Poole: Wiggins “knows we all have his back”

[+notes/quotes/video from Warriors-Pelicans/Lakers/practice]

Doing some major catch-up here as the 36 hours between the end of the New Orleans Pelicans game and the beginning of the LA Lakers threw me for a loop. Come to think of it, with the Pels being the second of a home back-to-back, the Golden State Warriors tipped off three games in the span of only 65 hours. That will never be used as an excuse by any Warrior, though.

There are many threads, but I chose the more neutral Andrew Wiggins topic for the headline, of course. Here are some major complaints I’ve noticed on the YouTube channel:

• Steve Kerr played Andre Iguodala instead of Jonathan Kuminga in crunch time of the Lakers game. Anthony Slater of The Athletic wrote an article on how Darvin Ham employed a Russell Westbrook-like sagging strategy (my words, not Slater’s) on Kuminga. I will comment on this as I usually do on the livestream today at the OKC Thunder (5pm PST tipoff). Some contentious issues can’t really be dealt with via written words, which is also why Twitter is a poor platform to address complex issues, let alone the baseline outrage that already exists on that and other commenting platforms.

• Anthony Lamb is with the Santa Cruz Warriors, having reached the two-way maximum of 50 games played for the main NBA squad. There have been ongoing complaints about Kerr’s trusting of Lamb and it, like the Iguodala issue above, is multi-faceted. I addressed it during the Laker livestream and posed a simple model that should be understandable to the average fan. The per-36 numbers show it: Lamb has been more impactful to the Warriors than, say, Juan Toscano-Anderson was. I wish I had the time to do breakdown videos, but Lamb’s contributions far outweigh his mistakes on film. I’ve been saying that for months, ever since he demonstrated five stops in fifteen seconds. He has good, albeit raw, rotation help instincts and has demonstrated the ability to knock down catch-and-shoot threes:

He was in Birmingham today, along with Moses Moody and 10-day signee and current 15th roster spot holder Lester Quinones, to play for the Santa Cruz Warriors, who are also on the road. Looks like he’s using a “heavy ball” to try and increase his range, too:

gleaguewarriors

A post shared by Santa Cruz Warriors (@gleaguewarriors)

I’m getting tired of defending Lamb, even though the tape shows that he contributes to winning plays, which is why I have called detractors of Lamb “casuals”, but will likely continue to do so tonight on the OKC livechat. Join me there and let’s talk it out, should you have any gripes.

• Many fans are up in arms about the decision to start Stephen Curry against the Lakers. This is, again, a complex situation. But one thing lost as the casuals fall deeper in their outrage: Curry was limited to just 20+ minutes in the opening 2022 playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. Clearly his restriction is well past the 30-mark right now after what we saw at Crypto.com Arena Sunday afternoon. That means when he sits and, assuming he finishes, there won’t be a gigantic gap of being on the bench, which was a problem for Klay Thompson when he came back — which was, surprise surprise, met with criticisms again from outraged fans. I’m happy to go through the process of explaining this as well, on the livestream tonight.

• Changing identities: The return of Steph means, essentially, the end of the identity of the team that won five straight at home. It’s also, of course, the beginning of a new identity, especially including Andre. And yet, there may be another one that pops up, depending on any injuries or if Lamb gets signed after Quinones’ 10-day expires. I just wish that fans would observe the process and try to learn more about this beautiful game of basketball. But people who are focused only on results are not in a learning state of mind. To be in such a mindset, you have to be free of the combative, stressful, fight-or-flight mode of reacting online. So if you come to a LetsGoWarriors livestream, I ask that you walk through the door with an open mind, check your ego at the door, and come willing to gather intel and learn more about why certain decisions are made at the NBA level or at any level of basketball. One thing about the NBA: a lot of it is tied to salary cap tables. You could expand your NBA analysis just by looking at all 30 cap tables.

Back to Wiggins, the only morsel of (possibly unrelated) information has been from his wife Mychal Johnson on her public Instagram. She posted just before the All-Star Break that they had gone back to their house in Minneapolis. Since then, I can only say it seems like they’ve stayed there. Wiggins himself has five siblings, some of whom are quite active posting on IG. There’s been nothing from any of his siblings ever since the “family matter” popped up, although Nick Wiggins finally posted a basketball-related post yesterday — he plays professionally in Iraq, of all places, and is back after his league took a break (obviously I have no idea if his league coming back from break has anything to do with the timing of the family matter). Here’s a photo Mychal posted of their daughter Alayah:

Anyways, on with the catch-up of the last two games, which includes a get-what-you-need day yesterday on the floor of Paycom Center, where Curry was up to his usual shenanigans and re-enacted his famous 2016 “Bang! Bang!” shot. Before that, there’s Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins saying Ja Morant’s return has no timetable — the Warriors are in Memphis on Thursday — then we have Draymond at his 33rd birthday party at a restaurant called Tatel in Beverly Hills, which as mentioned earlier on this site, is where the Warriors stay whenever they travel to LA. Before that was an off day (Saturday) and before that was the win at home against the Pelicans. Also, there’s a bonus behind-the-scenes video of morning shootaround which didn’t have any podium interviews, where Steph waved hi.

Reminder: most of the reverse-chronological transcriptions below are done as each YouTube video is uploaded; the quotes are included in the Description and copied to the Comments each time…

DISCLAIMER: These are all just notes for my main workflow of YouTube videos, mostly transcribed by me shortly after the interviews and during my coverage of postgame on our livestreams (!). Sometimes I’ll just use what’s tweeted by beatwriters, as listed. The links to the tweets are not available because sometimes I don’t use the full tweet and just having a ton of tweets on this website imo isn’t aesthetically pleasing and gets away from the main goal: transferring information (not so much entertainment) to the brains of DubNation asap.

