Steph Curry on Klay “not allowing narratives to control his peace of mind”
[DEN-GSW videos/transcripts/notes/quotes]
Per usual, a lot of different story lines, which makes basketball great, but I prefer to relate the Warriors’ process to anyone’s daily life, too, so I’ll highlight Klay Thompson. Honestly, the best way to deal with all the “survival instinct” situations of life is to get out of that mode, find self-love, and have it be so big that, as Steph Curry said on the podium, you don’t allow narratives to control your peace of mind.
I still do think Klay has a ways to go. After all, he became great because of his ability to shoot himself out of narratives, in a supremely high competitive environment. But, baby steps.
“I'm still just trying to stay loose on the sideline, be myself and just play with a free mind and, yeah, just be myself when my number's called.” — Klay Thompson
And somewhat related with Steph, great to see him sort of mini-meditating on the bench, although he didn’t delve too much into it and people on our livestream joked that it didn’t work because the team ended up losing plus Curry didn’t have the best numbers.
“…those are all just moments to collect yourself. I'm on the bench for a short time. So you want to get your recovery in and get your mind right on what needs to happen when you get back in there. It's a routine that I've been doing for a very long time.” — Steph Curry
But as I told our audience, scientifically speaking, meditation gets your brain out of beta wave patterns which is what happens when you’re stressed out. Whether or not the brief moments on the bench are enough versus helping Curry in some less-overarching way, remains to be seen, and just like with Klay — and Steph said he’s been doing this for a long time now — something along those lines of inner peace is better than nothing.
The greatest challenge in sports, though, is that social media apps lurk in attack mode, which exposes you right back into a stressed-out reality. But there are pockets of places, some of them online like our livestreams, where you can take your fandom and be safely protected from all of that, at least for the most part.
“…we all, in the locker room or on a one-on-one, there's been plenty of conversations on not, again, not allowing narratives to control like his peace of mind or his ability to, again, impact winning with this particular group. And like I said, not stray too far from the Klay Thompson that we know and expect when he's out there on the floor. So it's one of those – any team dynamic, any locker room, you're going to have plenty of moments where you need to be picked up. And you see a guy down and you gotta go pick them up and those happen all the time.” — Steph Curry
Anyways, the transcripts are below and I also liked Warrior legend Clifford Ray’s response at the podium as a special guest honoree, on Klay and team sacrifice. Denver head coach Michael Malone’s strategy of Nikola Jokic trapping very high on Steph’s pick-and-roll might be worth the scroll-down (to the transcripts), too.
The Denver game was also ultimately lost in a small stretch of the fourth quarter, you can see it in the play-by-play and running score — I did this on the live with the audience, postgame — when Brandin Podziemski went out of his way on a fast break to find Thompson in the corner, bypassing a run at the rim by Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The play ended up with Klay faking the three, in doing so missing Trayce at that point standing underneath the rim wide open (which Denver did because they’ve been expertly coached to take away the Warriors’ threes), driving baseline and hitting Andrew Wiggins for an open triple which he missed.
But don’t expect this philosophy — I’ve actually confirmed this with a team insider — to change anytime soon. Steve Kerr will live and die by this sword, and quite frankly I can see both sides of it. Really, the only argument you can make against this is that Steph and Klay’s threes in organized chaos are not as effective as they’ve been in the past; and you’ve have to present analytics to support this if you’re going away from this, because when they work, they really do work, both on the scoreboard but also with the opponents’ subsequent psyche.
In any case, that missed three led to a Denver runout layup in return, a timeout by Kerr, which then on the ATO, Green threw the ball to the other team for an easy dunk the other way. Curry then missed a free throw on a defensive three-second call, and Draymond missed the second of two layup attempts on the night, once again leading to the Nuggets in transition, whereby Kentavious Caldwell-Pope cashed in for three.
The Warriors, which started that whole sequence on the initial fast break down by three, never recovered from that stretch that gave Denver a ten-point lead with 7:05 to go. By the way, after that, you had Podziemski’s mindless backcourt turnover (I can’t help but theorize that “organized chaos” causes “mindlessness”), Christian Braun nailing a three thanks to downhill action initiated by Jamal Murray, Braun blocking an awkward leaning Jonathan Kuminga jumper late shot clock, another bad pass by Draymond, and later, another mishandle of a dribble by Steph vs KCP.
So, yeah, Steve saying pregame that Klay has been “grappling with mortality” is a bit ironic when Draymond and Steph can look very mortal against the Nuggets — Steph on multiple occasions this season.
On the livestream (timestamps below), I discussed at length about — at least against the world champion benchmark that is the Nuggets — Green (5 turnovers) and Curry getting older and therefore JK stepping up, both from a coaching staff and individual standpoint — to get them over the top and to a championship-caliber level.
Kuminga tied Klay for our “unsung play of the game”, which is also an indication of Klay’s ongoing popularity, as he won our unsung play of the game for the Charlotte win as well. The poll is at the end of the Game Notes below. JK’s play was the reverse layup and-one late, and Klay’s was the early curl, pivot, kick out a la Kobe Bryant three among two or three Nuggets flying at him.
And finally a little quickie research on bkref.com of Draymond’s penchant for turnovers shows me an increase during the regular season for games having 4-6 turnovers and a .500-ish or slightly lower winning percentage in those. However, I don’t see anything glaring with respect to playoff games, although all three losses to Sacramento, either Green (Game 2) or Curry (Games 1 and 6) reached five turnovers — Steph also had 5 in the Game 5 win, though. Draymond seems to ratchet up for the playoffs on the turnover front, as compared to the regular season. You don’t see him with more than three turnovers in most playoff games.
But that’s it from me on a multi-faceted game reinforcing the Season of Humility: a lot of podium questions about Klay eating humble pie recently, then the game itself feeding that pie to Steph and Draymond instead, with Green admitting on his postgame podcast for three minutes that he had no answer for Jokic.
To beat the Nuggets over seven games, unless the Jokic Rules from two years ago somehow will magically still work (i.e., they won’t), the Warriors are gonna need more Kuminga. But I still think Draymond is right when he said after the Charlotte game (and hence ate humble pie 48 hours later) that the Warriors can beat every team — well, apparently not every team. We will need to see it happen against the other “elite” teams coming up on the schedule, but as it stands right now, not being able to get past the hump that is the world-champion Nuggets isn’t all that bad and provides a glaring reminder that Steph and Dray sometimes can’t get it done.
