Inconsistency

I really don’t understand how the Warriors are playing. One moment, they go this hot streak, win three games in a row against quality teams and then go on a losing streak again. Their inconsistency is definitely an issue. What’s more, they went on a three game win streak after trading Monta Ellis. Then I suppose the “real” team showed up and now the Warriors went on a four game losing streak, only to win one against the New Orleans Hornets and then lose the next night to the Houston Rockets. Although I do get that five games in one week, in four cities is tough to do.

Against the Hornets, you knew it was almost an automatic win. Only cause the Hornets are really really bad and the Warriors are pretty decent. The reality is, is that the ball has been moving a lot better ever since they traded Monta and that is only an encouraging sign. And I believe that they Warriors have more offensive weapons than the Hornets ever have since trading Chris Paul (though they did go and beat the Clippers the other night.).

Partially motivated by the lack of execution down the stretch against Minnesota (a very winnable game) the Warriors came out with a chip on their shoulder. The game was fairly close until the third quarter. Then, the replacement for Ellis, Klay Thompson, put the team on his shoulder and guided the Warriors to the victory. He scored his season best, 27 points in the win. He shot 11 for 24. He also had five boards and five assists.

“I was being aggressive,” Thompson said. “I thought they were 24 good shots. There were a couple maybe that were rushed and not through the offense. Not a lot of rookies get the opportunity to put up shots like that. I’m just glad that coach (Mark) Jackson has the confidence in me to take those shots and play my game.”

The Warriors were too causal with the ball at first. But they only had nine turnovers for the game. They shot the ball extremely well, especially behind the three point line. They made 14 threes and shot 44% from beyond.  They only got to the line 10 times, but made nine of them. The two areas that were disappointing was the being out rebounded 47-33 and were dominated in the paint 60-24.

David Lee had another fantastic night, finishing with 25 points and 11 boards. Coming off the bench, Brandon Rush had 16 points. Everybody that got playing time all scored at least two points. It was a great win and a great way to start off a small road trip.

However, that winning momentum that they got, did not translate into a win the next night. Against a much tougher opponent, the Houston Rockets, the Warriors just crumbled. And a lot of it had to do with the fact that Houston was much more aggressive and dominated the paint, from the beginning. The Rockets came out running and were up by 14 points very quickly. In the first half alone, the Rockets scored 34 points and had three guys in double digits. The Warriors did make a valiant comeback, but it was against the reserves and the Rockets’ starters put an end to that the minute they came back in. But clearly it was the Rockets’ game to win. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the home team was up 84-67. It wasn’t even a fair fight.

The Warriors only shot 41% from the field and only 38% from behind the three. Again, they only got to the line 10 times while the Rockets made 27 attempts. Against a bigger team, boxing out and the rebounding effort has got to be at a maximum, which it wasn’t. For a second night in a row, they were out rebounded 48-31. They were careless with the ball, turning it over 17 times and were outscored in the paint again, 58-38.

After a brilliant night, Klay Thompson went back to being a regular guy. He had 10 points and three assists. David Lee also had an off night with only 12 points and five boards. And when your leading scorer is some old vet that you traded for, it’s usually not a good sign for a win. Richard Jefferson had his best Warrior game to date, with 14 points and three boards.

The bright spot of both games was that Andris Beidrins did not play in either.