• Jordan Poole after “practice” on Wiggins: “Wiggs is my brother. I’ve been talking to him over the course of these three weeks… giving him strength… whenever he’s ready to come back… he will… spend time with his family… he knows we all have his back. He can take as much time as he needs.”

• On how often he’s communicated with Wiggins: “You don’t want to crowd people… check in here or there... everybody has their own different form of support… that’s my guy.”

• On stepping up in his absence, such as JK: “he’s been good for us all year… guys on our team that are talented… ready for the moment… we have a lot of guys who can step up.”

• On Draymond playing despite the bumps and bruises, what message that sends to the team: “Just gotta be tough. We’re finding ways to battle through to put us in a situation to make the playoffs, and try to play as many games to help us win.” (Madeline Kenney)

• On the urgency right now: “Later in the season the intensity is gonna pickup because it’s close to the playoffs anyways… You can definitely tell a different level of competitiveness after the All-Star break. All teams know that they need to make a push, teams know that they need to win games or put themselves in situations to be successful and we’re no different than that.” (Madeline Kenney)

• On if it was a zombie apocalypse in 2047 and he only had his two cats, what current teammate he would want with him: “Andre Iguodala. He would probably come up with random questions to keep us engaged and not lose our sanity. He definitely keeps us engaged. He’s a pretty wise, mysterious individual. So it would be good company if I was fighting for my life.” (CJ Holmes, Madeline Kenney)

• Steve Kerr at Warriors “practice” in OKC, on Draymond and Andre: “We didn’t really practice, it was get what you need day… It’s a travel day, everybody’s tired.”

• On what he needs: “What do I need? I don’t need anything. I’m content… no thoughts on the (Arizona Wildcats) game.”

• On Wiggins: “The only thing that matters is just giving Andrew the space he needs… nothing else really matters, the focus of the team, the games, it’s just basketball. He’s dealing with something that’s important to him, that’s personal… yeah (he does stay in touch with him frequently).”

• On Anthony Lamb reaching two-way limit of 50 games played: “He’ll be out for sure the next few games then… Lester’s contract runs out… No Lamb, I don’t anticipate activating Ty Jerome either… need to save games (in case of injury).”

• On what stood out from the Lakers game film: “Our defense played well enough to win… good job executing the game plan… they made some big shots… Davis was the key to the game… controlled the paint defensively… couldn’t quite make enough plays to get it done.”

• On how Steph felt this morning: “He told me this morning and when I saw him at practice that he felt great. Good sign for him, said he thought he was gonna be sore and he really wasn’t.” (Madeline Kenney)

• Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala listed as probable for the Warriors tomorrow at OKC. Warriors calling it left hand soreness for Draymond. He wore a padded wrap yesterday. Andrew Wiggins will miss a ninth straight game. (Anthony Slater)

• Warriors got into OKC late today. Didn’t have a full practice but select players got up shots. Andre Iguodala is in the gym now shooting. Draymond Green is getting treatment. Both are probable for tomorrow’s game. Kerr said Stephen Curry woke up feeling great. Positive sign. (CJ Holmes)

• Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins pregame at Clippers on if Ja Morant is expected to be out more than the two games the team announced: “There’s not a definitive timeline. We have said that he’s gonna miss at least two games. We’re taking it one day at a time. It’s going to be an ongoing healing process, so I can’t comment in terms of what the exact timetable is going to be because it’s really not a timetable situation.”

0:00 • Anthony Davis postgame recap on not having LeBron: “Between Steph, Klay and Jordan Poole, elite shooters… That’s a team that has seen a lot of coverages… big win for us.”

2:00 • On how it felt to be up 20 in Q1: “No lead is safe with a team that shoots the ball as well as they do. Their three guys and even DiVincenzo… Lamb hit a couple… no lead is safe.”

9:00 • Darvin Ham postgame on the Warriors: “This team, they can also beat you up on the offensive glass… they came out with a barrage, 18 threes… they’re the world champs for a reason… helluva ball club.”

11:30 • On AD’s clutch bucket against Draymond: “Golden State, they’re a very capable defensive squad… lateral quickness… but they’re not so vertical… shot-blocking… I just told them, don’t settle… they’re good at putting a crowd around the ball… (Davis’) unwillingness to settle.”

• Klay Thompson postgame on Steph’s return: “Awesome… he’s just gonna become his MVP self.”

• On Steph’s 19 points in Q4, what did you think? “I don’t know how he thought about it because I can’t read a guy’s mind.”

• On the momentum going in to this game: “We just go out there and do our job… we don’t think about wins or win streaks… every game we’re in.”

• On Jordan Poole?: “Kinda tell him and show him by example.”

• On the confidence going forward: “Our confidence is very high… I’m never doubt this group or this franchise.”

• On why they haven’t played well on the road: “I don’t know. That’s for you guys to write about.”

• On how he’s been able to improve his play of late: “Just being myself and being the player I am, just shaking off some rust. I expect greatness and I’m on my way.”

• Donte DiVincenzo postgame outside locker room with ABC: “when they get thrown in, just gotta figure it out… biggest thing for us is coming out stronger, to not have to climb out of a hole.”

• On Steph’s return: “He makes it easy. He’s so unselfish… knows when to take over.”

• On the 19-point Q4 for Steph: “That’s just greatness… he knows how to respond… great to see him out there confident, moving well.

