My theory as to the “head-scratching” referee calls and “only 6 FTs” among Steph Curry’s 60
[GSW-ATL videos/transcripts/notes/quotes]
Is tapping Trae Young on his right shoulder with your left arm three times, as Jonathan Kuminga did to pick up his fifth personal, a rulebook foul? Technically, I would have to say yes. Would it be called in a playoff series? Probably not. Should it be called in a playoff series? No. Should it be called on the playground? Never. Not unless you want to be verbally emasculated by all five of your opponents, all onlookers, and probably in the thoughts of at least three of your four remaining teammates.
But what was first-year official Intae Hwang supposed to do? In a vacuum, you probably have to call a foul by the book if you want to retain your job, pass all evaluative markers, and come back for a second year gainfully employed by the NBA.
But, like, did the refs have a huddle about how they would ref the game, before the game and/or as the game went on, on whether or not they were gonna let some physicality go to keep the flow of the game, or tighten things up at some point? I’m going to guess no.
By the way, why is the lead official Kevin Scott, who has 13 years of experience as an NBA ref, and not Sean Corbin, who has 29 years? Part of the problem with the refs is that the process of officiating is not transparent.
When I was the commissioner of my Bay Area Dream League men’s recreational league eons ago, my two best refs were Tony Booker, who ended up becoming the President of Northern California Basketball Officials (NCBOA) and Vinney Myers, who once was MVP of the San Francisco Summer Pro-Am League and so has the perspective of a former star player.
During our playoffs, Booker would sometimes, at a free throw or timeout, walk over to Myers and loudly ask him that they should probably tighten the game up because the game had been getting a little physical, for example.
This would obviously be within earshot of everyone in the gym and served as notice to the players that the game would have to grind to a near-halt and a parade of free throws would ensue, if that meant protecting the game from too much physicality. In other words, “Fellas, stop hacking and move your feet!” Now, that’s transparency.
The above paragraph is just one example of how expertly Tony officiated his games, although Vinney was the master at helping guys enjoy the game despite the calls, by explaining to them what they had done wrong in getting whistled, or making jokes with players if he felt that brought the tension level down a bit (see Instagram post above).
Alas, one NBA referee once told me that they are not allowed to “fraternize” with the players, which I took to mean that all that rapport stuff and “shooting the shit” with players is frowned upon. But it sure would be nice to know that the three refs in every game actually have an approach at least among each other before tipoff and can make their own adjustments as the game plays out. It’s not a science, it’s an art.
Overall, I just think Adam Silver doesn’t understand the game at this “neighborhood level”. He couldn’t possibly comprehend this “art” and I just can’t picture him on the blacktop court in some inner city where you call your own fouls and have to “man up” to your calls. Silver is not necessarily the best Commissioner to, you know, keep James Naismith from rolling in his grave. But Adam brings in the billions, partners with Apple for its Vision Pro release (🙄 but go check out our audience member Nicole Diaz’s comment in the IG post below 😂) and my position as a media member and, of course, players and coaches’ salaries are dependent on those billions, so it is what it is, ironically.
As for Kuminga, the only thing he can do is focus on what he can control. He cannot control Hwang the rookie ref from having an agenda of calling everything by the book, from tipoff to buzzer. Subjectivity as it relates to clutch moments be damned. Recognition that already without Andrew Wiggins, a foul-out of JK on a 50/50 scramble for the ball late in a game in which the Warriors are desperate to win, will directly impact the outcome of the game and are outside the scope of Hwang’s immediate duties.
And I know what my NBA ref contact would say: “We’re not allowed to think about those things.” Well, to preserve the sanctity of the game from its roots on the playground and Saturday morning pickup at Koret Center at USF where you call your own fouls, I think NBA refs do need to start thinking about those things. For all intents and purposes, especially as it relates to raw and fair chest-beating competition, a generic foul on the blacktop is supposed to be the same as a generic foul in middle school, high school, AAU, FIBA and the NBA. We do not want games to be decided on foul calls that could legitimately be argued the opposite.
And in my rec league, we would evaluate our refs based on what the players wanted. After all, the economics of rec leagues are that players pay to play the game and referees are a sunken cost, therefore the most popular refs get contracted to officiate the games. I understand the NBA is a different financial dynamic. But we’re still in the dark as to the decision factors.
