

“What I like is that we paid attention to detail and didn’t have any game plan breakdowns,” Jackson said. “We battled, we competed, and we made multiple effort plays, and we continued that all night long.”

Although the Warriors lost their most recent game to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, they played pretty solid defense throughout the game. They gave up only 88 points and forced the Wizards to shoot just 37.78 percent from the field.

The Warriors had trouble rebounding the ball though, as they were out-rebounded 56-47. The Warriors got off to a better start defensively though and held the Wizards to just 24 points in the first quarter. They only got stronger from there, allowing 21 points in the second quarter, 21 points in the third quarter, and 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors forced the Wizards into tough shots too. John Wall shot just 6-for-19, Bradley Beal shot just 8-for-19, Trevor Ariza shot 3-for-9, and Marcin Gortat shot just 2-for-8.

The Warriors did exactly what they had to do to continue their streak of solid defense. They started the game off strong defensively, they played solid defense for all four quarters, and they kept the Wizards’ stars in check.

The Warriors have shown that they can be an elite defensive team in the NBA. They’re just missing some consistency. The Warriors need to continue to make defense a priority and play their brand of basketball.

LGW: Golden State Warriors Bench Wish List: Marcus Thornton, Xavier Henry?
(Photo: Xavier Henry: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports, Marcus Thornton pic: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)

(Photo: Xavier Henry: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports, Marcus Thornton pic: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)

In Part One of this article, we discussed how the Golden State Warriors bench needs someone like a “Poor Man’s” Jamal Crawford.

The starters would be able to rest more with this kind of player on the roster, and this would also allow Mark Jackson to more comfortably rest Klay Thompson at times when he’s struggling to shoot the ball.

This player could fill the role that Jarrett Jack had last season, except with less point-guard duties. Jack would come in to the game and was fearless. He wasn’t afraid to take a big shot, he could initiate his own offense, and he could score in a variety of ways. That’s what the Warriors are lacking.

A couple shooting guards that the Warriors could potentially try to acquire are Xavier Henry and Marcus Thornton. These are two players who provide instant offense and can take over a game with their scoring or shooting ability.

Read the rest of the article on Let’s Go Warriors.