Golden State Warriors: Debunking four myths about the second unit

Myth No. 3-The best bench player for the Warriors is the referees.

I hope you were singing that tune watching Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz. For those who were not aware, the Utah Jazz got not one.. not two but twenty-three free throws in the first half of the game while the Warriors got twelve.

I know it was one game and it is early in the season, but expect to see many more games like this during the season. For certain games, the calls are in favor of Warriors; other times there are not. In those games, the Dubs clearly struggle as any team would.

That struggle is often depicted as a weak second unit. The blame is never put on the stars or the refs but on the second unit. Most of the time, the numbers can back up a second-unit struggle as well.

With a superstar typically on the court at all times, it limits how much the Dubs second unit can score. When the flow of the game is ruined by fouling, it doesn’t help as the starters get their short rest and return to the court.

Reffing might not be a huge factor, but it does impact their overall success, especially on the second unit.