And yet, Kuminga needs to adjust based on what was called for his fifth personal, and be extra careful so as not to pick up that sixth. The good news is, it’s become apparent that we need Wiggs and JK to win games. As Draymond Green said on the podium (see below for transcript), “Losing Wiggs the whole second half and then losing JK down the stretch was tough. Those two guys are our main point-of-attack defenders and so I think losing those two guys made it tougher and the fatigue shows a little bit more with those two guys out.”
It sure would be nice to not have to nitpick one referee at a time. If Green finds out from Corbin that physical contact to the head is not considered a foul, there should be consensus agreement with the sum total of Scott and Hwang as well (via NBC Sports Bay Area):
Seems like, according to the video, Draymond had answered a question from Anthony Slater (as named in the beginning of the clip) of The Athletic, and that Draymond had walked off the podium right after answering it. And so I might add, there shouldn’t be this “rule by fear” where the Warriors themselves — probably (an inquiry by me to someone who was there, to find out more about this was not answered) — deleted the above snippet from their postgame uploads to their SoundCloud page.
And finally, it was good to see Brandin Podziemski stick up for his guy (again, see below for full transcript) by weaving in a non-fine-able quip about the free throw discrepancy — not a new topic, if you search Stephen Curry’s quotes for the word “inconsistency” in last week’s recap of the Lakers game — in his reaction to Curry’s 60-point outburst: “…to see him have 60 and be super-efficient and not get the calls like other superstars get in the league, it's pretty impressive, only six free throws and 60 points.”
So I do believe Steve Kerr was thinking what I was thinking: you can’t call a foul on Kuminga when he and Trae Young both reach for a loose ball in a tightly contested game, just because the much smaller Young goes tumbling from the contact: “It was kind of head-scratching. But I just didn't see a foul but that was the call.”
The problem is, we have no idea whether or not there’s a strategy to call the game a little less by-the-book in crunch time when it involves players that directly impact the result of a game, if this happens in the playoffs versus the regular season, or whether or not this is even on the radar, but with Intae being a rookie ref, we can be quite certain that he called those by the book.
It’s hard enough for young players to figure out a way — it took me a few years, just in my competitive amateur city leagues back in the day — but I hope they, particularly JK, realize they really cannot foul out of any more of Golden State’s games. It’s akin to Draymond getting ejected. Kuminga will have to play super-conservative on defense because at least we’d have their presence on the floor for offense. The margins are too thin at four games under .500 right now.
Here are the videos and transcripts. Kerr did a pregame which I did not post yet (not sure if I’ll end up being able to do so)…
Coach, of course second game of the back to back, not the results, I'm quite sure, that you and your teammates wanted tonight. But can you talk to me about what you've seen not only from JK but from Steph mainly in the second half 60 points almost a career high. Talk to me about what you see from that gentleman.
STEVE KERR POSTGAME GSW-ATL: “Steph was incredible. What a performance. I just feel so bad for him and for our guys because they're battling. Obviously we're shorthanded and back to back and I thought we really competed like crazy the whole game and just couldn't get over the hump, but Steph was sublime.”
Do you know anything on Wiggins yet?
“He sprained his foot, but I don't know anything beyond that.”
His foot, not ankle?
“From what I understood from Rick (Celebrini), it was his foot, but X-rays were negative.”
X-rays were negative, gotcha. How big was the Kuminga foul out? Considering you mentioned the depth being an issue.
“Yeah the JK foul out was really important and it was kind of head-scratching. But I just didn't see a foul but that was the call.”
Coach, going into the last week before All-Star, what do you want your players to focus on?
“Just continue to compete. They're competing, they're playing together. Just gotta keep moving, keep moving forward.”
What do you think was kind of the deciding factor in overtime?
BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI: “They got stops and we didn't. I think they stretched it out to maybe an 11-point lead to start overtime. And it's pretty hard when it's only five minutes to come back from an 11-point deficit. And so I think just a mixture of us fouling and not making shots on the other end is probably what led to the loss.”
When Steph has a night like this, 60, and you obviously lose, is there an added layer of like ‘kind of stings’, in some ways kind of waste what he did?
“Of course. He's the best point guard to ever play the game and to see him have 60 and be super-efficient and not get the calls like other superstars get in the league, it's pretty impressive, only six free throws and 60 points. So that was amazing to see, but you always want to come out with a victory in those situations because you only get to be around it for so long.”
When you see him score 60 points, how do you focus in on the game and not get caught up in being a fan?