• On things trending: “we played three really good quarters of basketball… when we don’t have the fans at Chase Center behind us.”

• Steve Kerr recap on postgame ABC: “it is hard to swim upstream…didn’t quite get over the hump… a few coverage mistakes, but I liked our defense… they didn’t shoot a ton of free throws after that first quarter… 11 threes (only)… 34%… (defense was ok).”

• On Steph: “Never easy coming back mid-season, late in the season.”

• On re-integrating Steph: “The rotations changed, it puts Jordan on the bench to start which is tough… those are just excuses that don’t matter… we’ll keep moving forward.”

• More Steve Kerr postgame podium recap: “Not bad after the start… overall pretty solid defensively… key coverage mistakes… defense was pretty solid.”

• On what the Lakers did to their defense: “they made 11 threes, that’s usually enough to win… it was our offense that we needed to execute a little bit better… one possession games with two minutes left.”

• On what the process will be with integrating Steph: “There’s no process with Steph but there’s a process with the lineup… you gotta get used to the new rotations… probably tough for Jordan… I like where we are overall.”

• On Rachel Nichols joking that Steph isn’t a winner: “You said that (not me, then jokes that jokes aren’t taken that way online).”

• On why they are so much worse on the road: “Difficult to pinpoint anything. Teams shoot better than us from three than they do at Chase… this was not a game where I walk away saying, ‘what we were doing defensively?’… Darvin’s done a great job with this team… they made a great trade.., they only turned it over nine times… four more field goal attempts, four more free throws… that’s basically the game.”

• Stephen Curry postgame: “pretty generous with the window (of minutes) I want to hit… got stronger as the game went along… testament to our performance staff… safely play that much and that hard and still feel that good… the way our roster is constructed, the amount of guys you can throw out there… it’s a tough transition for everybody… guys trying to keep their rhythm… we have to maintain trust in each other… same goal at the highest level… it’s not just about me coming back…. Lift everybody up together… need everybody… gotta stay optimistic.”

• On what went wrong today: “Meet that intensity… mentally and physically… felt great to get thrown right back in there… sluggish… you start to get better as the game goes on… great sign… even though we lost there were some bright spots.”

• On where he felt the team grow: inentisity on defense and mindfulness on offense… last six minutes of the game, I don’t mind any of those shots… we talk about hero hall… AD played amazing… our road splits have been trash all year… first quarter we were down twenty… fight back showed how much it matters to us.”

• On if there’s enough time to gel and similarities to last year: “Yes in terms of time frame… biggest difference is we didn’t start out 18-2… we’re still fifth… biggest goal, it’s weird to say it… trying to stay out of the play-in… rotation… guys that have played well… find balance between staying ready… and finding the right combinations… who we potentially play in the playoffs, we know who our identity is.”

• On ups and downs this season: “same way that we approach everything, right intentions… the way we’ve been shorthanded… a lot that we’re trying to deal with and, again, stay optimistic… until we get beat we still feel like we’re a tough matchup for anybody.”

• On coming back from the blocked shot by Austin Reaves: “Just playing basketball. You get your shot blocked once in awhile… not let whatever happened before affect what happens next. Next play mentality.”

• On how long he has to get back: “More the mental aspect of it if not knowing what the next day was like. Rick Celebrini… stay in shape but also not put the ligament in jeopardy… trust him and his staff to know what the right cadence was… get back in shape as fast as possible, get my skill set as sharp as possible… I’ve had some interesting ones this year.”

• On his performance: “missed the first two wide open ones, saw one go in, felt good, had some desperation ones… I missed a lot and hope to continue to get better.”

• Marcus Thompson exclusive “ooh” (worth eight o’s) from Steph, presumably from the Crypto locker room, strong usage of very limited exclusive info: https://theathletic.com/4278639/2023/03/05/stephen-curry-warriors-return/?source=nbatw

So on the same possession, after the Warriors inbounded the ball, Curry curled off a Draymond Green screen and drilled a 3-pointer from the top before Reaves could catch up. Then Curry turned to the Crypto.com audience and, with widened eyes and a hand raised on either side of his face, started shaking them in playful terror. He was mocking the big deal made of Reaves blocking his shot, as if that was going to stop him.

“Ooooooooh,” Curry said, repeating his quip to the crowd while getting his to-go plate after the game. He burst into laughter thinking about his spur-of-the-moment rebuttal. “I missed it, man. I really did.”

…

It’s go time. They let one get away Sunday, doomed by another slow start and late-game execution. This seemed more tolerable to the Warriors locker room. They like the way they played. The addition of Curry to a roster that’s been clawing out victories nearly produced a rare road win. It was the closest they’ve been down the stretch since an overtime loss at Minnesota.

• Draymond Green postgame recap on the loss: “It’s something we can figure out.”

• On Steph’s 19 points in Q4: “The gravity that he pulls, just the confidence that we have with him being out there… rhythm… 32 minutes, pretty efficient night.”

• On his injury: “Sore, but it is what it is. Nobody’s that healthy at this point in the season… it’s the same injury… re-aggravated it but it happens every game… little bit of both (wrist and hand), but it’s my left hand.”

• On the return of Steph and Andre Iguodala: “We’re playing better, we’re gelling better… we cleaned it up after awhile (fouling)… getting those two guys back will help a lot.”

• On the road trip inconsistency: “I wish I had an answer for you. I don’t.”

• On what needs to improve: “You just gotta lock in and focus. Understand what’s ahead… we can do damage…. You start to slip that mindset this time of year… you’re preparing for what’s to come. We’re in a pretty good spot, all things considered… you tell me… things have gone as bad as they have… it’s an encouraging sign (where we are).”