Here are the videos and transcripts from last night:
0:00 Steph, you're up 14 with a few minutes to go in the second quarter. What happened to change that 14-0 run that Denver got on?
STEPHEN CURRY POSTGAME DEN-GSW: “They had some tough shots. We had some open looks that didn't go down and then they made us pay on the back end, their style of play, when they're able to push in transition, Jokic at the top or Jamal (Murray) with the ball requires a great effort to try to slow their momentum down, and they made us pay for like five, six possessions in a row, and got to free the line twice, slowed the game down a little bit. So you credit them, it's been maybe three games like this, obviously, not in the fourth quarter like last game here, but where we've had a significant lead and they're a great team that didn't panic and slowly walked us down. It was just one of those tough stretches that gave them life and they took advantage of it.”
1:09 You've played in all but three games this season. Steve was saying, he's said a couple times recently, he thinks you might be a little fatigued. Do you feel fatigued at all? Do you not want to rest at all coming up?
“No.”
1:24 Okay. Three out of your last four games, shooting numbers have been down – just missing shots, or what would you kind of attribute it to?
“Yeah, you miss shots. Like, it's one of those things. That's why they're called averages, like, you've got the highs and lows of it and nobody, again, the standard that you set when you don't meet it, there's questions about how your legs are tired or not. You just missed shots and you keep shooting. It's part of the nature of being available and playing every game, which, yes, never lose confidence and come back, whatever it is, Monday, try to shoot well on the road.”
2:10 Steph, before the game, Steve was saying that he thought that Klay's mindset had improved over the last couple of days or weeks and he's more relaxed and accepting of kind of coming off the bench or his new role. What do you see from him and how he's contributing?
“Exactly that. Even the LA game, only had three points. It was one of the better all-around floor games that he's had, where he took what the defense gave him. He took the shots he was supposed to shoot. Some of them, or most of them, didn't go in, but the way that the game flows and where he gets his opportunities, he was always just making the right play, playing great defense on whoever his match up was. Got us some rebounds, extra possessions that way. And then like tonight, it's kind of the opposite where he's hot and giving us a huge lead and a huge boost. And it's like the first nine minutes he was out there. So, it all comes from understanding that no matter if it's a starting role, bench role, whatever it is, he's still Klay Thompson and he can come in and do exactly what he did tonight. I know he wanted to shoot better in the second half, but the more reps he gets, the more confidence he has to just go out there and just play basketball and don't let the narratives kind of consume him. That's when he's at his best.”
3:42 Steph, Steve also said he thought Chris (Paul)'s return, which is obviously coming up on this trip, would help you relieve some of the burden. And obviously playing, he'll play the non-Steph minutes. You're not out there, but you guys also play together quite a bit. How do you see his impact on both the team and yourself?
“I'm excited about it. Just when he went when he got hurt, we were not in a great place and trying to again establish our identity. We've had a pretty good run, built some momentum since he's been out, but he's such a connector and a floor general and a guy that gets everybody in the right spot. So whether it's when I'm on the bench or the rotations where we're on the court at the same time, it'll hopefully elevate us to another level where he gets comfortable, gets his legs underneath him. And again, just does what he does and that on top of how we've been playing up until tonight, hopefully allow us to keep building.”
4:46 During the fourth quarter, you're sitting on the bench and closing your eyes, taking the deep breaths. What's on your mind at that moment, and I want to ask how to deal with the frustration when the team loses?
“Yeah, those are all just moments to collect yourself. I'm on the bench for a short time. So you want to get your recovery in and get your mind right on what needs to happen when you get back in there. It's a routine that I've been doing for a very long time. So, just taking advantage of those minutes I'm on the bench and losing is never fun. You just try to turn the page and not have back-to-back efforts like we had tonight. Because we've been having things go really well as of late, and you want to have a good bounce-back game on Monday.” [Curry meant Tuesday because the next game is not Monday, but Tuesday.]
5:41 Klay himself mentioned the idea of him and Chris being the backcourt of a second unit is pretty amazing to think about. Have you thought about that? What that's going to feel like when two Hall-of-Famers, I would imagine, are in your second team backcourt?
“They should. You win most of those minutes that they're out there and that's what it takes to be a really good team, is having those combinations and with experienced talent and just a know-how. So throw in like what Trayce has been doing in that group and mixing and matching, who's out there with 'em. Style should kind of -- it should be a nice chemistry there, and it'll be fun because, obviously, our starting unit has been playing a lot better as of late. And if you can get off to a good start, and then you have those two guys coming in, a lot of smiles and confidence on what they're going to be able to do out there on the floor.”
6:50 Steph, I'm curious with Klay and this transition he's going through, what's the communication been like with the two of you? I remember back when Andre (Iguodala) made the shift and talked at length about the way that Steve gave him the Spurs example and Manu (Ginobili) and all these different ways for him to buy in. Has Klay been talkative with you and other guys behind the scenes as he's going through it by himself? Like, what's the communication been?
“...he's never wanted to really, like, go out of his way to ask those questions, in a sense. But we all, in the locker room or on a one-on-one, there's been plenty of conversations on not, again, not allowing narratives to control like his peace of mind or his ability to, again, impact winning with this particular group. And like I said, not stray too far from the Klay Thompson that we know and expect when he's out there on the floor. So it's one of those – any team dynamic, any locker room, you're going to have plenty of moments where you need to be picked up. And you see a guy down and you gotta go pick them up and those happen all the time. So it's not really a special come-to-Jesus type of situation. It's just normal reacting to how the season's been going and what we all need to be individually and collectively.”
8:19 Coach, that was the first time under Steve Kerr that a team has swept the Warriors with Steph playing in all four games. And I just am wondering your thoughts on the effort and the discipline that it takes to be able to accomplish something like that?
MICHAEL MALONE: “Yeah, we know that Steph is one of the greatest to ever do it. And we know what that team presents in terms of all the problems. But what I was most proud about tonight, aside from winning, of course, was just we're down 16 in that second quarter. And when we play Golden State, we do things differently. This is not a standard defense. We try to do things differently because of who they are and their personnel. And so they're going to be some breakdowns and there were, but for us to close that second quarter 14 to 0, tie it up at half and then start the third on a 14 to 4 run. That's a 28 to 4 run in their building after being down 16. That's what I'm most proud about. We had a lot of guys, Nikola. another triple double. He was outstanding tonight. 32-16-16, four steals, one block, five deflections. I thought Nikola was just once again showcased why he's the best player in the NBA. But Jamal Murray's contributions, I felt, I thought Zeke Nnaji, Christian Braun off the bench. You don't beat a team like that. AG, 17, Pope, the defense, he played on a guy like Steph Curry. It's not just one guy, but our guys just were locked in. And to start off 3-0 post All Star break, I couldn't be more proud of our group.”