“For me, honestly, just rebounding and defense. When he's in that mode you kind of know that he's probably going to shoot the shot. So for me it was just kind of rebounding and playing team defense and how we could get stops and get him the ball back. And I think that's kind of the mindset we all kind of have, like how can we get him open and let him keep flowing the way he does.”
Dray, of course the second game of a back to back, tough overtime loss tonight out there. You've been a defensive specialist this year for a long time, well-respected on the defensive end. Going up against a guy like Trae Young, can you talk to me about the matchup issues he brings being a great facilitator and scorer?
DRAYMOND GREEN: “Yeah, I mean they run a lot of sets where he has the ball most of the game and just kind of put him in positions to make decisions. And that's why he is who he is in this league. He's been doing that really well for a long time now.”
Draymond, you've seen fellow teammate Steph drop 60 tonight. We've seen 60 from KAT and Luka last week, 73. Do you think this is a trend that's gonna happen to where about once a week we're gonna see guys scoring 60-some points?
“The game is played at a very fast pace nowadays, get up and down a lot, get a lot of shots up and you got a lot of great scorers in this league. So I wouldn't necessarily call it a trend. But the skill in this league is at an all-time high, that's for sure.”
Obviously, I know you played with Trae, played with Steph for a long time. Your thoughts on this stage in his career playing the game that he had tonight, dropping almost 50 in the second half?
“Yeah, it’s crazy because you kind of grow accustomed to him having those types of games and types of nights and halves. He can get it going at any time, but it's just a testament to his hard work, the work that he puts in on his body on a daily basis and it shows in these moments and just seems like he continues to get better which is special at this age.”
Did you feel like you guys were a little fatigued down the stretch? Or do you think that had anything to do with it?
“Everybody's fatigued on the back-to-back down the stretch. I think losing Wiggs the whole second half and then losing JK down the stretch was tough. Those two guys are our main point-of-attack defenders and so I think losing those two guys made it tougher and the fatigue shows a little bit more with those two guys out.
You got a little time with Trayce tonight. What type of dimension does he provide and how does that help you, particularly?
“Well, I got to get used to playing with him because he does a good job of protecting the rim. I still find myself sliding over and he'll be there. And so kind of gotta build that feel and that trust, but rim protection — he’s a good rebounder. And then a lot through you drop the ball off to him in the paint and he can get the ball up quick and finish. So I think he brings a different dimension to this team that we otherwise don't have.”
The identity that you guys are kind of trying to build seems to be a lot of you at center. But are there nights or even moments within the game where you're thinking that having an extra big out there could help?
“Yeah, it depends on what the game calls for. And whatever that is, we trust Steve to make those decisions. He usually make the right one.”
Coach, Jonathan Kuminga has been on a crazy scoring stretch. In the past seven games he's scored above 20 points. He gave us a lot of trouble when we matched up at Golden State. That's the type of archetype we typically struggle against. So what do you think worked particularly well tonight, holding him to just 16 points?
QUIN SNYDER: “I think guys that were on him we had a few different matchups on him, but primarily JJ (Jalen Johnson), Hunt (De’Andre Hunter) guarded him some, too. And I thought we did a better job of not giving ground and keeping our feet. When we were there, he was driving the ball so effectively and he's so strong that he's able to create space. And I thought our guys did a better job of just leveling him off and not giving ground. And we also kept our feet a number of times when he's shot-faking and he steps around you. We didn't stand up and we didn't go for those fakes and that was a big part of it as well.”
On defending Curry:
“…I think our effort defensively — it's hard to say that when Steph Curry does what he did, but those weren't easy baskets. It’s difficult to contain him when you're fighting through 23 screens and some of those shots were contested from behind. Some of them were contested with our bigs and then you start standing up and he drives by him, but I thought collectively our defense, there was a focus and especially late you could kind of feel our guys come together defensively late.”
Steph, obviously not the results which you wanted tonight, but still had a moment to make NBA history. You’ve tied Kobe Bryant as the second player to score 60 points over the age of 35. I don't want to date you or anything like that, second game of a back-to-back, but what type of zone were you in tonight, trying to get your team to victory and having such a phenomenal performance?