• On Andre: “Understands the game at a totally different level than most.”

• Steve Kerr postgame recap: “We picked up a ton of fouls early… sets a bad tone… maybe it’s that… done that a lot.”

• On where the lapses were: “fouling… stretch in the third quarter… three possessions in a row… in semi-transition… never could quite get over the hump… good chemistry and energy.”

• On Steph Curry: “Looked great… strikes fear in our opponents.”

• On Lamb reaching 50 games: “I’d like to have Lamb on the roster… connects a lot of lineups with the ability to shoot the ball and spread the floor… point-five basketball… 3 or we can play him at the 4… we’d love to get him on the roster.”

10:45 LOONEY WINS THE TIPOFF

11:00 11m30 Q1 Klay doesn't let Schroder turn his corner, 11m10 what a pass to Klay in transition

12:00 10m29 Steph TD pass to Klay, fouled

13:00 10m25 Donte deflection, proud of the defensive energy, although Schroder scores

13:30 9m57 Steph fly-by misses but it's great to see that again, changes the game

14:30 9m30 Klay for some reason let Beasley hit a 3

17:00 8m02 Jordan Poole in for Donte, Kuminga in for Draymond

25:30 5m53 good block by JK and Davis

26:30 5m15 AD mauls Steph on the oreb, no call

30:00 4m50 AD eating up Loon, what Monte Poole gets for saying he didn't AD could win the game himself

31:15 4m10 Reaves 3, not sure why he got open, Klay tires to get it all back, bad shot

31:45 I thought we came out pretty focused and then it went down a cliff, you might even earmark the moment when Donte got subbed out

32:45 3m25 JK getting the Westbrook treatment by Rui Hachimura

34:15 3m05 timeout Kerr, I wonder if the timeout is to remd the guys to stop reaching

35:00 with chemistry issues starting Steph, this had to happen at some point so might as well earlier than later, such as at Memphis

35:45 2m45 we're in zone with JaMychal and JK up top, JK hits up top finally from 3, good to see him smiling, I bet Donte said something, back to man-to-man, then JK misses from the corner, Donte skips as if he wanted that make

38:00 1m20 Lamb draws foul on the rebound, later misses a 3 at 0m05

39:45 0m24 block by J-Mike

45:15 Draymond and-one 11m30 Andre Iguodala is in the game

46:30 JP corner 3 fromt he sideout, assist Lamb 11m00

47:15 we will be able to get an idea of Steph's mins restriction once he comes back

47:45 10m05 the old Warrior rule: if I'm hot, I get to shoot a heat-check, JP made the 3

48:15 another reason why we struggled out the gate: Dray had to come out with the injury

48:45 9m32 JP doubled, leads to 4-on-3, Lamb read-and-react to Donte 3

49:15 isn't Lamb proving to be more reliable than -- and I don't mean to throw him under the bus because I love the guy plus I would want him on my team if I coached it, but just as a deterrent to the negative people -- JTA? Now, Lamb is never gonna win a popular vote, but if you look at the bkref.com per-36 stats, Lamb's is better than JTA

AGAIN, THIS IS THE 15TH SPOT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. People shouldn't be outraged about the 15th spot. If all goes according to plan, the 15th spot is not going to impact our Finals run. We're supposed to go 10 deep max for a Finals run. REPHRASED: if we were to go out to the playground and pick guys, of course I'm picking JTA before Lamb

52:30 9m11 if AD is hitting over Dray, then you know AD's having a day

52:45 4th foul on LAL, 2nd was drawn by Andre, gets a block on Schroder at 8m50 -- where are all the Andre haters

53:45 8m45 AD jumper, I just don't think it's sustainable, it'll catch up is my prediction, then Donte draws LAL 5th foul, so smart, wily vet?

55:00 Donte deflection, always counts as something, pounding the rock D style 8m30

55:45 Steph checked in at about 8m00 which means his mutes restriction is ~30

56:00 7m45 AD finally misses... watch!

56:15 7m25 Andre perfect angle on the screen for Steph's 3

56:45 6m50 Steph bucket, Andre assist, no and-one, Lamb got a dreb

58:15 5m34 extra pass by Lamb just knowing his personnel -- guess who else was good at that? JTA! Lamb is slightly better because Lamb can make threes

1:02:00 Klay and JK converge to force a turnover on Jarred Vanderbilt 5m20

1:04:00 4m00 Klay wyd, points for the ball to go away, doesn't get the hand-off, is he tired?, Beasley does a tiki-taka, Klay doesn't look tired?

1:05:00 Looney 3rd foul pushed oreb vs AD, gotta take him out 3m10

1:06:15 Lamb stayed in front of Beasley, miss, Dray 94 feet-ish 3m00

1:07:00 Steph chemistry turnover rocket pass to Dray 2m12

1:07:45 late call on Steph, will he get the same call? 2m00

1:10:30 0m55 Dray handoff JP 3, feels like we're only playing 60%

1:11:00 0m40 Klay bad body language, 0m25 credit Lamb again on the swing-swing to Klay 3

1:11:45 Lamb forces shotclock violation on Beasley

1:12:15 JP actually shoots a legit buzzer-beater, probably will not shoot the ones beyond halfcourt?

