Recent Losses Mean Nothing for Warriors
By Ben Pickman
Former New York Jets coach Herm Edwards once famously ranted about why teams play, saying “You play to win the game!”
Edwards is of course spot on, but the Golden State Warriors’ recent defeats at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans don’t matter in the long run for the Warriors.
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At 63-15, the Warriors are by far the best team in the league. Their body of work is well-documented and two consecutive losses near the end of the season don’t necessarily serve as a warning for the Warriors as they look towards the playoffs.
At their peak, the Warriors led the league in offensive and defensive efficiency, and even led the league in PACE (possessions per 48 minutes) – a feat that had never been done before. The Warriors have also been one of the best six or seven regular season teams ever.
Apr 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and guard Stephen Curry (30) react after a foul call during the fourth quarter of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Warriors 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Consider some of the lineups the Warriors played against the Spurs. On Saturday night the Warriors played 11 minutes of Leandro Barbosa, Justin Holiday, Andre Iguodala, David Lee, and Marreese Speights. Not surprisingly that unit’s plus/minus was minus 10.0.
That five man group will likely not see any time together in the playoffs when it matters, and if they do, it surely will be for less than 11 minutes.
The Dubs also played seven minutes of Harrison Barnes, Barbosa, Holiday, James Michael McAdoo, and Festus Ezeli, and the results were not much better.
Against the Pelicans, Kerr substituted players into the game early and often. The Warriors starting unit played a combined 10.3 minutes, with no other five man group playing more than six minutes together.
And when the Warriors starters were on the floor, they did just fine – shooting 41 percent from the field and 57 percent from three. The Warriors forced five blocks as well with that unit on the floor, and looked sharp in what Anthony Davis described as a “scrimmage.”
The Warriors have four games remaining and with the number one seed locked up, they likely will continue to run their basic offense, and try different players in different lineup situations.
They have two games against possible title contenders left on the schedule, against Portland tonight and Memphis next Monday. On Saturday and next Wednesday they play the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets respectively in what surely will be dull and mundane Warriors’ performances.
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Steve Kerr is a Greg Popovich deciphile after all, and Pop loves experimenting with different lineups and resting players when the Spurs lock up their playing seeding. Don’t be surprised if Curry, Thompson, Green, Bogut, and Barnes only play in two of the Warriors last four games and the Warriors finish by playing .500 basketball as well.