STEPHEN CURRY POSTGAME GSW-ATL: “That's pretty cool. I didn't know that. That was his last game. Yeah that's special. It’s just one of those things you kind of feel as you go, knowing we're on a back-to-back, coming in late, trying to do whatever you can to keep our team in it. Just make shots, take what the defense gives you, force the issue if you feel it. In that fourth quarter we were very decisive on just trying to get me good looks. Creating some confusion. Thankfully a bunch of them went in. I wish that last one would have went down and had a good look at it, but it's frustrating, obviously, not coming away with the win, knowing a couple of plays here a couple of plays there, it's a different outcome. And we're celebrating an individual performance like that, but just adds to the frustration of our season.”
Steph, you had another 20-point quarter. That's up to 45 now, the most in NBA history. How do you determine when to just take over and then when to facilitate?
“There's a kind of a subconscious feel to the game, knowing you can be more aggressive to get to your spots and you might not see as much resistance, and it's just a matter of if you make or miss. The rest of it's just feeling the flow of the game and, yeah, at a certain point when you have you hit a couple and you get good looks at the rim, you're gonna kind of come back to those with the mindset of being aggressive to score. And there are certain games we didn't have much going, played well, shot the ball well. But from three, we were struggling a little bit as a team. So there is a certain point when you see the score, see the fourth quarter, like, let's go.”
Steph, two questions. What does it mean to you when you come out on an opposing field and see fans start to turn and actually cheer for you as you do what you do? And second of all, how has your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ helped you as you navigate through a tremendous career of being a dad, being a parent and also now moving into PGA golf as well?
“My faith, it guides me in everything. It's not really a result on what happens on the court. I'm just blessed to have this stage, to shine a light and hopefully be some type of inspiration to anybody that watches me, knowing I've been given some amazing gifts and trying to use them to the best of my ability whatever I do. And to your point about being in an opposing arena and having the turnout that we do and the support, it's easy to find energy with that type of response and I never take any of that for granted, knowing the ball will stop bouncing at some point. And this is definitely special … the ultimate gratitude every time I get to step foot on the floor.”
Does it feel like it was wasted tonight, what you did in some ways? Is that too strong a way to put it?
“You can describe it however you want; any game that you have — even way back when I first had 54 and in the Garden, we lost — that's the only feeling that you really worry about. Obviously, it's a fun ride when you're shooting the ball the way that you are and trying to get to the finish line and, like I said, have a W to show for it. If that last runner goes, in it's a different story. But it sucks to not have something to show for it, especially the way we all fought, given everything we had in the tank with the back-to-back and everything that we went through.”
How is the bigger picture, where you’re at right now, with where you guys are?
“It’s tough because you look out, we've had so many guys out and kind of a revolving door, Wiggs goes out at halftime, JK fouls out fourth quarter. At one point, it's really cool to see a different look. I was out there with Trayce, Lester, Gui and Brandin Podziemski. Like, those guys are taking steps and building confidence. I'm pretty sure if anybody asked, would you be out there with those four guys at some point in the regular season? You probably would have said no, but we still had a chance to win. Like, that's the challenge of this year. It was an entirely different five-man unit that we've never seen all season. So you're trying to adapt and allow that youthful energy to help us try to get over the hump. So it's been the nature of our season all year. What it was supposed to look like hasn't really materialized for consistent stretches. But again, you can only be in the present. That's the challenge, that we have to make this season salvageable. We’re still four games under .500. I'm still motivated. Just gotta stick with it.”
You had the quote a couple weeks ago, kind of the insanity quote that was taken as kind of you may be indicating you think a trade may need to happen, deadline’s nearing…?
“…the rest of that quote was, ‘It’s up to us as players to perform, play at the level that we're supposed to, so that those conversations and decisions are maybe a little easier.’ And obviously I'm not a GM. I'm not in that position where I'm getting asked that every single day. My job is to go out there, perform. The closer you get to it, it's the nature of the NBA. You can't be naive and act like calls aren’t being made, whatever it is. But for us as players in the locker room, you have to be able to control what you can control and until it's said otherwise or decisions are made, it's up to us to go out and perform and hold our ground as a team, that's a legitimate team that can win and if you're not, then you approach things differently when the opportunity presents itself.”
Steph, you got an opportunity to work out with Trae over the summer and just what are your thoughts on what you've seen, him as a player grow and of course the city of Atlanta? They say that he's been snubbed as an All-Star. Just your thoughts on his growth and him being left off the All Star team.
