Friday NBA Roundup: Golden State Warriors Taking on Draymond Green's Identity
Are the Golden State Warriors allowed to lose basketball games?
At this point, it sure seems as if such an outcome is against the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement. If there were ever a game the Dubs were going to drop, it was the eventual double-overtime squeaker over the Boston Celtics.
The Warriors couldn't hit a bucket during the first quarter, knocking down only a third of their looks from the field as the Boston backcourt hounded Stephen Curry up and down the floor. Their effort against the reigning MVP at the end of the second quarter, which you can see below, was no mere fluke.
Beyond that, the team was playing its sixth consecutive road game, and the fatigue clearly showed by the second half, eventually leading to constant contact between hands and shorts during every stoppage in play. Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes both sat out with injuries. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both dealt with foul trouble.
But Golden State endured, eventually surviving with a 124-119 victory that extends the best start in franchise history to a ridiculous 24 games of undefeated play.
We've seen blowouts. We've seen slow starts that featured second-half runs. Now we've seen a victory while playing free basketball on the tough parquet floors of the Boston Garden, and it only happened because the defending champions took on the identity of their versatile forward.
Curry overcame the defensive pressure to score 38 points on 27 shots from the field, also chipping in with 11 rebounds and eight assists. But the show-stopping point guard had the show stolen from him by his own teammate.
This was Green's night, and not just because of the outstanding statistical line we'll get to in due time. As KNBR's Dieter Kurtenbach highlighted, he brought some truth to the "he wanted it more" argument:
Playing with five fouls during the overtime periods, the should-be All-Star refused to take a single possession off, crashing the boards at every opportunity, scoring in isolation and showing off his full emotional range. The Michigan State product took it upon himself to serve as the Dubs' leader, and his enthusiasm was so contagious that it helped combat the team's tired legs.
During one third-quarter sequence, he refused to give up on either end, and the result was a four-point swing for his team:
One period later, he wouldn't stop fighting for a crucial rebound as the clock wound down, clearly showing his passion after he eventually secured the board:
In double-overtime, he laughed at the concept of fatigue, finishing a tough driving layup and letting his teammates know how much the still-in-doubt contest meant to him:
All of Curry's exploits helped the Golden State cause, as did plenty of contributions from virtually everyone else on the roster. Even James Michael McAdoo made a few big plays during the third quarter, helping stave off a potential Boston run while his All-Star point guard was in foul trouble.
But it was Green who supplied the identity. His passion and versatility provided a huge spark for a team in dire need of one, just as has often been the case throughout a season in which his on/off split has been comparable to Curry's per 100 possessions.
He also brought the stats. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of stats.
There are five "lots" for a reason.
Green finished the victory with a staggering 24 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks, making him the first player to record the ultra-rare five-by-five since Nicolas Batum in December 2012. In fact, he joins Batum, Marcus Camby, Derrick Coleman, Vlade Divac, Andrei Kirilenko, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Jamaal Tinsley as one of only nine since 1985 to hit the necessary marks.
"Draymond Green has made more big plays tonight than Bill Shakespeare," Brent Barry tweeted, and the comparison might not even be close, especially when you throw in all the small—but still impactful—plays.
Now, we'll see if he can make a similar impact when the Warriors attempt to close out their seven-game road trip with yet another win, this time in a back-to-back contest against the Milwaukee Bucks. Scant as the odds may be for most teams in the same situation, it's nearly impossible to doubt anything about this team. Even the fact that no team in NBA history has gone undefeated on a seven-game road trip shouldn’t make the Bay Area faithful sweat.
We've seen Golden State prove its skill time and time again. Now, led by Green's historic exploits, it's left no doubt about its will.
The San Antonio Spurs are Incredible
Beating the Los Angeles Lakers by 22 points isn't particularly impressive for a title-contending team such as the San Antonio Spurs. But this is more about the overall body of work, since this group is already playing like one of the more dominant squads in recent memory.
Wasn't it supposed to take some time for the Spurs to coalesce? Shouldn't growing pains have been necessary after the franchise moved to acquire LaMarcus Aldridge and David West this past offseason?
So much for that.
Even before LaMarcus Aldridge went for 24 points and 11 rebounds on Friday night, the Spurs had outscored their opponents by a gaudy 12 points per 100 possessions—better than the net rating of every squad in the Association other than the defending champions. Only the Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers had posted a higher offensive rating, and no defense had been nearly as suffocating.
In fact, the gap between the Spurs and the Chicago Bulls, who were No. 2 in defensive rating entering the night, was larger than the chasm between the Bulls and the 16th-rated defense of the Los Angeles Clippers.
This is a ridiculously dominant squad we're looking at, and it's one that should get better as the season progresses. Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili aren't going anywhere. Gregg Popovich is going to continue coaching. The level of chemistry will only increase.
Overlook the Spurs at your own peril. It's the Warriors' fault too many people have already been doing exactly that.
Scoring on the Pacers is Tough
Heading into their 96-83 victory over the Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers were allowing only 101.8 points per 100 possessions—the No. 9 mark in the league.
Rewind a week, and it would've been even higher, since the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors all managed to post substantial totals against them in recent contests. Before those three outings, the defensive rating was a staggering 98.1.
But the Pacers got back on track against a Miami team that drew nothing but iron from beyond the arc, ultimately making just five of its 20 long-range attempts. And it's not like the Heat had much more success from closer ranges; they shot only 43.2 percent from the field against an Indiana unit that was disciplined enough to allow just 13 free-throw attempts.
