Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) drives as Utah Jazz ahead Royce O’Neale (23) defends through the first half of an NBA basketball recreation Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Salt Lake Metropolis. (AP Photograph/Rick Bowmer)
Sure, the Warriors’ 111-85 loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night time was unhealthy.
Terrible, in reality.
It was unfocused, unserious, and unflattering. It additionally dropped at an finish the Dubs’ nine-game profitable streak.
However as a substitute of bellyaching concerning the Warriors’ poor play, let me as a substitute supply some perspective.
Some petty perspective, in reality.
Issues could possibly be worse.
The Warriors performed terribly Wednesday.
At the least they didn’t lose to a Blazers workforce that’s tanking onerous — a Blazers workforce that's down their greatest participant, traded away all their different good gamers, and haven’t obtained the make-weights they obtained for them but.
The Lakers did that on Wednesday, with LeBron James scoring 30 factors in a dropping effort.
Los Angeles — dubbed a “superteam” within the preseason by those that don’t know basketball — is now 4 video games below .500 and 5 video games again of an actual, top-six playoff spot.
Sure, the Warriors’ season has been chaotic, however in benign methods. Quaint methods.
The Warriors have three All-Stars. One isn’t taking part in like himself. The opposite had a vaccine controversy in the beginning of the yr. The opposite is out proper now with an harm.
However none of that has change into an actual downside. The Warriors have saved profitable. At the least the Warriors received 9 straight video games during the last two-plus weeks earlier than Wednesday’s loss.
The Nets, nonetheless, have the identical issues with their three star gamers.
And that has change into an actual downside. They hold dropping. 9 straight video games going into Thursday’s contest with the Wizards.
Kevin Durant is injured — no shade there, accidents occur, particularly when you must carry a workforce. Kyrie Irving has allowed his vaccine controversy to outline his season, not like Andrew Wiggins, who's having the very best season of his profession and is an All-Star starter due to it (and a few assist from a Korean pop star).
And whereas Steph Curry isn’t taking part in his greatest as of late, he has nonetheless helped the Warriors win video games. He’s been a consummate chief on and off the ground.
James Harden, however, has shouted and pouted and is now sitting out video games, reportedly pushing for a commerce out of Brooklyn.
[UPDATE: Harden received what he wanted, the Nets reportedly traded him to Philadelphia Thursday for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round draft picks.]
The Nets entered this season as title favorites. They're nonetheless title favorites in some poorly run sportsbooks. And they're a multitude — nearer to falling out of the playoffs (they’re at present a play-in workforce) to having home-court benefit, even in a good Japanese Convention.
The Warriors are 41-14. They've the second-best file within the NBA. They've the very best level differential and internet score within the league. Nothing has been excellent or fortunate for them. However they hold profitable.
They misplaced Wednesday to a very good workforce that performed a lot more durable than them in a troublesome place to play on the primary finish of a back-to-back.
Yeah. Issues could possibly be worse.
» The Jazz didn’t have heart Rudy Gobert, however they saved their regular gameplan for Wednesday’s contest. It labored.
The Warriors solely scored 20 factors within the paint, as backup facilities Hassan Whiteside and Udoka Azubuike have been stellar. Whiteside had seven blocks, 17 rebounds, and was a plus-23.
That is the house the place of us who need the Warriors so as to add a giant man on the commerce deadline or within the buyout market will complain. Honest sufficient after that recreation.
“We did look small on the market tonight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned after the sport.
However what I didn’t like was the Warriors’ incapability to drag Whiteside, specifically, from the lane or punish him from remaining below the ring.
The overwhelming majority — if not all — regular-season basketball video games are a matter of surviving and advancing. Except you’re the Miami Warmth, there are not any completely bespoke recreation plans or focused defenses. Groups play their recreation in opposition to their opponents recreation and we see who wins.
We noticed such a consequence on Wednesday.
Because the Warriors labored the ball across the perimeter, taking part in 5-on-4, Whiteside simply stood within the lane, apparently with diplomatic immunity from the 3-second rule, ready for Golden State to come back to him.
Repeatedly, they did, missing the participant and ball motion and the capturing to create a greater plan on the fly.
There’s no purpose for panic and even over-analyzation — ought to these two groups meet within the playoffs, there will likely be a recreation plan for the middle, whether or not it's Gobert, Whiteside or Azubuike, standing within the lane with out a function.
They’ll discover that function quick over a seven-game critical.
Nevertheless it was jarring to see how a lot if flummoxed the Warriors Wednesday.
No, Golden State just isn't a giant workforce, however small groups ought to have some advantaged in opposition to old-school, rim-protecting facilities — velocity, agility, spacing by way of capturing.
The Warriors lacked all of it on Wednesday. They have been a small workforce that couldn’t play small ball, and it made for an unsightly recreation.
» The Warriors may need regarded small Wednesday, however large ups to Kevon Looney for taking part in within the recreation.
Looney had a quad bruise, picked up Monday in Oklahoma Metropolis, and was questionable to the sport in Utah.
Most gamers would simply take the night time off.
However not Looney.
The Warriors wanted him — why they wanted him is one other subject for one more day — and so he pushed to play and did. He’s now performed in each recreation this season.
By no means did I ever suppose that Looney could be the Warriors’ iron man. His objective is to play 82 video games and he may simply do it. This isn’t simple work, both. For the final two months, he’s been on the ground for 25 minutes an evening.
Looney isn’t the MVP of the Warriors, however there must be some type of accolade we are able to present this man on the finish of the yr.
Glue participant of the yr?
Greatest skilled?
Shoot me your greatest concepts. This man deserves one thing particular.