1:26:30 Ham halftime mic'ed up: "Don't get discouraged" -- haven't they been up all game? They know how dangerous Warrior basketball is. Dray tells Salters his injury from Trail Blazers game "go from there", otherwise okay

1:28:30 11m34 Q3 Steph heat-check sort of

1:29:45 10m25 Donte how-dare-you-leave-me-open stare to the Lakers bench

1:30:30 9m50 if Klay had only looked, had a layup

1:34:30 on "need a big", Dean Agan: "I don't see Nerlens doing the quick decisions the warriors like to run. So I think warriors roster is good." -- also the salary cap table, can't expect to have every trick in the bag

1:36:45 Loon good reb to Donte 7m20

1:37:30 6m55 Klay good rebound off of the double-team by Dray on AD, Loon officially got the stat, leads to Dray downhill and Ham timeout like it's a playoff game, down six

1:41:00 6m30 JP had Schroder downhill but didn't think about taking advantage of it

1:43:00 5m15 JP game plan D on SchroderLoon baseline J 3m45 once per month!, 4m10 Loon scores with contact vs AD

1:48:00 flare play 3m00 Klay baseline fade

1:49:15 Loon surprise block on Reaves! 1m57

1:50:45 Andre ball movement Lamb 3 1m02, then Lamb tips it off Gabriel

1:52:00 Lamb finally made a mistake: let Reaves hit the 3 with 2 sec left

1:55:30 Steph just went 3/12 on the boxscore, my stream is slow, does this mean Steph will play 34 ms with no restriction?

1:56:00 11m30 11m40 shared brain Dray, Steph 3, matter of time, 11m02 JP avoids a foul (has zero!)

2:00:45 8m57 Steph goat pass

2:01:45 8m05 JP draws foul on Wenyen

2:02:30 7m50 Steph goat 3 over Reaves

2:02:45 7m22 goat gravity lead to Dray and-one, before that Dray probably knew he was a millisecond late on AD

2:04:30 6m52 Steph traveled, should the ref call that? Game is on ABC

2:06:45 Ben: "When Kobe passed away, I stopped hating players"

2:08:00 Kerr yelled at JP on AD's J around 5m00, Steph is out so there is a mutes restriction

2:09:00 5m34 Lamb clutch 3, Klay likes Lamb fist pump

2:10:30 4m42 Klay tries to help on AD, Schroder hits the open 3, is that part of the game plan

2:13:45 if this were a playoff series we would probably have Dray double AD earlier to get him out of rhythm in Game 2

2:15:30 Dray gambles on the in-bound, costs him a foul (4th), luckily AD missed up 5

2:16:45 refs missed a hold on Schroder but at least Steph got the FTs 3m51

2:18:00 3m30 Lamb shaded over too far on Brown gotta trust Steph vs Schroder

2:19:00 2m45 Lamb turnover

2:19:15 2m14 Donte finds Steph

2:20:00 1m45 Donte finds Klay, celly!

2:23:30 1m10 Steph hesitated the

32:24:15 0m48.9 Dray let AD go baseline, maybe AD doesn't usually go baseline

2:29:00 Mary Allen: "They have been playing a different chemistry with Klay. Now they have to get back to playing with Steph's style! They have to adjust!"

2:33:00 saying "shoulda" on when Steph should've come back is like taking a different route home and getting into a car accident

2:39:00 Atlantic Atmosphere: "Nothing to hang head on this loss. Tip hat to AD having monster game. Rusty Steph. The games to circle are bucks and suns. OKC, Memphis can definitely play better defensively”

2:40:15 just demonstrate today was a fluke (Steph came back)

2:41:00 If we come out like this next game and Steph starts 3/11, who would you blame?

2:43:15 we have to put the 5-0 momentum in the past, we now have a different identity but with Steph and hopefully later with Wiggins -- I follow a lot of his brothers and sisters on Instagram and they are usually quite active, but none of them have posted anything lately, so you hope everything's ok -- we will have a new playoffs run identity

2:47:00 Who do you think feels the most responsibility for the loss today in the locker room? There's one guy in the locker room who can sit there and say, "I could've changed the outcome" So why do we blame everyone else? It's not really a Warriors issue, is it? It is a personal negativity issue. People are stressed out, transferring negative energy using social media apps

2:50:30 you're gonna get negative thoughts 60k of them from your brain in every instance, think of a car accident, you're not gonna attack the guy that rear-ended you. We're the nuclear shelter from it all

2:58:00 Jason: "We couldn't stop AD" -- like I said, if there were a G2 vs LAL

2:59:30 sometimes when you have a GOAT, with the coverage mistakes (Lamb, Klay), sometimes you relax a little bit too much because your best player is back, you let up a bit. That's just bball. You've got to re-establish that identity and focus. It's human nature.

3:04:00 Blasian: "do you agree with me that everyone should come up with an alternative thought like…”win or lose, the Warriors are still in a prettt good position, just gotta keep working hard and stay positive?" -- We have the best basketball organization on the planet. The measure isn't so much, how many rings?, it's what we do with the pieces that we have, how we respond to the adversity that we go through because sometimes life and the basketball gods, they don't deal a straight flush. I wouldn't want anybody else other than Joe Lacob, Bob Myers and Steve making whatever decision we need to make. Like, when people blame Steve, do they think about what another coach would've done?

4:02:00 HOTTEST TAKE: Did we need a big when KD was here? Because our team is structured by our salary cap table. The Wiggs spot was KD's spot. Didn't we get rid of Andrew Bogut to make room for KD? Integrating people, we had enough trouble fitting Steph into the rotation tonight without adverse effects.