“He's continued to get better, perform his numbers. The All-Star is — there's a lot that goes into it, from the votes, from fans, media, coaches. It's a competitive element at each position trying to be selected every year. I told him after the game, it'll all come back to him if he continues to approach the game the right way. Play with joy. Don't let it build any type of resentment because he's not acknowledged. I'm sure there's a couple injuries in the East and it might not be the way that he wanted to get in, but he'll be there in Indiana being represented. And like I said, if you continue to approach the game the right way, if you continue to work at your craft, you continue to do what he's doing, it'll come back to him. My first year or the year before I first made it, you get that snub tag. It's kind of like a chip on your shoulder and it's a motivator. He can use that energy, but I'm sure he'll be there.”
Circling back to Lester for a second. How have you seen his game mature recently? He's getting an opportunity to play.
“You saw tonight he plays with ultimate confidence. He can shoot the hell out of the ball. He's taking defensive assignments and that one-on-one matchup serious. Trying to impact the game that way. Using his energy in the right direction. He played amazing tonight. Played amazing yesterday, taking what's what's there for him and just playing with ultimate confidence, however many minutes he's out there, whatever he's asked to do, so it's great to see guys rewarded for their patience and their hard work behind-the-scenes and nobody really gets to see.”
All right, congratulations on the win. Trae, there was a moment late in the fourth quarter where you and Steph are kind of having like a little back and forth and it excited the crowd. Do you have any reflections on being out there dropping over 30 points on Steph's 60-point night as well?
TRAE YOUNG: “I'm just glad we got the win, to be honest with you. It's always nice, obviously, to put on a show for the fans and for your team. But at the end of the day, you just want to win. And I think I know that's what was on his mind too. He just wanted to win and so he was just being aggressive … and we just kept going to it. And same, vice-versa. So they had to go into a box-and-one and so that kind of got the ball out of my hands. But everybody else made plays. That's why we won.”
Trae, four-game winning streak at this point. For you just shooting wise from three, you’ve been very consistent in hitting more than six threes in these last three games. You spoke after Tuesday about trying to find consistency. Do you kind of feel like at least for the moment that you guys have found a level of consistency?
“For sure. For sure. I mean four games in a row can show we're doing a few things right, consistently, and it's not like we were beating on bad teams. We're playing really good teams. So we've got to continue to keep it going, continue taking one game at a time and not look too far ahead or anything like that, and just continue to take it one game at a time. And like you said, just stay consistent with it.”
Trae, you've been one of the most disruptive defenders in the clutch this season. You just took your third charge in the clutch. And I haven't really checked the numbers yet, but you were retired from the most turnovers (caused) for us. So I'm going to say you're the leader now at eight with five steals, three charges. So can you speak to what's allowed you to be so impactful in like the game's biggest moment?
“Man, I like you, man. I like you. Of course. I like you man. I like you. No, I was just just trying to use my smart abilities to my strength, and I know I can't meet a lot of guys at the rim, so I can take charges and try to time their steps up that way and try to use my feet to my advantage. And that's just what I try to do and doing it a lot this year. So I'm glad you pointed that out man. Appreciate you.”
Trae, big night from your bigs. And obviously you’ve played with Clint (Capela) a lot, but Onyeka (Okongwu) closed out the game and he closed out overtime with you guys. What has it been like for you to see his growth kind of over the years and now with him shooting threes and hitting those corner threes. What have you seen out of his growth?
“Our bigs have been playing really good for us lately. And O hitting threes now for us is really good. It just adds another element to our team, an element to his game. Ultimately, makes his game a lot better and that just makes our team better. So him knocking down threes, being aggressive, going for rebounds and we got some putbacks and he even got an offensive rebound. I didn't think it was an offensive foul. But just going for those types of things, like it impacts our team and it helps our team. So we just need O to continue being himself and being O and bringing that type of energy that he brought tonight. And that'll help us a lot for sure.”
0:00 refs: Kevin Scott (13th season), Sean Corbin (29th), Intae Hwang (1st)
7:30 on the negativity towards
9:20 tipoff!