9:57 Michael, for Zeke and Christian, how important just was sort of the energy that they gave in the fourth quarter? In particular, you guys only gave up 16 in that quarter as you sort of pulled away.
“Yeah, 16 and 29 percent from the field in that fourth quarter. So, your fourth quarter is when you want your defense to be at its best and it was for us tonight. And I felt we started Jamal, Aaron (Gordon) and Michael (Porter, Jr.) to start the fourth quarter. And when I had CB (Christian Braun) and Zeke out there, I thought they played really, really hard, but also efficient and effective. CB made a big three, Zeke on the glass. I thought both of their defenses were outstanding. And that's important to play fourth quarter meaningful minutes. This hasn't been an easy year for Zeke Nnaji, but I'm really proud of him for staying with it and playing at the level he's played out in the last three games. And he's only going to continue to get better for us.”
10:51 Klay Thompson came off the bench tonight for the game. How did that change the dynamic dynamics of the game for game preparation? And it’s a great performance by the Nuggets, but the bench points, the Warriors outscored the Nuggets. Is that a future concern for you?
“Well, as far as Klay, we knew he was coming off the bench and obviously he was shooting a flamethrower in that first half. He had, I think, all 23 of his points were in the first half. So the fact in the second half we kind of locked in and eliminated his impact off the bench was a huge reason why we were able to win this game. Because in that first half, he got whatever he wanted. As far as the bench points, I don't really worry about the bench points. I worry about their defense. I worry about their rebounding and their disposition, and I thought it was where it needed to be tonight.”
11:39 Also, it's seven consecutive wins against the Warriors. Is there any extra motivation when playing against the Warriors?
“No, no, we get up for each opponent that we play. We know in this building against that team, we know what they're capable of. And we know that they're also a highly motivated team right now trying to make a run to get out of the play-in and try to get into the top six. But we get up for everybody that we play. We know that as reigning world champions, we're going to get the best no matter who we're playing, and now we have to go home, get some rest. And you're ready for a home and home back to back.”
12:19 Michael, the last few games with Zeke, it feels like you've paired him with a little bit more size, whether it's MPJ or tonight, he played alongside Aaron and Nikola. Do you feel like that's unlocked anything for Zeke or made life easier for him at all?
“Well, I think anybody playing with Nikola is going to make life easier for them. Because Nikola is just such a great player and he makes everyone around him better. We went big tonight with that second unit. We went big because we're getting our ass kicked on the glass. They were first half, I'm not sure how many offensive rebounds they had, but they had the lion's share of their 11 in that first half. So just having size out there with Zeke and Aaron, that group was able to provide productive minutes for us.”
13:07 Coach, you mentioned that you have some special rules going against the Warriors. You've been able to have some great defensive stretches in this building. I think it was a 26-4 run. Last time you played here to take the win in the fourth quarter, this time 14-0, so you've had some stretches where you really are able to play great defense against. What's been the key to improving your defense against this team as we've faced them over the years?
“Well, it's easier said than done, but the message to our guys is always the same. No matter what we're doing, you have to find a way to limit their three. Coming into tonight, the last five games, they were making 17 and a half threes per game and shooting over 40%. So to hold them to 11 of 34 and only 32%. That's why you beat them. If you let Steph and Klay and Podziemski and all those other guys get going from three, that game can get away from you in a hurry. So we do some different things to try to eliminate that; our guys have bought in, we beat them four times this year that's great, but there's a lot of things that we can still clean up.”
13:07 Going off that last question, and you kind of answered … that last run of the second quarter, last three minutes of the second quarter, you scored 14 to nothing. What happened differently in that section? Do you feel that kind of turned the whole momentum of the game?
“Well, you go back to the last time we played here and we closed the game on a, I don't know, 25 to four run, whatever it was, to win the game at the buzzer. And for me, I think some people can get caught up into what you're doing defensively, what you're doing offensively. I think the deeper and more important question is how you're doing it. And I felt for the first quarter and a half, they were the aggressor. They had us on our heels, and we were reacting to everything they did. And I think for us to close out 14-0, and then to start the third 14-4, I think we kind of flipped the switch and we became the aggressor on both ends and stopped thinking and started playing with an attack mindset and an aggressive mindset. And I think that's when we're at our best. It's not about, are you switching, are you showing, are you blitzing? It's how you do those things. And I felt our intensity level and our aggression definitely picked up.”
15:23 Coach, can you talk about just how Jamal has been fighting through this season, injury wise and had a nice night tonight, just the strength he's shown this season and just the challenges he's overcoming?
“Yeah, just so proud of Jamal Murray. One of the tougher guys I've ever been around. Physically tough, mentally tough. And he's dealing with an injury. And that's why, obviously, he wasn't able to play in the Portland game. So we have to be aware of that and make sure we're doing everything we can to protect him as we move forward with these final 24 games going into the postseason. But Jamal's a gamer. He's tough, lives for the moment, makes and takes big, big shots. And the reality is this, we won a championship last year and I understand Nikola, Finals MVP, Nikola, Western Conference finals, MVP. We don't want a championship without Jamal Murray. There were games in that stretch run where we went 16-4. Well, Jamal Murray put the team on his back. And I think throughout this season, the ups and downs of the injury, being out for 14 games, and recuperating, 9-for-16 from the field, gets to the foul line 6 times, 27 points, and just contributed all across the board.”
16:42 You mentioned that it doesn't even necessarily matter the game plan so much as how you guys are executing it defensively. What were you seeing specifically from Nikola defensively tonight that made him so effective?
“Well, anytime you can go out there and you get 14 defensive rebounds, four steals, a block and five deflections, that speaks to activity, that speaks to a physicality, that speaks to just being in the right place at the right time. And KCP got the defensive player of the game because we only travel with one. We gotta change that because if we had to change, Nikola would have gotten the other one. When you're guarding Steph Curry in pick and roll, the big has to be up. You're almost blitzing him and Nikola was up every time in that, in those picking roles to help contribute to what KCP was doing. So just his engagement, his activity was just off the charts.”