DIATRIBE ON THE SALARY CAP TABLE AND HIGH NBA IQ

• Lakers coach Darvin Ham main priority on managing against Steph Curry’s return: “Just about not giving him freebies.” (Mark Medina)

• Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala will warm up with the intention of playing today, according to Steve Kerr at Lakers pregame: “They’ll both warm up with the intention of playing.” Curry will be under an undisclosed minutes restriction. Kerr sees Iguodala as being a part of the rotation. (Madeline Kenney, Mark Medina, Kendra Andrews, 95.7 The Game)

• Ty Jerome is inactive today with Steph Curry available. He will remain at 45 of his available 50 games played. Anthony Lamb is active. This is his 50th game. (Anthony Slater)

• JK in attendance for Moody assignment with SCW, which might mean the team flight to LA isn’t until after this game.

• Willie Green postgame: “That’s a good team, a championship-level team. They know how to win.”

• On what Ingram needs to do better: “That’s what the good teams are gonna do (physicality on defense).”

• More Steve Kerr postgame on Steph Curry: “talk to the training staff and just go from there… chance he’ll play… not make any decisions until he gets through tomorrow… determine everything they need to determine.”

• On why PBJ was a late scratch: “Achilles tweak, nothing major… hampered him off and on the last couple weeks.”

• Kevon Looney postgame on going on the road: “taking a step in the right direction… formula to win… limiting our fouls and letting our defense win us games… the next step is winning on the road.”

• On the momentum: “We know what to do… building better habits… playing our style of basketball and winning the right way.”

• On offensive rebounding: “extra possessions for us… this year we’ve been up and down… keep focusing on.”

• On Poole and Milwaukee mentality not missing work: “blue collar city. Everybody just loves to play… show up for the crowd… represent our city… to the fullest.”

• On what they’ve been doing differently during the win streak: “executing the game plan a lot better… didn’t do it for a couple quarters… teams have been coming out hot a little bit… by the end of the game numbers kinda even out… ever since (after first game after break) winning 50/50 balls.”

• On Kuminga: “Really talented guy… putting it together on both ends of the court… defender… slasher… full experience of what he can do… got another level he can reach.”

• Jonathan Kuminga postgame on-court on guarding the best players: “It’s been a great experience… capable of doing it every night… really established their career in the NBA… watch film… just locked in.”

• On what he’s learned this season: “try to find the chemistry… know who you’re playing with… trusting the process.”

• On his offense: “A lot of work… watching film… every day I get to talk to Steve… Draymond, Steph, Andre.”

• On the homestand: “We had to find our balance and our chemistry… a lot of people were injured (in the beginning of the season).”

• Klay Thompson postgame recap: “Guys are figuring out their roles… in great condition… having fun.”

• On how to take the momentum on the road: “Just realize how important these games are… we aspire to have home court especially in the first round… only have 17 games left… went by fast.”

• On the road trip: “Very confident. (Makes paper airplane)”

• On how to defend Ingram: “Try to get into his body because he’s so long… physical with a player like Brandon (finishes paper airplane).”

• On the bench outscoring the Pelicans’ bench by a lot: “Our bench has come so far… JaMychal Green, what great minutes… three blocked shots, finishing at the rim… as we get whole again.”

• Jonathan Kuminga postgame on his performance tonight: “Growing every single day… just the process, not saying I’m where I need to be.”

• On making the most of his opportunities: “trust in the work… being locked in most of the time.”

• On taking the momentum on the road: “just our chemistry. We had a lot of downfall… we knew we were going to bring it up at some point… we’re just gonna keep doing it on the road.”

• On guarding Ingram: “I’m just gonna guard the best players on the floor… watch film… what they like to do… Andre… asking him… coaches… watch film a lot.”

• On what has spurred the energy: “It’s always been there, it’s just a matter of time… a lot of people have been in and out… it’s coming back around.”

• On helping with the energy: “I take so much pride with that.”

• On the matchup with Kawhi and Kerr’s comparison: “He don’t really talk… I dapped him, he was like keeping working boy and stay healthy. And that was my second time (playing him).”

• On Kawhi: “He’s a great player but I don’t look to model myself with anybody… be the only Jonathan.”

• On containing Ingram: “There’s so many dudes in this league… a lot of people just don’t like being physical against them.., get in their head… a lot of people don’t like that… started with Klay… I came in the game and kept doing the same thing… took his rhythm away.”

• On his rebounding: “Establish my defensive and that’s what brings me in the floor and the work that I put behind the scenes that people don’t really see… Kawhi, if you watch his first couple years… played with certain people where he didn’t have to score… hopefully one day I can turn my game to be one of the main guys.”

• Steve Kerr postgame Pelicans on what’s clicking: “a lot of grit… getting over the hump… turning over the deficit… turning the corner but we still gotta go and win on the road.”

• On Kuminga playing 32 minutes: “This was one of his best games, also last night… cutting… play of the game was Donte’s offensive board (then dunk)… defensively he’s by far our best option on Ingram… fun to see his development continue.”

• On being encouraged going on the road: “The defense has to hold up and for whatever reason that hasn’t been the case… most consistent defense we’ve played… give it a shot and see what happens.”

• On if he said anything: “just going out there and doing it… battle fatigue… Draymond’s tank was pretty low… Jordan did a great job down the stretch… free throws… Klay… gorgeous three from ten feet beyond the three-point line… run the offense through him.”

• On Poole’s 12 free throws: “sets a good tone… with him and with JK to get to the rim and play with force.”

• On the defense: “we’re more attuned to what we’re trying to do. Early in the season it seemed like we weren’t quite able to put it together… (now) big picture… it’s the stretch run now… a lot of our younger guys have been through this… being able to execute the fundamentals that are necessary… but we have to do it on the road first before we get too excited.”