11m45 Q1 DPOY causes a turnover on alley Trae to Capela
11m10 Q1 good close by JK then Steph
11m03 Q1 Dejounte good job cutting JK downhill, good help Capela
10m05 Q1 Wiggs block
9m35 Q1 JK block
9m30 Q1 Klay fade no good says my bad
8m21 Q1 DJ doubles JK off Steph (miss) -- first time ever doubling off Steph (JK gameplan)
7m45 Q1 JK spin fade good Kawhi like
7m22 Q1 JK tap out as Dray argues, Steph 94ft and1
7m00 Q1 JK good D Dray got the steal
6m49 Q1 Steph to Dray JK pick, back to Dray 3 -- Warriors Basketball! turning into Iguodala off the ball
5m40 Q1 JK tov doubled
5m15 Q1 Wiggs good D on DJ
4m05 Q1 Steph baseline Kobe MJ fade
3m36 Q1 Steph bad catch
3m02 Q1 BP and1 94ft after a made bucket vs bigger Hunter -- so Manu-like
2m40 Q1 BP great recognize slip cut fouled Klay gravity
2m23 Q1 BP great D on Bog, Loon block or maybe travel on BB
2m13 Q1 Klay bad pass Loon
1m17 Q1 Les 2x oreb good
0m48 Q1 JK bad 3 take clank, just take Bogs
0m33 Q1 Gui late on help, fouls Trae under area
0m15 Q1 JK tov too much dribbling
0m02 Q1 Gui great inbound to Les at halfcourt SPLASH!!!
39:30 analyzing JK playing great team D at 7m08 Q1: help on Trae, switch on Cap, help on DJM
11m46 Q2 Klay bad fake airball
11m22 Q2 Klay hashmark duck
10m51 Q2 Gui oreb to Les up top splash
10m40 Q2 Loon block
10m30 Q2 right wing Les heatcheck airball
10m11 Q2 Loon good box out of O
10m03 Q2 Les good attack, Gui good fake fouled
9m50 Q2 Gui bad D vs Jalen roll
9m26 Q2 called timeout, not Steph sub, wonder why
46:15 on TJD: Loon hasn't done anything wrong yet. It's just the rotation. There's not enough mins really at the five when Dray starts at the five -- can we not blame rotations unless we're in the middle of giving up a run or a losing streak
9m17 Q2 Klay misses again, Loon oreb again
9m07 Q2 Klay fb 3 no good 1 vs 3
8m57 Q2 Klay bad J late shot vs Bog good D
8m30 Q2 Les airball (Kerr yells "open" from bench?)
7m52 Q2 Klay 3 to shut everyone up -- this is why you have to ENJOY THE PROCESS
7m40 Q2 Klay subs out normally, maybe he knew he was coming up
7m11 Q2 JK scores Kawhi style pop vs Cap
6m43 Q2 BP banker again
6m20 Q2 DJM shades BP towards the weaker righthand and BP took it
5m48 Q2 JK oreb assist to Dray
5m35 Q2 Steph bad close out Garrison Mathews corner
5m20 Q2 Steph wide open 3 again on JK double, they've DEFINITELY scouted JK
4m30 Q2 JK nice 1v1 vs O, loses
4m03 Q2 Steph miss reverse open, DJM 94ft timeout
3m52 Q2 Steph cut and1 via Dray on top-block by DJM
3m37 Q2 JK Dray Wiggs BP all great D, Dray
3m07 Q2 BP take a charge no call
3m00 Q2 BP sets screen Dray layup
2m20 Q2 BP 94ft
2m16 Q2 Steph steals Bog
2m00 Q2 Steph 3 no and1 vs Trae deep right
1m40 Q2 Bog 3 over Steph, that's the NBA
1m20 Q2 Steph 3 no good no call again (DJ landing space)
1m03 Q2 Steph fouled on reb late call (Kevin Scott!) -- the continued incompetence of Adam's Keystone Cops
0m33 Q2 Jalen no foul on Steph 3 miss 2for1?
1:11:45 analyzing the non-call on Steph's 3: high-five non-foul?
1:16:00 analyzing the start of the game double of JK off Steph
11m45 Q3 Dray misses another layup, 3 by ATL as he argues
11m09 Q3 DJM top block slip again, his 4th foul
10m33 Q3 Dray good wheel picks and pass to Klay who gets blocked by GM
10m27 Q3 Dray can't hold the entry
9m50 Q3 JK another tov (3rd), Trae 3
1:25:30 Wiggs left ankle injury, return TBD per Slater
9m20 Q3 TJD in -- enabled by Wiggs absence?