0:00 CLIFFORD RAY, PREGAME DEN-GSW: “ I always say that on any great team, no one player wins a championship. It takes the entire team and it's like writing a book. Every player, including the last guy on the bench, is going to put a chapter in that book. And that's the difference, and the same thing that happened to this team. Now the book is being rewritten. To see if they can get one more, two more, whatever it takes. And then when they, the hardest thing is, like he was talking about, Coach was talking about, Klay. Klay has always been the hardest on himself. Always has been. He's a very emotional player. That always striving to be better, even when you have a great game, he's never satisfied. So then all of a sudden, age comes in. This is a young man's sport. Let's just face it, no matter what, I don't care how great you are, or how many rebounds you get, at some point you aren't going to be able to do the things that you did two years ago, or five years ago. But the one thing you have to always remember, like Coach said, he just has to understand that he's still a great player. So the greatest thing they could have ever done was to bring him off the bench. Because nobody that's coming off that, the players that are coming off the bench on those opposing teams are going to be able to just knock him out of the box. And then he's going to be able to help, still be a big help, to what they're trying to get to this year, which they have just as good a chance as anybody in the NBA to go back to the championship. They just gotta believe they have to work together. They have to understand sacrificing whatever it takes. And that's the difference. That's what our team is like. You think all of us didn't score lots of points coming out of high school and college? It's no different. But what those men on that team have to realize is that, ‘What do we need to do?’ to put a trophy on that table.”
2:23 What do you think went wrong for you guys tonight?
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS POSTGAME DEN-GSW: “I just think that we just need to – Coach said it at halftime – when we get into things, like being able to slow down and get into something on offense. There was a few times where that didn't happen, especially to close out the half and they took advantage of it.”
2:44 What makes it so challenging when you're guarding a big guy like Jokic, who is equally as dangerous setting up an offense and passing the ball than he is as scoring the basketball?
“It puts you at a disadvantage. He's one of the best players in the world. He can score. He can facilitate, but we try to take away his passing. 16 assists, so it's hard, but at the same time, you've got to choose something to take away and we tried to and he was just doing it all tonight.”
Having seen them four times this season, what sticks out the most in terms of what they do? Well, it's obviously so many things, but what makes them who they are?
“They're resilient. They're a very resilient team. Obviously, they won the championship last year, returned most of their guys, but at the end of the day, it was on us, and we bit ourselves in the foot a few times. When we get a lead, we just got to maintain it. Last time they were in here, we were up by 15 or 16 in the fourth. And so I just think that we need to maintain and keep building on the lead and keep getting stops and stuff of that nature.”
3:51 Trayce to go off of that with Denver, it's now seven straight losses against them. I know you weren't here for all of those, but what's the frustration like knowing that you guys weren't able to get one of the regular season this time around?
“At the end of the day, we gotta flush it. We've been playing really good basketball. They’re a great team. In two or three of those, we didn't have Draymond. And so who knows what would have happened in the other ones. But at the same time, we gotta flush it. We got Washington in two days. And so we gotta get ready for that.”
4:20 When you say you know you guys are trying to take away the pass from Jokic, what does that look like, is it just playing him straight up one-on-one?
“Yeah, exactly. Playing him straight up one-on-one trying to press up on him and get into his grill. Basically take away passing lanes. Everyone space out and kind of just by yourself. One-on-one. Obviously such a good player. You can stand on that one foot and then at the last second, throw something, if you try to come double later, stuff of that nature. He's a very, very talented player. He’s great.”
4:49 Draymond was the primary defender on Jokic. What did he tell you guys about the task of handling him? And what do you think about Draymond finishing this game with only one foul when he was trying to contend with your kids?
“It's just who he is as a defender. Obviously, it's two greats going at it. Joker's a great player. Draymond's a great player. Obviously, offense is at an advantage in this day and age in the NBA. But at the end of the day, we try to take a lot of his stuff away, and sometimes great players make great plays.”
5:25 Team defense standpoint, what makes Jokic so challenging?
“Well, he's really big. He's very nimble. And he's got great touch. He's got great vision. And he had a monster night tonight. But he's one of the best players in the world.”
5:50 How and why do you think this game kind of flipped so drastically like it did?
“We may have relaxed a little bit when we got up 15. Can't do that against defending champs. But we'll learn from it and start a new win streak on the road.”
6:11 You had 23 (points) in like, 10-11 minutes and then finished with 23. Were you just not able to get the same looks in the second half?
KLAY THOMPSON: “Yeah, I took two great looks from three. The third one might have been a little rushed, but I just gotta do a better job of inserting myself in the flow of the offense in moments like that. Not even just to shoot, but just to make plays and feel the leather. And usually when you do that, you generate good looks.”
6:42 Klay, before the game, Steve was saying that he was applauding your approach to coming off the bench and saying he thought you were more relaxed, and had a better mindset than you had a couple of weeks ago. Do you feel that? And just how has this stretch been since coming back from the All Star break?
“It's been great. I feel refreshed, especially mentally, from the All Star break and I never looked at coming off the bench, really, as a demotion, considering I'm still playing 25 to 30 minutes a night. I've been in this league a long time and to still be contributing at a high level and playing those type of minutes, you gotta be grateful for that.”
7:32 Have you changed up your routine at all pregame to kind of adjust for coming into the game later with seven minutes left or six and a half minutes left?
“Not really, to be honest. I'm still just trying to stay loose on the sideline, be myself and just play with a free mind and, yeah, just be myself when my number's called.”
7:57 How easy or hard is it to jump into the middle of a game, you haven't, you say, touched the leather, you haven't been playing, to feel like you're right in the flow when you're coming off the bench?
“It's not that difficult because usually Coach will call a set for me, or point guard (will). So, the adjustment's been pretty easy and still played the second-most minutes tonight and come off the bench. So it's not the end of the world.”
8:27 Klay, what's the difference in your mind on the road with this year's team versus last year? You guys are obviously more successful on the road. You have a bunch of road games coming up.
“It's a good question, I don't know, I just think we've been able to close out games better on the road this year and we're leaning on everyone to play and guys are ready when their number's called. You might not get a lot of tick the night before, but the next night could be completely different. So we've had guys who are being great pros and competing when they're called upon.”
9:09 Chris (Paul) could come back on the road trip. What are you expecting from him to add to the second unit? And then just what ways has he stayed engaged?
“Despite missing time, I expect Chris to be himself and that's just a great — one of the greatest playmakers, testy defender, and just to kind of right the ship when Steph needs a break. It's very exciting, and I'm excited to step on the floor with him and lead that second unit. Can't really ask for a better backcourt to come off the bench with, so it's very exciting, to be honest.”