• On Donte’s three with no shots before: “he’s ready for that big one… the offensive board with the pass to JK… he’s having an incredible year.”

2:00 STEVE KERR PREGAME VIDEO

11:00 TIPOFF

12:00 10min42 Draymond Green reaches in, Klay Thompson not happy, Jordan Poole good box-out on Willy Hernangomez

13:30 10min25 Klay to Kevon Looney tiki-taka bucket, then Loon wants the foul because he knows Dray has one already

15:00 9min42 no idea why Donte DiVincenzo dropped on CJ McCollum in transition

15:15 9min10 Klay with the great defense on Brandon Ingram, later Dray walks the line with ref Michael Smith

16:45 8min30 JP early pull-up, BI transition bucket over Loon, after Dray told him to take Hernangomez, so after the timeout, Kerr subs out Dray

21:30 6min32 some bad body language as CJ hits another shot

24:00 4min40 Loon scores with no one cutting, later Jonathan Kuminga loses the ball on a dribble after pin-down, still no cuts

31:00 2min40 JaMychal Green oreb dunk

32:15 1min45 J-Mike another dunk off a broken play

33:30 1min07 the old "what are you doing?" exasperation of a young fella (JK fouls BI at halfcourt)

35:00 gripe: TV graphics guy doesn't put the bonus up when the a team hits 4 team fouls

39:00 wasn't J-Mike's fault for giving up the 3 in the corner to Naji Marshall, then 11min15 Q2 Anthony Lamb for 3

41:00 10min52 JP another missed jumper

41:45 10min40 Dray foul, yells at Smith again, but Smith absorbs the intensity

42:30 J-Mike dunk 10min11 Willy fouls Dray again, no call, at the timeout J-Mike saves Dray from a tech

46:15 J-Mike block out of the timeout

49:45 7min55 JP looks at Moses Moody but takes the layup himself

54:00 7min00 before timeout, Dray lets Murphy shoot the corner, was JP supposed to come over?

55:45 JK a little late to react to BI curl 5min55

58:15 3min56 instincts of tiki-taka saved Klay and Loon, you just don't see that in the rest of the NBA

1:00:00 3min20 Klay with a half-elevators side inbound?

1:01:15 2min48 ref calls a foul for JP after a made-for-TV behind-the-back by JP, scoop was way off even though the move was reminiscent of Michael Jordan, one thing I hope JP does is work on the hang time

1:02:00 1min56 Klay Loon pushed Klay to guard BI, then 1min43 JK power move

1:04:45 0min58 Klay finds Loon on the tiki-taka AGAIN

1:05:00 0min45 they get tiki-taka on us, Klay bad body language

1:06:30 0min22 easy bucket inside for Herb Jones, either JP or JK has to recognize it, but it would've been elite defense to stop that double-pick-and-roll design by Willie Green

1:15:00 "Why doesn't Coach play the rotation that has been winning games?" -- What is wrong with the rotation? Also Draymond got into foul trouble, also you don't want J-Mike to just sit and sit two straight games.

1:19:00 sometimes we have to remember that there is not better coach on Planet Earth to coach our team to try and win our next game, there really isn't.

1:23:15 11min20 bounce pass by JP to Loon threads the needle

1:24:30 10min55 JP drives, draws a foul and celebrates the ref giving him free throws, but overall the ability of JP lately to attack is very special for a 4th-year player. Is Tyler Herro

doing this?

1:25:45 10min18 JP carry, says it's the same call on BI

1:27:45 9min10 Warrior basketball! JP to Klay in transition

1:29:15 7min55 CJ wide open, did CJ push off?

1:29:45 7min40 Klay splash left side

1:30:15 7min12 another Klay splash catch

1:30:30 6min53 JK blocks Herb reverse, Kerr calls timeout, I wouldn't have because Klay's hot, but maybe he'll draw up an ATO (elevators? Would Willie Green be expecting it?) for Klay

1:35:00 6min03 Klay throws up two fingers to say he gets two shots, yes

1:37:15 5min10 JK cut after Klay, JK and Ty Jerome did the same split cut

1:38:15 4min23 Lamb good post-up, draws a foul, semi-tiki-taka action

1:39:30 3min55 Lamb catch and shoot 3

1:41:00 my anecdote of having an ex-con play in my men's league

1:43:30 2min40 JP with the nifty lefty over friend Jaxson Hayes, JK smash putback, Steph Curry went crazy

1:46:45 Percy Bedford: "I think a lot of people don't like Lamb because they feel like he is taking pt from a young player" -- well, play better!

1:47:15 1min50 delayed tiki-taka by Dray from Jerome

1:47:30 1min34 good help by Lamb on the CJ drive

1:50:45 0min32 JK power move vs Hayes

1:53:45 JP has averaged 2.6 TOV over the last 9 games, Steph's career TOV is 3.1

1:57:00 10min56 Kerr calls out "51": looks like a flare screen by Klay leading to a 5-1 or 5-2 PNR

1:58:00 10min10 good job by Donte to shade over on CJ's turning of hte corner

1:58:30 9min40 JK massive Euro-step!

2:00:00 timeout 8min47 can Klay (27 mins) go the rest of the way?2:04:15 7min50 Klay drive pass to Dray2:04:45 7min40 Klay good swipe down, Donte got the steal

2:06:45 Draymond seems to be a little off today with the passing (4th tov at 8min28 but he made up for it with a DPOY rim protection)2:09:15 6min37 challenging the Jones foul on Klay's 3, is hand part of the ball, or was the ball released and therefore just a foul, what does the rulebook say?