8m10 Q3 Klay passed up a 3 wow
7m25 Q3 JK good job 3 as Trae gave him 5 yards
6m53 Q3 Klay good D block
6m25 Q3 Klay good close on Trae
6m15 Q3 Klay subs out deep breath eyes closed
6m05 Q3 BP 3 miss, should've waited for Steph
5m21 Q3 JK another tov O didn't bite
4m35 Q3 bad outlet Dray after TJD block close
3m45 Q3 Gui oreb ast to BP
3m35 Q3 good D Loon on DJ
1:37:00 me on the online bullying of Steve because of superficial things
2m20 Q3 BP flat tired by Trae lol
2m07 Q3 Les J shot buzz
1m52 Q3 Loon boxes out O, good D BP on Trae
1m40 Q3 BP Gui good hustle to jump ball
1m30 Q3 backcourt call overruled but O had rebounded it, shot clock reset, 18 on clock when jump ball called
1m06 Q3 Klay brick again
0m40 Q3 Les 3
0m05 Q3 Klay misses again, frustrated
1:49:45 on learning that an injury (Wiggs) can lead to scrambling the spreadsheet (TJD), not necessarily a wing for a wing in this case
11m45 Q4 corner 3 O vs zone
11m41 Q4 Loon bad screen but flop on GM
1:55:00 I try to remember when Steve went on the podium and said they were flopping on screens, turns out I wrote it (OKC 12/12) link
10m30 Q4 Trae gets 2 screens, 3 ball over Gui on the ATO
9m38 Q4 Les miss Jalen no call Steve argues, Trae draws foul on Les
9m09 Q4 BP fouled on body no call
8m52 Q4 TJD dunk and1 via BP
7m21 Q4 TJD leaves JJ open 3 top, helped on DJ vs BP didn't need to
7m10 Q4 JJ stops JK at the rim
6m51 Q4 Klay fake 3, layup!
6m27 Q4 JJ dunk putback what a great game by him
5m45 Q4 Klay steal assist JK dunk 94ft
2:08:30 @Jabree Steve Said KUMINGA wanted to play ISO and Steve wanted him to Drive because of his Elite Finishing... Kuminga Started Driving and putting pressure on the Rim and he got Minutes... Credit STEVE! -- 7 game series would be mega adjustments, love this game
4m50 Q4 good steal Klay BP
4m41 Q4 Steph bad tov leads to and1 Bog
4m25 Q4 great fakes by JK vs JJ, great unsung matchup -- it's not really Trae vs Steph because they don't guard each other
3m55 Q4 Steph 3 over BP screen
3m35 Q4 Trae turns corner on Klay trap
3m07 Q4 JJ past Klay but Dray good help
2m55 Q4 Steph turns on DJM, I'm him to the crowd
2m40 Q4 JK foul on Trae three taps lol Kerr mad
2m01 Q4 Dray dreb tap hit rim
1m47 Q4 Steph double step back -- eerily similar to vs PHI (Tobias)
1m26 Q4 Klay doesn't cut
1m00 Q4 Dray can't catch bad lob by Steph
0m18 Q4 Steph GOAT split of the double push shot good
2:20:15 one stop no threes! Give them a layup!
0m13 Q4 good job trapping Trae, 2-ball by DJM i'm ok with that
0m04 Q4 good ATO to get Steph open (Klay set pick) -- took a poll of who gets the game-winner (Steph won 70%)
2:24:15 can we pls win an OT game, bball gods? pray!
2:25:30 Wiggs out, left ankle per Slater 45 mins ago2:26:23 Dray wins tip!2:27:15 we're 4-18 in the last 22 OTs
2:26:23 Dray wins tip!