It's disciplined chaos that has allowed Indiana to achieve such results on the point-preventing end. While the big men are capable of protecting the hoop and Paul George can take on any individual matchup, the other players can fly around the court, chasing steals with knowledge that their teammates will pick up the slack if they miss the attempt.
As you can see above by looking at the career trajectory of Monta Ellis' offensive and defensive value (those stats are explained in full throughout this article), it's suited the Indiana 2-guard quite nicely. Doing his part to look like a kleptomaniac, he recorded six thefts on Friday night, torturing Miami ball-handlers who never knew where he was at any given point in time.
Unless you can pound the ball inside and dominate in the paint, it's awfully difficult to put up gaudy point totals against this Pacers squad.
Kevin Durant Can Still Close
After Trevor Booker split a pair of free-throw attempts with 1:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Utah Jazz had tied things up against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kevin Durant apparently wasn't worried.
Seventeen seconds later, he drained a 24-footer to give his squad a three-point advantage as the clock moved closer to the end of the contest. And after a number of empty possessions for both teams, he sunk an ice-cold mid-range look to help the margin grow to five with just 11 ticks remaining.
For good measure, he'd add a pair of points at the stripe with two seconds left to provide the final nail for the Jazz's coffin.
That level of confidence might be worrisome for the rest of the Association.
Durant has been on an absolute tear during the 2015-16 campaign, throwing in shots from all over the court as he provides a distinct offensive boost for OKC.
This is only going to add to the good vibes.
Welcome Back, Iman Shumpert
If we're allowed to draw causation from correlation, Iman Shumpert's presence leads to blowout wins for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's only logical, since his season debut resulted in a 111-76 victory over the Orlando Magic, who haven't exactly been some mere Eastern Conference pushover in 2015-16.
Sure, LeBron James was the clear star of the night, recording 25 points, three rebounds, eight assists and four steals on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. Timofey Mozgov had a huge bounceback outing, while Kevin Love thrived in every facet of the game but the one that involves actually doing the scoring. Even James Jones got in on the action with a string of 14 straight points for the Cavs in the fourth quarter.
But it's hard not to feel excited for Shumpert, who logged 25 minutes against the Magic and made them all count. He finished with 14 points and three rebounds, helping the Cavs outscore the opposition by a staggering 19 points while he was on the floor.
As ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin observed, this had the feeling of an important game, even though it came against a middling opponent:
Only one player is still missing now.
Oh, and he's a three-time All-Star.
Look out for Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker entered a 24-point blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies averaging 17.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. Clearly in the midst of the best season of his career, he's been taking smarter looks and knocking them down with far more accuracy, helping catapult the Charlotte Hornets up the NBA's offensive hierarchy.
The rise continues after the Hornets' 14th win of the young season.
Walker was sensational, dropping 33 points, five boards and six dimes against Mike Conley and the rest of the Grizzlies' overmatched defensive troops. Not only did he hit on 12 of his 19 looks from the field, but he buried five treys on just eight attempts.
Don't look now, but this All-Star contender has led his Hornets to five victories in the last six outings, and the lone blemish came at the hands of the apparently unbeatable Golden State Warriors.
All of a sudden, this Charlotte squad is tantalizingly close to the pinnacle of the Eastern Conference standings.
Backcourt Contrast in Phoenix
C.J. McCollum was an absolute stud for the Portland Trail Blazers during a 10-point win over the Phoenix Suns, but the real story came from the losing side. Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight are each in the midst of standout seasons in the desert, but both of them couldn't stand out positively on Friday night.
The former nearly kept his team in the game, ending up with 31 points, four rebounds and five assists on 12-of-26 shooting from the field. Just as has been the case throughout the campaign, Bledsoe consistently attacked the basket and paired his rim assault with a relentless barrage of shots from the perimeter.
Knight, on the other hand, has a decisively bad night.
Even though he recorded a dollar's worth of dimes to go along with his five rebounds and two steals, he couldn't get past a basket that seemed to be covered with an impenetrable lid. Not only did he miss all eight of his three-point attempts, but he failed to hit on his four field-goal tries from inside the arc.
Since 1985, only 19 other players have shot 0-12 or worse in a single game. That's not the kind of club you want to join, especially when your outing stands in such stark contrast to that of your backcourt counterpart.
Weird Stat of the Night: New Orleans Pelicans Hit 16 Triples
Prior to Friday night, the New Orleans Pelicans had never knocked down more than 15 three-pointers during any one game in franchise history. They'd hit that number on the nose four separate times, but the 16th triple always proved elusive.
Friday, in a 107-105 victory over the Washington Wizards, it finally happened.
Tyreke Evans, who's never exactly been known as a perimeter sniper, hit five times from beyond the arc. Jrue Holiday came off the bench to tie him for the team lead, including a flat-out heave at the end of the first quarter. Eric Gordon made three triples of his own, while Dante Cunningham went 2-of-2 from downtown and Anthony Davis made it 16.
Having Evans shoot so proficiently didn't just provide boosts in intervals of three. His ability to knock down shots and attack the hoop opened up so many looks for his teammates—ones that have often been tough to come by during New Orleans' slow start to the 2015-16 campaign.
But what made this weird? Well, Ryan Anderson was inactive, taking the night off as he recovered from a stomach illness.
Somehow, the Pelicans set a franchise record without their best three-point shooter dressed.
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com and are current heading into Dec. 11's games.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
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