2:14:45 5min23 Jones got the FT oreb over Dray2:15:00 JP throws the ball away 4min00 or so2:15:45 Lamb 3 in the corner 4min102:18:00 3min45 Klay logo 3 ATO2:19:15 3min30 BI hooked JK no call!2:19:45 3min06 Donte clutch catch splash, JP goes crazy2:21:45 2min40 BI with the Poor Man's KD clutch, 2min20 Donte oreb to JK dunk!2:23:00 1min50 credit Klay for the D on CJ leading to the missed 3 by Murphy, then Klay clutch fade

2:24:00 1min15 JK pouncing on D, bad pass by CJ2:24:30 has Klay even taken a rushed shot all game?2:24:45 1min10 Warriors chant erupts2:25:15 1min01 Dray fouls out, looks very tired2:26:30 0min29 credit JP for CJ blocked by the rim too far under (he resembled JK on the help)2:28:00 Ben Conant: "everybody stepped up", even in Dray's fatigued state (6 pf, 4 tov), Pelicans don't seem to have any go-to guys (Zion Williamson's injured)

2:28:45 0min21 JK and Klay switch then JK with the statement block2:36:00 Klay was incredible, probably didn't have one bad shot, and I think the Pelicans are reeling without Zion, Klay did so many tiki-taka sequences, probably made the fewest mistakes, but guys made mistakes then they stepped up, guys like J-Mike Lamb Jerome Donte JK make one mistake but make 3-4 good plays makes up for it, especially back-to-back and the "getaway" game, another one in the category of "gritty"

2:43:00 Steph has already told TNT last night that he expects to be back Sunday, but idk if he should start or come off bench. I say start him because if the playoffs were to start next week, you would start Steph, ergo sooner rather than later let's implement our playoff rotation (although Wiggs and GP2 remain out). So I get that some people want our "hot boys" to continue with the momentum but I'm in the camp of let's implement our playoff roster asap, the one that can win a championship2:47:00 give JK the game ball because some of his dunks and blocks blew the roof off of Chase2:47:45 Kimberly Moody: "bye Dillon with his baby vest", joke was so good she now has Kimbo Slice, Kimbo slicing and dicing2:49:00 ForbiddenTechniqueTV: "Jonathan Himinga!", J: "JK had the highest +/-"3:27:45 PBJ didn't play because of an "Achilles tweak", per Anthony Slater probably per Kerr podium later on that we didn't hear

3:30:15 Nicole Diaz: "I really hope they take GP on the road.. his bromance with Steph on the bench is like a reality show!"4:39:45 ENTIRE KLAY POSTGAME VIDEO (prior to this: Looney, remainder of Kerr, Willie Green, audio of JK)

• Steve Kerr pregame Pelicans on Jordan Poole’s third quarter: “I have no idea, if I knew I would talk to him before the game to get that in the first quarter… we’re not fouling… if the floor is open… then Jordan’s speed becomes a major factor.”

• On if the playoff-like game-planning was a conscious decision coming out of the All-Star Break or finding the moments: “More the latter but I did feel like when we came back from the break… what a playoff plan looked like… generally during the regular season you keep things pretty vanilla and you just try to get good at your basic stuff… we should have some games where we mix it up… the opponents, the personnel… it’s called foa for certain changes to our schemes.”

• On if Andrew Wiggins join the team on the road trip after a seven-game absence: “Nothing to update you on.” Wiggins has been out for personal reasons. (Kerith Burke)

• On Gary Payton II: “He plays great music in the weight room. I enjoy listening to his music, and he’s in there a lot… we’ve had a couple of conversation and I’m thrilled to have him back. He belongs here. ... He’s going through rehab every day and getting on the court as well, not in practice but on his own. He’s coming along well.” (95.7 The Game)

• On how they coach: “Trying to keep guys prepared all year for when their moment comes… make sure you’re staying in shape, staying in condition… before and after the games… days we have off, they gotta get extra work in… seizing your opportunity.”

• On GP2’s music choices: “Maybe that’s why I like what he plays because it’s more old school. A lot of Bob Marley.”

• On Andre Iguodala: he has scrimmaged with Steph Curry and has been “doing pretty well… I’d advise you to listen his podcast (for an official update).” Warriors say he'll be back at some point between now and the end of the season. (Madeline Kenney, Dalton Johnson, 95.7 The Game, CJ Holmes)

• On JaMychal Green: “It’s just kind of been his role this year where he’s sometimes in the rotation and sometimes not, even within a game like last night (vs the Clippers)… second quarter but not in the fourth… really hard position to be in… as a veteran he understands… stay ready… knock on wood, there could be injuries… what you’re seeing more related to the absences of Steph and Wiggs.”

• On the mood: “Guys are in a good state of mind… it has to translate to the road. That hasn’t happened this year… take care of tonight first.”

• On two-way player Anthony Lamb, who is set to play in his 49th out of 50 games tonight: “He's playing tonight and we’ll see where Steph is in terms of when he’s coming back. Andre, Wiggs, I think all of that will factor into what we’re gonna do on the Lamb front." (95.7 The Game)

• On the offense and defense: “We’ve been saying that (connected) from Day One.”

• No Jonas Valanciunas tonight against the Warriors, per Willie Green pregame. IIn two games this season against the Warriors, the Pelicans big man has averaged 9.0 points and 9.5 rebounds, a +22 the last time the Warriors played the Pelicans. (Dalton Johnson)

👍👍💛💙