Warriors Give Steve Kerr Best Start in History and Other Wednesday NBA Takeaways
Steve Kerr is officially off to the hottest start of any first-year head coach in NBA history. To accomplish that eye-opening feat, he had to lead his short-handed Golden State Warriors to a chaotic, occasionally messy, eventually inspiring 105-93 win over the Houston Rockets.
The Dubs went into battle without Andrew Bogut, whose right-knee tendinitis cost him his first game of the season. Anyone who had watched Bogut anchor Golden State on both ends this season knew going in that his absence would be a crucial one—especially against a Rockets club that hadn't missed a beat without its own star center in the lineup.
Houston took advantage of the Warriors early, pounding the ball in to Donatas Motiejunas and daring backup Festus Ezeli to catch the ball (always a challenge for him) on the offensive end. When Ezeli proved incapable of handling duties as a relief valve for the perpetually double-teamed Stephen Curry, Kerr went with scoring stud Marreese Speights at the 5.
Speights finished with 15 points in 20 minutes, but his inability to pose even a minimal threat as a defender crippled Golden State's stopping power.
How bad was it? Bad enough that Kerr yanked Speights with nine minutes left in the game in favor of Draymond Green—generously listed at 6'7" and undersized at the power forward spot—at center.
Though it didn't look promising initially, Kerr's bold substitution proved to be the difference in the game.
Motiejunas bulled his way into the lane and drew a foul on the very first possession of Kerr's semi-desperate, semi-inspired experiment.
From that point on, though, Golden State switched, ran, hustled and shot its way to a 25-16 closing run.
Green banged with Motiejunas, poking away entry passes twice as the rest of the undersized, yet rangy, Dubs hit the boards in gang fashion. Curry took the ball right at Patrick Beverley, and the team collectively pushed the tempo, attacking the Rockets' interior with renewed aggression, as if finally remembering that Houston, too, was without its defensive star in the middle.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle provided a scoring comparison for the teams:
Harrison Barnes was dynamite throughout, hitting open threes, rebounding outside of his area and finishing inside with a flurry of two-handed slams. He put up 20 points on just nine shots.
Curry worked hard for his 20 points, and Klay Thompson chipped in with 21 of his own.
James Harden was masterful, bolstering his MVP case with 34 points, despite contending with whichever stout defensive wing (Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Barnes, even Green) was freshest. He took on all comers, falling short in a valiant effort.
This was the Warriors' biggest test of the season, and they were resilient, resourceful and hungry enough to pass it. Kerr, now 19-2 as an NBA head coach, made the critical move that swung the game, but he also deserves broader credit for laying the groundwork, inspiring the confidence and trusting the talent that has brought the Warriors to this point.
And speaking of Kerr's exceptional start as the head coach, according to GSW Stats, he's already rewriting the history books:
He's exceeded everyone's wildest expectations, though he'll always be the first to credit his top-notch staff and divert praise toward his players, as echoed in his comments (via ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne):
From here on, Golden State's biggest foe will be the historically great teams from the past. On the strength of 14 straight wins, they've clearly separated themselves from their 2014-15 contemporaries. Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group shows, through stats, just how impressive Golden State has been:
Kerr, now a history-maker himself, is proving he's just the guy to lead them.
Around the Association
Miller to Beal Seals the Deal
We were all set to highlight the goofy battle between Elfrid Payton and Nene from this game, featuring the quirky, promising rookie faking out the Washington Wizards big man for a bucket on one play and the tables turning abruptly in their next encounter.
But then Bradley Beal had to go and win the game on a slick backdoor lob at the buzzer.
Washington took the contest by a final of 91-89—thanks to Beal's feathery finish and, not to be forgotten, Andre Miller's predictably pinpoint find.
Somebody Up There Likes Blake Griffin
After rimming in a game-winning three against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, Blake Griffin's very next shot (his first field-goal attempt Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers) got a similarly favorable carom.
Perhaps in an effort to keep things from getting too obvious, whatever divine force had been intervening in Griffin's shots of late caused the Los Angeles Clippers forward to air-ball four of his subsequent attempts on the night.
No matter; Griffin finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds as L.A. prevailed 103-96 against a Pacers squad that got horrible production from its starters and oddly competent play from its bench—C.J. Miles led all scorers with 30 points.
Chris Paul had 17 points and 15 assists, and DeAndre Jordan joined the double-double club with 12 points and 19 boards.
As for the supernatural force aiding Griffin's shots...the Clips may not need it for a couple of weeks. Five of their next six games come against a soft slate of foes from the East.
Al Jefferson Ain't Got Time for Tomfoolery
Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson swapped technical fouls and elbows as the Boston Celtics fell 96-87 to the Charlotte Hornets. Rondo finished with his second triple-double in the last three games, but Stephenson's Hornets won the game.
Call it a draw, I guess—even though Rondo's not sold on Stephenson's reaction to his forearm shiver, as he pointed out (via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe):
And while those two covered the jawing and unseemly extracurriculars, Al Jefferson popped his blue collar and went to work in the post, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer noted:
Big Al finished with 23 points and 14 boards, dominating the game where it mattered as distracting chippiness whirled around him. His performance was exactly what a struggling Hornets team needed Wednesday, and it'll continue to be critical as they try to overcome a horrendous start to the season.
Winners of two straight, Charlotte gets the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Meaningful Streaks Trump Meaningless Stats
The Atlanta Hawks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 95-79 for their eighth win in a row, Atlanta's longest victorious streak in 17 years.
Michael Carter-Williams, whose gaudy counting stats grow emptier by the day, flirted with a quadruple-double. He finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and nine turnovers. In some ways, that's amazing. In others, it's just sad.
The Sixers play fast and foist a ridiculous amount of responsibility on Carter-Williams, whose usage rate ranks in the league's top 10, per Basketball-Reference.com. Hopefully, MCW's growth isn't suffering as a result.
Monta Ellis Doesn't Stay Down Long
After scoring just two points on 1-of-11 shooting in a 114-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, Monta Ellis bounced right back with 13 straight fourth-quarter points to give his Dallas Mavericks a 112-107 win over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
Anthony Davis went off for 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday contributed 30 points and 10 assists for the Pellies. But the Mavs had four scorers crack the 20-point barrier, led by Ellis' 26.
In the brutal West, facing a nonstop string of formidable opponents, it helps to have a short memory...or no conscience.
Ellis checks both boxes, and Wednesday's performance shows why the Mavs have no problem with that.
It's Not a Good Time to Be a New Yorker
Cory Jefferson isn't the problem. The Brooklyn Nets are old, slow, full of bloated contracts and, after losing 105-80 to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, 8-12 in the comically weak Eastern Conference.
And so, when Jefferson fired a 24-footer that traveled roughly half the necessary distance to the hoop, we got our "Nets season in a nutshell" moment.
Elsewhere, the New York Knicks dropped a 109-95 decision to a San Antonio Spurs team playing without Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan or Kawhi Leonard.
The Knicks didn't have Carmelo Anthony because of a sore knee, but with the way New York is playing, it's hard to argue his presence would have been enough to change the result. That's 10 straight L's for the Knicks, by the way.
They're 4-20.
So, the message for the Nets is this: Could be worse, fellas.
