The View from Section 118*: All Day Dray

December 15, 2016: Warriors 103, Knicks 90

Draymond never fails to amaze me.

This wound up being an airball.

Let’s be real: With Melo taking a rest day and D-Rose sitting with a balky back, this game was nothing more than an exhibition that counted in the standings. The outcome was never going to be in doubt, and there was a clear lack of urgency by the Warriors that didn’t matter.

What was compelling was Draymond, the best defensive player in the world, matched up against the rapidly-improving unicorn, Porzingis, who was swallowed up by Green twice last season and was looking to show the strides he made.

Did things change? Nope.

Remember when I wrote that Draymond never ceases to amaze me? Tonight was no different. This time, he was tasked on stopping a monster who had a ten-inch height advantage and who’s been on an awesome roll of late, who has shown a sophistication of his face-up game with a vastly improved post-up savviness.

So, knowing that his arms weren’t long enough to contest any look, he decided instead to body him up and remove the space between them, always keeping a hand on him, making him uncomfortable. This threw off Porzingis’ timing, took away his crossover dribble, and messed up his footwork on his drives.

It was a mismatch. Porzingis indeed looked uncomfortable — even to the point where he missed two free throws. He never really got involved or was able to breathe. In the second half, Hornacek even moved him from the right high post to the left in an effort to shake things up, but it didn’t matter. He was locked up with the key thrown away somewhere in Fremont.

And when Porzingis was able to square up and attack, finally, Draymond just moved his feet, timed his swats and turned the entire possession into an ordeal.

Just brilliant. Every time you think Draymond has revealed all the tricks up his sleeveless sleeve, he pulls some more out.

Beyond that, Draymond was still his rotating genius, always in position, always with his hands swatting the ball at the right time to the right person, always in prime rebounding position, always the toughest hombre in the paint. Always always always.

What else is there left to say?

How about this: On a team with the reigning two-time MVP, the MVP before him and a guy who just put up a 60-point game in three quarters, my eyes never leave #23. There’s so much to learn and admire from his every move.

And, oh right, he also has the best vision and playmaking skills on the team.

What a player.

On to the rest for the Dubs:

1. Javale McGee continues his encouraging improvement with each game, and he’s now a credible, strategic and accountable threat on the pick-and-roll. Steph or KD just need to flip the ball in the general direction of the rim, and the rolling McGee is explosive and long enough to grab it and dunk it. He had eight field goals today. I’m assuming they came on eight rolls or cuts to the rim.
2. The Warriors had 45 field goals on 41 assists. They got whatever they wanted on offense against a confused Knicks defense with breakdowns on every possession (more on that later). Their team-wide passing and unselfishness continues to be exquisite.
3. I touched on this during my Draymond praise, but the Warriors are really solidifying defensively. They gave the Knicks only what they wanted to give them, which were contested knuckleballs with ticks to go on the shot clock. Drives to the rim were met with a thicket of long arms. No matter who was on the court, it seemed like the entire defense was on a string, and there weren’t many open shots or miscommunications. Iguodala especially was fantastic tonight. I know, shocker.
4. On offense, it was flipped. The Knicks couldn’t do anything to stop them, and the Warriors took exactly what they wanted, and with flair. Hence, the 41 assists.
5. This is admittedly weird for me to say about a team that has KD, Steph and Klay, but shooting is proving to be the Warriors kryptonite. Case in point: The Warriors had insanely wide open shots all night long, and except for Klay, they just weren’t falling. That happens, but for the Warriors, it seems to hit them as a team-wide affliction. Good thing they played a depleted Knicks team that couldn’t take advantage of it.
6. KD is such a well-rounded player. His rim protection and rebounding have really risen up this season, and his length causes real problems defensively. He also matched up against Porzingis, and it struck me that he might be the only player in the league with the length, skill and athleticism to physically stop him, even on Kristaps’ terms. Also, his cutting has improved throughout this season as he’s transitioned from a spacing/iso offense to a free-flowing system. This reverse layup was from a back cut pass from David West in the high post. With the threat of KD popping out to the corner, how do you stop that cut? (Spoiler: you can’t).

Long arms make for easy looking reverse layups.

As for my other team, the one from my youth, the Knicks:

1. The Knicks are horrifying defensively — and this was with their two worst defenders in street clothes. There was so much confusion on each pick, so many missed rotations, so much thinking on the court. Defending doesn’t feel natural for many of them. Ron Baker, for example, not only can’t stop anyone on the ball, but gets lost constantly in a maze of cuts and it causes miscommunications. Porzingis has so much to learn on defending pick-and-rolls, and his guesses and reactions were usually wrong, especially on the perimeter. Kuzmingis is just too slow. Granted, they’re playing against a genius offensive team, but the breakdowns were more constant and glaring as opposed to other teams who play the Dubs.
2. Sure, Noah had ten rebounds in fifteen minutes, I guess, but he was mostly invisible if you don’t count the missed layups and tips and slow rotations. He looks old and broken down. I hope that isn’t true, but I feel like this is going to be a long four years.
3. Having said that, I was impressed by O’Quinn and Hernangomez. They clearly looked like they belonged on an NBA court, and there’s so much room for growth, especially for the latter. The Knicks just operated better with them in the mix.
4. Small Sample Size Theater: Ron Baker made 6-of-7 shots, most of them on drives. That’s good. But he looked miscast as a drive-and-dish point creator, and he wasn’t able to find any seams for his teammates. In fact, it seemed like every pass he made was deflected away. Again, short sample size against one of the best defensive teams in the league, but still, I don’t know if he’s an NBA player, especially with his glaring defensive shortcomings.
5. The Knicks didn’t run many pick-and-roll actions in the first half, if at all. I expected at least a 1–4 with Jennings and Porzingis, but it wasn’t there. Not sure why, other than that the Warriors took it away from them (see above).
6. Brandon Jennings has the chance to carve out a successful career as a change-of-pace, high-octane reserve point who comes in to turbo up the offense. That seems like his destiny, and it’s a great one for him. However, that doesn’t work to start a game.

One last thing: Watching Steph warm up before a game is something to marvel — and I’m not just talking about the 40-footers he takes or the floaters from the tunnel. I love how he and Coach Fraser simulate the physicality of the defense he’s going to receive, the different angles and releases he’s going to employ and the various footwork he needs to square himself up. It’s not just a thing of beauty, but it’s also a masterpiece of careful thought and meticulous preparation. If you’re a young baller, show up at 6:00, suppress the admiration of his immense talent and take in the attention to detail he puts in. You’ll be better off for it.

One last one last thing: I met Craig Sager while on a Nike shoot in Atlanta. The basketball production crew I was with knew him, and we had a quick chat in a bar at Midtown. I was struck by these things: how tall he was, how he unfolded himself out of his booth to rise up and greet us, how interested he was in what we were doing, and how good of an interviewer he was to people he just met. He was genuinely interested, and he was very nice about it. There was a sweetness about him. And this experience I had doesn’t seem to be an aberration or an act. That’s just who he was. Today’s death of Craig Sager is a huge loss for the NBA. Rest in peace, good sir. We’ll miss you.

*- It was actually section 117, but whatever.