Warriors Back on Track, but Show Room for Improvement

After Thursday’s loss thanks LeBron James’ 42 point outburst, the Golden State Warriors bounced back to stomp the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

The Warriors dominated on both sides of the court, and at no point during the game did the Raptors stand any chance of competing.

The Warriors didn’t have a great offensive start to the game, shooting under 35 percent, but they dealt most of their damage on the defensive end, holding the Raptors to a franchise low 1-for-19 from the floor.

At the start of the second half, the Warriors absolutely blasted the Raptors. They outscored Toronto 44-26 in the third quarter while shooting 82 percent from the field. Klay played a large role in the rout, hitting four straight shots to begin the third including three straight 3-pointers.

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The Warriors have proven to be dominant when they move the ball well and defend at a high level. They forced 19 turnovers from the Raptors and dished out 31 assists. They’ve shown throughout the season that when they force opponents to commit mistakes, they make them pay for it. The Warriors starters had a collective plus-minus rating of +192.

Room to Improve

The Warriors must continue their defensive dominance.

In recent losses, Cleveland and Indiana both shot at around 48 percent. They also failed to shut down the Wizards for a large duration of the game. While they forced 26 turnovers, Washington shot 53.2 percent from the field. As they displayed against Toronto, when they come out with energy and defensive intensity, their defensive integrity usually lasts for the remainder of the game.

Feb 27, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) tries to get past Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) and guard Kyle Lowry (7) and forward Patrick Patterson (54) at the Air Canada Centre. Golden State defeated Toronto 113-89. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

In light of Stephen Curry owning most of his recent point guard match ups (with the exception of Kyrie Irving), he’s held his man to 39.024 percent (208/533) throughout the season. He ranks seventh in the NBA for opponent field goal percentage, which is tremendous since he’s right behind defensive specialists like Tony Allen, Thabo Sefolosha, and Andre Roberson. Last season, Klay Thompson would often guard opposing point guards, but Steph has proven he can hold his own. While Andrew Bogut, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala are key components to their defense, Curry doesn’t get enough credit for the job he’s been doing this season.

Another flaw was highlighted in garbage time against the Raptors: the bench unit isn’t quite proficient at scoring.

It’s a good thing that the Warriors entered the fourth quarter with a 41-point lead, as the bench mob only managed to score TWO points during the first seven and a half minutes of the final quarter. Andre Iguodala, a primary playmaker off the bench, sat this game out, but that doesn’t excuse the bench unit’s poor offensive execution.

Justin Holiday, who was brilliant earlier in the season, has struggled to find his touch as of late, resulting in more minutes for Leandro Barbosa.

Brandon Rush also hasn’t provided any meaningful minutes yet. David Lee and Marreese Speights have been fairly reliable on the offensive end, but have struggled when both on the floor. They’re fairly inept defensively as a front court duo.

To make matters worse, Festus Ezeli now faces a one-game suspension. His brief scuffle with Tyler Hansbrough resulted in ejections for both players. While Hansbrough isn’t a saint by any means, Festus must learn to not let players get under his skin so easily. This game was a prime opportunity for him to get quality minutes and adjust to the swing of things, but was quickly ruined. Bogut was supposed to rest in the upcoming contest against the Celtics, but now Festus’ absence makes the Warriors’ front court even weaker.

The Warriors have just one more back-to-back against the Celtics and Nets before they head home. Provided they don’t have an offensive meltdown, the Warriors should have the edge against these teams as long as they maintain their ball movement and defensive aggression.

Whether or not their style of play will allow them to succeed in the playoffs has yet to be seen.

Next: Warriors Quiet Any Doubts in Convincing Win Over Raptors