0:00 14-0 run Denver had to end the first half. Was that maybe a loss of focus for your guys? So what led to that?
STEVE KERR POSTGAME DEN-GSW: “Well, first of all, Denver's defending champs, so they're really good. I thought we had two or three offensive possessions where we didn't get organized and we got stagnant and that hurt our flow. We were in a good rhythm until then, and then the pace slowed down, so we needed to get better. We're organized offensively. And then, they hit some tough shots. Murray hit some tough fadeaway shots, had a couple of and ones. We fouled Gordon twice on layups. And those are tough. I'd rather just let the guy have the layup so we could keep the game going. But when we foul, they can set up their defense. And now we're playing in the half court. So that was definitely the key stretch of the game. And then the first five minutes of the third, I didn't like our energy. I didn't feel like we responded well enough, and Denver kind of controlled the game from there.”
0:58 Steph went something like 6-for-19. You mentioned earlier this week, you thought maybe some fatigue was setting in. Are you seeing that with his shooting lines?
“Yeah. Yeah, Steph has looked tired to me the last couple games, and it makes sense. You know, doing the All-Star Game stuff, not getting much of a break, three games in four nights, the whole deal. So he looks a little tired. But this is all part of the season, these stretches happen and he'll bounce back.”
1:29 You have a pretty condensed schedule really, the rest of the season. But this week, do you look to maybe try to get him a break or you just, can you at this point for, or is this where you are?
“Yeah, I'll talk to Rick (Celebrini) about that. We'll just take it game by game and see how he's doing. But like I said, this is all part of the season. Every player goes through it, just feeling a little fatigued, a little heavy legged and then he'll get it back. And if we have to give him a game to help him do that, then then we'll do that.”
2:05 First half, Klay scores 23 points and he goes scoreless for the rest of the night. What did you see in the difference, first half versus second half there?
“Just felt like pace to me. First half, the pace was in our favor until those last few minutes. And so he was getting free and we had a lot of good pin-downs for him. And then in transition, he got a couple buckets. So, yeah, Klay was great. And then the second half, I thought Denver's defense was really, really good. And they got to the line, slowed down quite a bit, which, as I said, kind of slowed us down.”
2:36 Brandin had a bit of an off night. He was showing some frustration, probably more than we've seen from him so far this season. What do you tell him in these moments when he's experiencing these kind of first bouts?
“He's had such a good season and wasn't his best night, but it wasn't anybody's best night. They really took it to us. Obviously, Jokic was amazing. He just completely dominated that game and put us on our heels over and over again. And so, again, they're the champs for a reason. They took control of that game late second and it was a tough night for everybody and we'll bounce back.”
3:22 Even outside of Jokic collectively, with their size, what kind of challenge did that present tonight?
“Yeah, it's a lot to ask of Draymond to guard him the entire time out there. And he's just such a dominant force in every way. He's so smart defensively and forced steals, anticipated a couple of passes. He stole the pass at the end to Gordon for the dunk, with two minutes left, I was kind of right behind him. I don't even think he saw him. He just knew he would be there. And so Jokic controlled the game, 16 assists. I'm willing to bet that they don't lose much, if at all, when he gets 16 assists because that means everybody else is going.”
4:08 You played Trayce and Draymond together, maybe for the first time in a long time. Was that because of Jokic? What was the thinking there?
“Yeah, with Jokic and Gordon, they're a really physical front line and last game when they came in here and caught us at the end, it was their physicality, especially Gordon, that really made the difference. And so we wanted to give that at least a look there for a few minutes. And we could have gone with Dario, but we went with Trayce. He was on a nice run, and we just figured let's give the two-big lineup a try, and we didn't didn't get much out of it. So we made the sub after that.”
4:48 Earlier this week, you said that every coach kind of wishes they had a five-man unit that they could rely on and go to. Was tonight an example of that, particularly playing against a team like the Nuggets, who have a five who they are very set with? Was tonight an example of a time when that kind of hurts you?
“Well, it just means that there are decisions to make every night. Whereas, if you have a five you're going to get to, then you just kind of follow your rotation pattern that you put together before the game. So, the way our team is constructed and the way our guys are playing, it's going to be different combinations, depending on who's playing well. So, it does make it a little trickier, but I like having the options, too. We've got a lot of talented players.”
5:40 Steve, the four top teams in the West have kind of done a pretty good job of separating themselves from everybody else: Denver, Minnesota, OKC, and the Clippers. But as you approach the end of the season, what do you need to do to close the gap? You're probably not going to catch them, but what do you do to close the gap?
“With those top four teams? Well, we have been doing that. It's two-way basketball is good defense and solid offense. And the last few weeks, we've been doing both. We've been playing well at both ends, but tonight just wasn't our night, shots weren't going. We didn't get into much of a rhythm, but I'm confident that we can get back on track because we've been playing really well.”
6:23 It seems like Joker and Aaron Gordon, they started playing the pass pretty well, especially when Draymond had the ball. Would you like to see a little more aggression out of him when it comes to just taking a shot instead of forcing that pass?
“Yeah, it's tricky when you've got that kind of size and physicality with those two guys, and I trust Draymond, he's one of the best players out of the pocket that I've ever seen, just making plays for others or finishing at the rim. And he probably had a couple of them that he'd like to have back that maybe he would have preferred to try to score and go to the rim. But they played great defense and they deserve the credit for that.”
7:05 Steve, as you guys head out on the road, you guys have been pretty good on the road especially recently. What does that say to you about your team and how much hope does that give you going forward, because you have a kind of a road-heavy schedule the rest of the way.
“Yeah, we're very confident that we can go out on the road and win games and we've been doing it lately. So, like I said, this is a game we have to move past quickly. Denver played great. Great game. They dominated that game from the last few minutes of the second quarter on. It wasn't our best night, so we'll just get back on the horse in Washington in a couple days, and we're excited to play again.”
7:46 Moses Moody played a lot against Charlotte. Not so much tonight. What about this matchup might be a little bit more difficult for him, about the matchup with Denver or the decision not to play him as much tonight?
“Yeah, there's only so many guys I can play; I already had 11 guys in the rotation, which is almost impossible. 12 is impossible. So he's out of the loop right now, but it doesn't mean that's the case for the rest of the season. So, we've got a lot of guys who are. And we're getting Chris back, on this trip at some point. So, everybody's just gotta stay ready. But there's not enough minutes for everybody.”