2:27:15 we're 4-18 in the last 22 OTs
4m51 OT Les challenge Trae charge but seemed like moving (Intae)
2:29:00 we take a poll on if refs will screw up the challenge, Naismith rolls in his grave, awful
4m29 OT BP blows layup open
3m35 OT DJM and1 vs BP does the too short taunt
3m23 OT Steph hero ball no good
2m50 OT O has 15 rebs, I called it (oreb)
2:23:30 in the NBA you come with a master plan (stop JK) and that's just what you go with and it worked today, JK 4 tov
2m13 OT Steph ATO cut Dray ast
1m17 OT DJ waltzes past Klay O dunk
1m03 OT Trae goes by 3 guys, Klay can't keep anyone in front
0m33 OT good steal Les
0m25 OT Les purposely miss FT goes right back to him but he went into lane
2:42:15 analyzing the pbp to see where the game may have slipped (real tough for OT game)
2:44:15 I'm gonna say biggest thing was JK 6 fouls and 4 tov, more so than Klay going 2/13 (Wiggs being out)
2:46:00 example of NBC replay of DJ, Intae cannot call those in the Finals, frustrating to see ticky-tack
2:48:15 credit Quin for game-planning vs JK
2:49:00 just get to .500 first, that should get you into the play-in (in response to "it's getting late"), we would need a 4-game runway to be mathematically correct on that, and when we do have our backs against the wall, we do play better
2:50:30 keep in mind, Klay is the one beating himself up the most right now
2:51:30 @Percy Bedford it time for Kuminga inserted earlier in the offense. -- Steph and Klay are literally setting picks for JK. But if you were here, you would've heard me explain that Quin Snyder doubled JK at the expense of leaving Steph open
2:55:00 people should use their energy on Steve to blame JK for the 6 fouls and 4 tov tonight but they won't, but it's not JK's fault, give him rope because he's young, he'll see the tape, he'll learn, we should apply the same rope to Steve
3:01:45 Zidane: JK on the scouting report will mean he's an All-Star
3:03:45 Klay should do better to recognize that when he screws up, this year it has a more dramatic effect on the team than any in year in the past
3:06:00 STEVE POSTGAME AUDIO
3:08:00 Kerr not thinking JK's 6th was a foul, you just got different referees on different pages, the NBA I remember is one where refs realized the stars of the game, the impact players, and they would not foul out a guy who impacts the game on any old foul, so why can't we go back to that? What happened to get us here? this part of today's game is something that I really miss from yesteryear's. Adam talks about load management and making sure stars play. How about recognizing who the stars are in the moment? And not ejecting or fouling out those guys unless it's absolutely necessary? Ergo, we should actually get less enraged by the team for the losses and just understand that it's much easier to lose a game these days.
3:10:45 my plea is to just somehow enjoy the process, enjoy good basketball, and just don't worry about the results and trust that sooner or later the coin flips will go our way and just control what you can control and get better
3:11:45 Luka scored 70 and they lost, so the whole "waste" thing is bogus, you gotta find ways to enjoy basketball, we're 9-7 with full Draymond, so just keep going
3:16:00 DRAY POSTGAME AUDIO
3:22:00 @Bruce Maro: accepting losses is developing bad habits -- I'm gonna look back in the future at this and still say it was a good experience, make the adjustments we need to make (maybe TJD leap-frogged Loon?), trusting the universe to give the deserved result, this could be a test of not letting go of the rope
3:27:45 BP POSTGAME AUDIO
3:29:45 on Klay not going to the podium tonight because he played bad and would give Raymond Ridder a snarl if asked to go there
3:34:15 @Steven Kamp: What are the Warriors going to do to save the season? -- Wouldn't the return of Mo GP CP3 be along the lines of "save the season"?
3:35:15 losing Wiggs tonight on defense is not being talked about enough
3:35:45 Nicole says Lindsey Lohan tried to kiss Steph, Ayesha's not gonna like that, does she know that Steph is very particular about that type of stuff, Bruce: Ayesha and Lohan have a movie coming up
3:41:00 Ayton gets suggested as a trade for CP: That's another thing to learn about salary cap tables: We are NOT trading for a long-term contract like Ayton.
3:42:00 my essay on hitting a home run in the off-season and understanding salary cap tables and being dismayed that any rando on the Internet it is really tough to gauge if they want to learn and have a meaningful back-and-forth process to discuss who might be available to move the needle as far as trades are concerned
3:53:00 STEPH POSTGAME AUDIO
4:00:00 on "wasting the 60 points", I'm hear to tell you that as a baller, iirc, an organized basketball teammate would never say that, so why don't probe into why? But one reason why they wouldn't say that is because it's somewhat insulting to the guy, in that why don't you think he can do that again? Competitively. We just don't think in those terms. The 60 points is all part of the framework of a team. That's why you don't hear teammates ever say that.
4:27:00 Kerr only on for 1.5 minutes, I theorize that he's mad at the refs (could be wrong)
4:30:00 on quantum physics and gratitude and meditating
4:40:00 on why Intae called JK for his 6th foul: the refs are all on different pages, that's why Sean Corbin (19 years) probably wouldn't have called that, Intae needs to stay true to the rule book to come back as a 2nd year ref
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