The View from Section 118: Hello, I’m Wide Open
Season Two: Monday, January 8, 2018: Warriors 124, Nuggets 114
Steph continues his incredible roll coming off the injured list, and this time, he had a lot of help from his opponents.
From the first minute of the game to the end, the Nuggets consistently screwed up their switches and assignments on even the most basic screens. Now, don’t get me wrong; the Dubs are very clever in the way they set up and run off their picks in their placement, their velocity and their unpredictability. Spoiler alert: It’s hard to defend them. But watching NBA basketball, specifically against the Warriors, you get to see different teams defend their actions in different ways. And the Nuggets, without Paul Millsap, didn’t do themselves any justice. I mean, this is Steph we’re talking about. If you’re gonna guess wrong, always err on the side of doubling him.
They didn’t.
Steph had 32 tonight on 9–17 shooting and 5–10 from three, but honestly, he could have had more. He was wide open a ton in this game, with defenders consistently making the wrong decisions on his cuts. And I get it; defending the Warriors has always meant playing the opposite than you do the rest of the teams, namely giving up the two to defend the three. But now, more teams play the Warriors way, and those quick decisions should be be more automatic right now, especially when Steph and Klay are on the court.
But they didn’t figure it out.
Here neither.
I’m sorry to harp on this, but it’s a tale of two sides of the court. The Nuggets constantly messed up these assignments, with two players just muddling up and staying in no man’s land, and the Dubs consistently nailed theirs. For example: One sequence had Steph switched onto Jokic, who rolled to the paint. Instantly, Iguodala switched over from weakside and Steph faded to Andre’s man. It all happened in the matter of two seconds, and too quick for Denver to capitalize on the initial mismatch. And it was all done wordlessly. It’s gorgeous to watch.
Onto other matters.
KD didn’t play tonight. And it’s interesting how, when he sits, the Warriors seamlessly revert back to their form from 2014–2016. Steph runs the show and is the main focus. Iguodala takes more of a playmaking role. Klay works his off-ball game. Draymond is more assertive on offense. Livingston does the little things. They’re more fun to watch this way, and less, I dunno, overwhelming. When KD’s on the court, it seems like the Warriors have another cheat code if the first cheat code doesn’t work. It never feels fair. This feels fair, albeit barely.
There’s still warts. Steph was needlessly careless, carrying on a season-long theme. Klay’s shot off the dribble hasn’t improved, but he still jacks them up. Iguodala is aging and is explosive in bursts. Draymond’s still looking to pass a little too much. But that’s really picking nits.
Jordan Bell continues to be a Tasmanian Devil on the court, defending the rim, cleaning the glass, switching and hedging, running the court, and dunking everything in sight. How this guy fell to #37 in the draft is something Robert Mueller should also be investigating. He’s a stud, and makes even more confounding Warrior combinations that are difficult to match up with.
Nick Young, as always, frustrates with his somewhat delusional self-confidence. His poor shot selection almost helped the Nuggets back into the game in the first half, but his hot hand helped the Dubs keep the distance in the third. To be honest, he’s really fun to watch when he’s on. They’re only good shots when he’s making them. I guess we gotta live with that.
On the other hand, his polar opposite, David West, continues to do everything right, from little plays to big moments, all with strong intentions. Every second he’s on the court, the Warriors rise to another level of toughness and intelligence. He’s a tremendous influence on the team.
And now, for their game competitors:
The Nuggets are really fun to watch. They’re gonna be trouble in the playoffs when they get Paul Millsap back. They really miss his defensive intensity, and they really need a big to defend the rim. Plumlee isn’t gonna cut it.
Nikola Jokic is a beast. They run everything through him, and you can see why. He’s huge. His arms are long. He’s physical. He battles to make himself as big as possible, and he gets open. And then, when he faces up, his reads are perfect. His body type really fools people, but he can motor up and down the court. His defense needs a lot of work, but I think his ineffectiveness comes down to trying to stay out of foul trouble. He’s really the fulcrum of the entire team.
Jamal Murray and Gary Harris are ideal guards to play off Jokic. They can shoot, they can handle the ball, and they’re crafty running off screens. Plus, they don’t need much daylight to get their shots off. Let’s face it: Jokic is the playmaker on the team. They just need to finish. And where did this version of Trey Lyles come from? He’s made a huge leap since last year’s debacle in Utah. He’s a really nice offensive big man to step up when Jokic sits.
They’re not gonna win a first-round series, but they can give San Antonio or Houston a good run for their money, if those matchups do happen. This isn’t their year, and probably not next year either, but they’re getting closer, and they’re definitely dangerous.
Still, even when the Nuggets tied this game up in the third, the result wasn’t ever in doubt. The Warriors have another level that only a handful of teams have, and it’s hard to reach.
You know, especially when Steph is doing Steph things, so Stephortlessly.