8:30 When you mentioned Chris (Paul), is that a possible way to ease some of the burden off of Steph? Bring the ball up. Initiate the offense. Play him with Steph. Is that, like, one of the key things he could bring?
“For sure. Those guys, obviously Chris will play, when he comes back, he'll play all of the non-Steph minutes. And then he'll be out there with Steph as well. And it's easier for us to put Steph off the ball. And take some of the wear and tear off of him, when Chris is out there, because he doesn't have to bring it up and battle pressure and all that.”
9:04 Obviously, the personnel has changed a little over the years, but used to have a lot of success. So it's pick and roll with Steph. Bring Jokic further out on the floor, get a lot of easy buckets off that. It seems like this year, and lost the season series 4-0, that hasn't been as effective. Do you have any theories on why that is why that's changed?
“Well, they've done a really good job of putting their roster together. They've got bigger and stronger guards in the backcourt than they did a couple years ago. So Pope is really a good defender, plays with a lot of physicality. They obviously bring Watson and Braun off the bench and so they’ve got more size across the backcourt and that's been helpful for them.”
0:00 Just facing the champions at this point in this little surge. How much of a test is this to legitimize what you guys have been up to in the last couple of games?
STEVE KERR PREGAME DEN-GSW: “Yeah, it's a great test for us. Obviously, we're playing better now than we have all season. But this is the ultimate test, playing against the defending champs. They've had our number this year. We've had three and had really close games against them. And the last one in particular hurt, giving up the big lead late. But we're a different team. playing pretty well at both ends, and this is a good opportunity to prove that.
0:51 Steve, in honor of the great Clifford Ray who is here today, you guys have been unbelievable. What do you attribute that to on the glass, and you're not a big team. What do you attribute that to?
“I would say coaching, but it's definitely not coaching. We've got some individual guys who have really helped us. Brandin Podziemski is a great rebounder for a guard, and he's really changed our team from that perspective from that position, getting more rebounds than most guards would from that spot. Looney’s an excellent box out guy. He may not be a huge rebound guy, but we have a lot of guys who are conscientious rebounders and don't have to get the board to impact the play. Draymond is one of the smartest players I've ever been around. And so just those factors. And then we have emphasized the offensive glass a little bit more this year, and tried to get some extra possessions that way.”
1:55 You gave Saric a pretty long run last night, not necessarily, though, at the five anymore. Is he kind of now a power forward the way this was working? Do you see him almost strictly within the second (quarter)? Obviously, his connection with CP. Where do you see him right now?
“Yeah, he hasn't played as much the last couple of weeks and some of it is CP’s absence. Those guys are so good together, and Dario misses Chris a little bit. Chris just has a knack for finding him in great spots, and then you know we've been playing him with Trayce, so playing him more at the four so we can get the rim protection that Trayce gives us and kind of protects Dario in some ways. And we like that combination, but it's sort of matchup based. It kind of depends on who we're playing and personnel.”
2:47 Small sample size, it's just two games. But what have you thought of Klay and his new role so far?
“It's been great. His approach feels so much better than it was, even a few weeks ago. This has been an emotional season for him. you guys know this. He's been grappling with his mortality in some ways as an athlete. He knows how good he was six years ago, and he's had a hard time reconciling everything after the injuries and the thing that we keep trying to convince him of is he's still hell of a player. But he's at his best when he's not pressing and he's not stressed out and worried about trying to be the guy he was six years ago, and coming off the bench has maybe helped in that regard. I just noticed he's more relaxed. His approach, his leadership in the locker room, it feels different, and he's starting to get more comfortable with the role, but also just the kind of the bigger picture stuff that has been bothering him.”
3:59 ON AARON GORDON: “Aaron is in some ways the key to their team. We all know how great Jokic is and Murray, the two-man game, but Aaron's physicality took over the game last time we were here when they came back from down 18 mid-fourth; he just dominated the paint. And so in some ways, he kind of forces you to play bigger, forces you to put somebody who can deal with that physicality on him. And then, of course, if you do that, then it can also limit you offensively because you don't have the spacing and the speed that you would have otherwise. So Gordon's just been an amazing player for Denver. And he really has found his niche, playing alongside Nikola and Jamal.”
4:59 Hi, Steve. When you moved Brandin into the starting lineup, one of the things you cited a couple times is the numbers with that five-man grouping. How much do you lean on analytics for lineup decisions like that? 10, 15 years ago, that wouldn't necessarily have been available. And how much does it help when there's emotion involved when you're taking a guy out of the starting lineup who's won four championships?
“It does help. It wouldn't be wise to base your decisions all on the numbers. What you really want is for the tape to match the numbers because we all as coaches, we kind of have an inkling of who's playing well together. But maybe certain lineups that haven't played together a whole lot. And you start to get a big enough sample size over the course of the year. It does matter. So we try to just match those things and make sure we're not being disillusioned by some numbers that are inflated because of a small sample size, if that makes sense. If you and I played together and they hit a half court shot and then I missed two layups, and our plus minus is bad together, that's not your fault. But I would, if I were an analytics guy, I would blame you and bench you. So you just gotta be careful with it. We all recognize sample size is important. But if the numbers match the eye test, then you're on to something… Yeah, they did matter. But again, they matched the film, what we were seeing,.Brandin took three charges the other night in the first half. He leads the league in charges. That's a big deal for our defense, and he's a cutter, he's a ball mover. So with Wiggs and JK, to go back to the numbers, their numbers the first half of the season were really bad together. So we felt like we needed to play Brandin and Draymond with those guys, to try to loosen up the game a little bit, get a little more passing and cutting and when Brandin went with that lineup, that's what we saw. That's what we felt. And the numbers have bared that out as well.”
7:22 Steve, Brandin turns 21 today. What do you think about the player he is at his age? And how might you compare that to how you were as a player at 21?
“First of all, he's remarkably advanced for his age, and his experience, or lack thereof. You really only have one full season of college basketball where he played a lot. He's got great instincts for the game. He's got a knack for being in the right place at the right time, in terms of rebounding, passing lanes, loose balls, all that stuff. He still has a lot of work ahead of him. He over-helps sometimes. He sees things as they're unfolding, but sometimes, you gotta stay in your gap, stay in your lane, and he'll over do it. And we're trying to teach him. I'm trying to teach him also not to steal a rebound from Draymond. although Draymond is doing a good job of teaching him that right now, but there are plays like that that he's got to sort of recognize and understand, but you'd way rather have that than the opposite where a guy doesn't see the pictures. So he sees everything. So he tries to do everything. But it's a good problem to have because it's really easy to coach a guy into making those corrections rather than the other way around… No comparison (to when I was a player). No comparison. I just stood there and took wide open shots. I didn't get any rebounds. I didn't cut. I didn't play the passing lanes. I was a statue out there. This guy's a ball player.”
