Golden State Warriors Lose But Prove They Don’t Need Jump Shots to Succeed

In the Golden State Warriors’ 113-111 lost to the Chicago Bulls last night, the Warriors shot 0-of-13 from three-point range in the second half and overtime.

They shot poorly and lost. Charles Barkley must be right when he says that jump shooing teams can’t win. The Warriors must be a team that relies on jump shooting and when the shots don’t fall, the Warriors can’t win.

But by mere virtue of the Warriors scoring 111 points, which happens to be their season average, the Warriors continued to prove the rest of the league that their offense is way more than just chucking up three pointers every possession.

No team in the league creates more points off assists than the Warriors. Their fluidity and ball movement on offense is a result of their stellar floor spacing and versatile roster.

While the Warriors are the best three-point shooting team in the league, their offense does use the part of the court inside the arc. The Warriors are surprisingly 10th in the NBA in field goal attempts in the 10-14 foot range and are in the middle of the pack in touches inside 12 feet per game.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, though known for their shooting, can both attack the basket. Thompson is averaging 23 points per game, with eight of those points coming a result of catch-and-shoot shots. But almost a quarter of Thompson’s points come at the rim and of late, Thompson has been attacking the rim more frequently. Thompson scores more points at the rim than Joe Johnson and Jimmy Butler, two players who don’t have the same shooting prowess as Thompson.

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When the Warriors needed a basket to tie the game in overtime, Thompson up-faked at the three-point line and drove to the rim. He attempted a floater, a shot he routinely makes over smaller defenders. While Thompson missed the floater and the Warriors lost their first home game since what seems like the first Don Nelson era, Steve Kerr drew up a nice play and Thompson got off a good shot that just didn’t fall.

While Curry drives less frequently compared to his Splash Brother, the Davidson product and budding superstar is still one of best passers in the entire league. His highlight fake-behind-the-back over-the-head pass to David Lee on a fast break is an internet sensation. But Curry does not always make the flashy pass; rather, the right pass. He is fifth in assists per game and fifth in secondary assists per game which is the NBA equivalent of a secondary hockey assist. His selflessness is another reason why the Warriors offense is more than just reckless three-point shooting and jumper after jumper.

In the Warriors’ two-point overtime loss, Kerr didn’t seem to upset after smiling and cracking jokes to reporters post game.

“Can’t win em’ all,” he said with a shrug to reporters post game.

And he’s right, of course. The Warriors had an off night. They struggled shooting the ball in the second half and overtime. And yet they still scored 111 points.

That’s a positive, not a negative, if you ask me.

Next: Golden State Warriors Reminded Of The Importance Of Andrew Bogut