Blue Man Hoop, FanSided’s flagship Golden State Warriors site, introduces Jannelle Moore’s “Town’s Finest” column as part of their new wave of weekly content.
What’s up Dub Nation! Welcome to the “Town’s Finest,” where I’m here every Sunday talking about the Golden State Warriors’ top performances and moments of the week.
If I could sum up this week for the Warriors in one word, that word would be “twisted” — twisted hairstyles, opinions of said hairstyle, quotes to the media and on court play.
When Stephen Curry rocked a crownful of twists during the first game against the Philadelphia 76ers, I had no reaction to it. I’ve seen this ‘do over the summer and thought nothing of it then. I couldn’t say the same for others on social media. From the opinions I’ve read on Twitter and Instagram, they ranged from disapproval to confusion.
This ‘do’ is the foundation of dreads. For some people, it takes weeks or months to grow locks. With the way that the season is set up and the way that Steph is, I just don’t see him growing dreads.
The biggest misconception about ‘locks is that they are low maintenance. You still have to wash them and get them re twisted. Steph is a low maintenance kind of guy, and I just don’t see him as being completely ‘locked’ in when it comes to his hair. Besides, can you imagine Steph going to the basket and some dude pulling his hair for a hard foul? I can’t.
In addition to Steph’s hair, his words were ‘twisted” after Thursday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. As a result, the media took five words and ran with them. Yeah — the Celtics are playing out of their minds right now, but it really doesn’t mean anything until they dethrone the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs.
Speaking of ‘twists’ I can say that I was not feeling the twists and turns in the way that the Dubs played this week. The loss at Boston had me tight. Once again, the Warriors blew a substantial lead. They had no business losing that game. I don’t care about the refs role in the collapse. Most of the Dubs’ issues were self inflected.
On the other hand, the Warriors bookended that loss with an epic come back against the Sixers last night. Enough with all of my rambling, let’s get to the top performances this week.
DRAYMOND GREEN: 20 POINTS/4 REBOUNDS/5 ASSISTS VS MAGIC
What stood out to me was Draymond Green‘s threes. He shot 3-of-5 from deep-including the shot that clinched the 110-100 victory against Orlando.
It’s no secret that Green worked on his jumpers during the offseason; nevertheless, teams tend to leave him open because scoring is still a weakness of his. However, during a game in which Curry was sidelined with a thigh contusion, Green made the Magic defense pay for leaving him open.
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: 16 POINTS/2 REBOUNDS/6 ASSIST VS MAGIC
Shaun Livingston did a remarkable job filling in for Curry at the point during this game. Granted, the Warriors were not going to get the kind of spacing that they thrive on when Curry’s out there. However, Livingston’s aggression in taking the ball to the rack (ex. a transition dunk and two layups that drew defenders) and relying on his mid range shots made his game efficient enough to contribute to a win.
DAVID WEST: 14 POINTS/7 REBOUNDS VS SIXERS
David West was a huge part of the run that sealed the Dubs’ comeback. His 14 points off the bench was key for a unit that usually struggles when either Curry or Durant sits. He helped spread the floor and provide crucial rebounding.
I know that playing time depends on the matchups, but West being an option in the third quarter when a match up doesn’t favor JaVale McGee or Zaza Pachulia isn’t such a bad idea.
STEPHEN CURRY: 35 POINTS/5 REBOUNDS/5 ASSISTS VS SIXERS
Much has been said about Curry’s slump recently. After Thursday’s horrid 9-point mess, Curry was due for a big game. However, it seemed as if the slump would continue for Curry in the first half of the game. Most of his first half 15 points came from the line. He was cold from deep, shooting 0-of-4.
Curry unleashed hell during the third quarter. He single handedly outscored the Sixers 20-15. He nailed 6-of-7 shots plus four free throws as the catalyst of the ‘Dubs 47 point quarter.
Next: 3 takeaways from GSW's 124-116 win at PHI
Those are my top performances for the week, but I feel obligated to mention Nick Young‘s play lately. A few weeks ago, I presented an argument that Patrick McCaw should be Klay Thompson‘s back up. However, Young has improved tremendously during the past few games. He is more active on defense and is willing to make extra cuts to the basket.
While his play on the court has improved, Swaggy is clutch off the court. Here he is guzzling milk like it’s going out of style during the “Hot Chip Challenge,” and if that wasn’t hilarious enough, Swaggy started toe wars.
I’m all for being interactive here. So who is your top pick for “Town’s Finest” this week? Let me know in the comments and on Twitter, and let’s do this again next week!