Did you miss any layups?
“I didn't get any layups. I shot technical free throws. That's my only trip to the line.”
9:08 Part of your reasoning on Draymond at center, is there's just not monster centers all across the league, but obviously you have one here today. How do you view him, in this particular matchup and the way you want to kind of deploy your center position when you do face a Jokic?
“Yeah, this is one of the reasons we know we're going to still – I'm trying to kind of juggle minutes between Loon and Trayce, because we're going to need both of them for different matchups. This is one where Loon, his experience against Jokic matters. And how many minutes can Draymond play against Jokic today or in a playoff game? That's a great question. And the game will probably dictate that based on foul trouble or fatigue or whatever. So, we'll obviously start the same way we've been starting and go from there. But all of our big guys have to be ready to guard him.”
0:00 took me a bit to go live due to IG Reel post (Instagram interface for Reels sucks lol)
1:45 refs: Tony Brothers 🥳, Justin Van Dyne (10th season), Mousa Dagher (6th)
2:45 Slater's pregame video of Kerr on Draymond vs Jokic
5:30 Podziemski birthday, leads league in charges taken https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle-leaders
6:00 my five-minute Pity Party (Mike D'Antoni voice) on not having likes, turns out I made $1.58 per hour wage on the last livestream, if you've found a group that doesn't automatically hate Kerr, then those are your friends!!!!
13:57 tipoff!
11m41 Q1 JK helps Steph! on great lob by Jokic
11m02 Q1 Dray 3 line drive rhythm
10m35 Q1 JK TD by Dray
10m12 Q1 JK didn't cut, Dray TTBTTOT
9m48 Q1 AG shaded over to JK vs Jokic, Wiggs 3
9m15 Q1 Steph fouls AG, makes sure Tony Brothers called it on hiim
9m00 Q1 Steph vs AG goat layup
8m40 Q1 great D by Dray vs Jokic, playoff non-call
8m30 Q1 Dray Magic-like pass to curling Wiggs
8m10 Q1 Wiggs finds BP reverse layup, 2nd straight possession tic-tac-toe-like -- SEE ANALYSIS BELOW!
19:30 on who scares us, per late last livestream
7m23 Q1 impressive help by Steph on Jokic but he made it
7m00 Q1 Steph reaches in (2nd pf), Wiggs out for GP2 (Klay in for BP)
6m50 Q1 Klay TTBTOT
6m40 Q1 Jokic short vs great D by Dray
6m20 Q1 great screen Dray for Klay, JK assist
5m35 Q1 Jokic doing things, scores putback on switch vs Klay
5m18 Q1 GP2 2 orebs Klay reload 3
4m37 Q1 ghost foul on Looney
3m48 Q1 Steph deflect (maybe), GP2 flies in for the steal, Klay passed up alley-oop to shoot 3, missed, Les oreb, Steph fouled (finally! KCP)
3m00 Q1 Steph TTBTTOT
2m48 Q1 Loon good D on Jokic
32:15 analyzing the tic-tac-toe from the 8m09 Q1 mark: Jokic careful with Wiggs at 3 because he's 12 for his 22 on threes over the last 5 games
2m05 Q1 Wiggs post up strong vs Reggie banker
1m24 Q1 Klay curl splash 3, interesting release **** (TJD assist)
0m59 Q1 Wiggs euro no and1 wow
0m41 Q1 Klay all net J after fake
0m09 Q1 Klay foul on fb and1 KCP great pass Jokic but the Wiggs euro was same physicality (Mousa)
41:00 initially analyzing the Wiggs non-call (Justin) and Klay and1 call (Mousa) and those are called differently and that drives me mad
11m45 Q2 TJD off foul on Jamal switch, called by Mousa
11m20 Q2 Dario jump hook via switch with BP
10m52 Q2 TJD oreb vs switched Braun, to Klay to Dario at rim
10m38 Q2 TJD got beat on box out by Nnaji
9m56 Q2 Klay fake 3 drive fouled nods at crowd (his fam)
49:30 analyzing the referees (see above)
8m44 Q2 BP great jump out at Jamal, but gets in, finds Nnaji, blocked by TJD, 94ft
7m34 Q2 Klay good close vs MPJ on oreb
7m20 Q2 Klay past Nnaji, should've been and1, stares at crowd again
7m00 Q2 Braun easy bucket, Wiggs lost him completely, Kerr timeout
0m02 Q2 Steph buzzer no good but BP was there lol
6m31 Q2 JK snuffs out Braun after Dray bad pass
6m22 Q2 JK wide open dunk wow
5m49 Q2 Les 3 after JK jump pass
5m15 Q2 Klay interesting release, says my bad after DEN scores
4m56 Q2 Drayup, wanted push on AG, didn't look too bad
4m20 Q2 JK midrange decisive *******
3m54 Q2 BP GP blows layup, BP there for oreb
3m37 Q2 Dray and GP2 great D on Jokic/Jamal
3m01 Q2 Dray vs Jokic
2m47 Q2 Jamal beats GP, Wiggs smiles when he subs in for GP, Kerr with the quick sub
1m42 Q2 Dray great P&R D on Jamal, but he hits spin fade
1m15 Q2 JK 1v1 takes too long, base spin J no good also wanted foul (eye roll)
0m19 Q2 Jamal 3, Wiggs too late
0m08 Q2 Steph loses ball to KCP, 2nd game this season he's been bamboozled
1:14:00 1) Steph make more shots and vs KCP (although volume wasn't all that much which is good for first half), 2) stop Jamal 1v1 (GP2 and Wiggs)
1:17:30 can the next 16 minutes have some JK explosion or just basic teamwork also works as seen in the majority of Q1 and Q2
11m50 Q3 Steph forgets to get back, AG misses luckily
11m15 Q3 Wiggs to BP 1v1 good cut
10m44 Q3 good no help by BP on Dray Jokic
10m31 Q3 Steph good take vs KCP
8m52 Q3 Steph misses a reverse layup wanted foul
1:31:30 analyzing the last play: was not a foul
8m40 Q3 Malone tells Jamal to pressure fullcourt
7m31 Q3 2nd unit in with Klay and GP2
7m15 Q3 Klay decides not to talk to ref after AG oreb tip, claps hands
7m00 Q3 good close Dray on Jokic 3 (down 10)
6m26 Q3 Dray alley oop to GP2 timing's off, Wiggs has to foul AG 94ft later
5m57 Q3 AG dunk past Klay (MPJ ast, but he missed last 2 threes)
5m34 Q3 Dray to GP2 connection goes awry again
5m12 Q3 Jamal misses 3, good D Steph
5m10 Q3 Dray to Steph on double curl with GP2
3m28 Q3 Steph 3 on Loon bad screen not called in front of Malone
2m45 Q3 Les corner 3 to tie left open
2m25 Q3 Les bad close, Kenny can't believe it on bench
1m50 Q3 good BP tip out on Jokic entry
1m47 Q3 JK take foul not called after review -- why do we put rules in the rulebook when we don't call them? Waste of ink!
