There’s Something in the Water at Oracle Arena

You’ve got to feel for Raptors’ 7-foot center Jonas Valanciunas.

He started Friday’s Warriors-Raptors game ready to dominate the Warriors front line which was missing centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. And you could see it in his confidence early on in the game. He bulldozed in for the first Raptors points; the announcers began wondering how in the world the Warriors were going to stop him. He was ready to power through the Warriors undermanned front-line again for two when he collided when Marreese Speights, who immediately dropped to the ground, drawing a textbook offensive foul.

“What the heck?” Valanciunas must have thought. “A center drawing an offensive foul?”

Valanciunas, who was soon relegated to the bench — where he would remain for the rest of the game — wasn’t ready for Speights – his footwork, his long distance shooting, or his ability to draw charges. He could have known: Speights is one of the league leaders in offensive fouls drawn, but he just wasn’t ready for him.

The Raptors as a whole weren’t ready for Speights. He finished with a ridiculous 26 points in 25 minutes, often finishing easy buckets at the rim when the Raptors would ignore him in favor of more marquee players — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andre Igoudala. They could have known: Speights is the Warriors’ third leading scorer; but, again, they weren’t ready for him.

But, then again, were any of us really ready for Speights?

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If I had told you at the beginning of the season that Marreese Speights, NBA journeyman with a career average of 15.8 minutes per game, would be the third leading scorer and second highest PER on the best team in the NBA, you would have called me crazy. And if I had told anyone that the Warriors’ most important player off the bench was going to be Speights and not past All-Stars Andre Igoudala and David Lee, Stephen A. Smith would have gone on First Take and called me “simply disrespectful.”

But as we near the midway point in the season, it is Speights that has anchored the Warriors, contributing to their league-best record and top-shelf defense despite the absence of elite rim protector Andrew Bogut. It is Speights, not veterans Manu Ginobli or Jamal Crawford, that headlines the race for Sixth Man of the Year, an ironic fact as before the season, Speights wasn’t even thought to be good enough to be the sixth man on his own team.

So what has revitalized Marreese Speights, the third unheralded forward on a Florida Gators team that featured NBA stars Al Hortford and Joakim Noah? In an interview with Bleacher Report, Speights credited his increased fitness from offseason conditioning. But it is more than just conditioning; it is the increased confidence he has gained from playing in the Warriors’ system.

During the Warriors’ final spurt to put away the Raptors,Speights hit four of the Warriors’ seven shots. His teammates began looking to feed him, and, by the game’s end,Speights had thrown up his arms in glory, a wide grin breaking out across his face. David Lee, a past All-Star now relegated to a reserve role, was the first guy off the bench to come slap his hand.Klay Thompson, hampered all night with foul trouble, came over to celebrate with them. In short, it was an exemplification of team-oriented basketball that transcended any individualistic notions of All-Star games, statistics, contracts or scoring records.

“It was an exemplification of team-oriented basketball that transcended any individualistic notions of All-Star games, statistics, contracts or scoring records.”

There’s something in the water at Oracle Arena. Something that could make Jermaine O’Neal, a six-time NBA All-Star, take a backseat role with the 2013-14 Warriors. Something that could make Team USA hero Andre Igoudala accept a role with the second unit. Something that could make Lee sit on the bench without a hint of bitterness. Something that could allow Marreese Speights, a previously unheralded veteran, to emerge as a star.

It is the same kind of unselfishness often associated with the San Antonio Spurs, a team whose stars often take big pay-cuts and smaller roles for the benefit of the team.

And if the Spurs’ past success is any indication, we are in for a hell of a ride.

Next: Warriors dominate going small, but will need size in the future