Will the refs screw up the clear path or take foul?
Yes, they just suck (50%)
No, they finally get one right lol (50%)
Poll complete: 14 votes
0m03 Q3 Klay inexplicably does not shoot the ball
1:57:45 analyzing the play at 5m10 Q3: Kerr basketball with all the cutting
11m25 Q4 Dario picked in the post by AG, BP takes another charge on AG 94ft later
11m18 Q4 Klay throws Reggie into Dario
11m09 Q4 Wiggs another deflection on Jamal (2x this Q)
10m51 Q4 TJD FT, Steph meditating, missed both!
10m25 Q4 Wiggs 3 gotta make via Dario post
10m00 Q4 AG left open missed 3 (Dario)
9m00 Q4 Jamal blocked by Wiggs on fb attack
8m40 Q4 Wiggs-Dario-TJD dunk
8m12 Q4 TJD steal, Wiggs missed 3, Klay passed up shot, everyone didn't see TJD -- TURNING POINT OF THE GAME? SEE 3:43:00
8m00 Q4 MPJ scores left side, BP pissed Wiggs didn't inbound
2:09:30 analyzing the missed Wiggs 3
7m38 Q4 Dray TTBTTOT (5 tov)
7m26 Q4 Steph misses FT
7m14 Q4 Drayup! KCP comes back with a 3
6m55 Q4 Steph to Dray layup
6m36 Q4 Wiggs deflect, GP2 steal no take foul
6m27 Q4 BP can't catch inbound after Steph misses GP2 on BLOB, Kerr encourages team
5m55 Q4 JK post blocked by Braun -- not using the verticality
2:17:00 my solution to this (Dray bad game, Steph sub-par) is to involve JK in the meat of the game, but JK has responsibility for pet moves in the paint, too
5m16 Q4 Dray great D airball Jokic 3
4m58 Q4 Dray to GP2 yet another tov (3rd misconnection tonight)
2:21:15 @bogus Apps what was GP gonna do with that? -- That's what happens when your confidence in your own ability hits a nadir
4m18 Q4 Mousa misses push-off on Jokic vs Dray
4m10 Q4 JK fouled on roll, nice pass Steph -- responsibility on JK to hit FTs too
3m49 Q4 Steph lost ball KCP -- wants a review but just call the timeout yourself -- maybe KCP's feet are his secret
3m24 Q4 JK downhill, fouled on pass, AG has been great defending downhill but also rest of NBA knows
2m50 Q4 JK reverse layup and1 vs Jokic
2:30:30 Why did Dray have to say what he said on the podcast? 🤦🏻♂️ Even if we agree with you, Dray, keep it in-house
2:37:00 @Diane what did Les do wrong? -- 2m25 Q3 Lester doubles Jokic and leaves either Reggie or KCP wide open for 3 -- bench guys cannot make those game plan mistakes, but anyways CP3 is coming back soon so we'll see.
2:38:15 good wakeup call, playing Denver now, that was Nuggets through and through
2:39:45 I think Klay could just come back to Earth a little too, heat checks, messing around with the fake 3 (missed TJD)
2:44:30 we need JK to get us to the next level, just get Kobe moves in the post (Braun blocked you!)
2:49:00 it's ok if Dray (34 on March 4) has a bad game because he WILL and so will Steph (Dray bad first 2 games vs SAC last playoffs and Steph 5 tov in Game 6)
2:51:45 STEVE POSTGAME AUDIO
2:55:30 @Cholo Abenes Jokic wore down Dray, hurt his O -- In a playoff series might have to start Loon on Jokic
2:57:00 @makana014 Kuminga needs to get in the lab with Kawhi, a little turn around and a little bump fadeaway would be easy for him. Modern coaches making it way too complicated -- come up with quicker Kobe moves (that era was too slow, will bog down our pace)
3:00:15 @Daxesh G trust the young guys -- Yes, but also easier said than done. These old guys are conditioned to be heroes.
3:20:45 TJD POSTGAME AUDIO
3:27:00 Klay not celebrating every Sixth Man move (because you don't see Jordan Clarkson) is just a microcosm of what's happening with Steph and Dray (trust young guys to keep pace up), distributing the energy
3:40:00 analyzing the pbp: Q4 beginning is when 4-points became 11, AG is a problem, 8m18 Q4 the fast break where Wiggs missed the 3, he'd just made one, but we passed up the BP to TJD layup, timeout, then Dray tov on ATO, Steph misses def3 FT, Dray misses point blank layup
3:52:00 KLAY POSTGAME AUDIO
3:57:30 STEPH POSTGAME AUDIO: "Nah" when asked by Slater if he's tired per Kerr -- I knew it! I knew Steph would deny he's tired lol. That's why I never say that. Players will always deny it.
4:01:00 Steph on Klay: "Don't let the narratives consume him." -- just what I was saying back at 3:27:00
4:03:00 Cholo Abenes: I don't want the GLOAT in the bay area. -- Greatest "Le" of All-Time 🤣
4:07:15 insider tells me Gui Santos "has a sore knee, looks like nothing serious" (tweaked it at Santa Cruz last night)
4:14:30 Shivansh: 26 games gotta go 15-11 at least
JK reverse layup and1 vs Jokic (34%)
Klay curl with Kobe kickout release (34%)
Dario to TJD dunk on Nnaji (17%)
Tic-tac-toe no good but Wiggs to BP (13%)
Poll complete: 29 votes
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