Archive for the ‘ Preview ’ Category

12
19
Jan

Preview: Pacers at Warriors

Indiana
Pacers

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
January 19, 2011 • Recap
Pacers 108
Warriors 110
 
March 1, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 100
Pacers 109
 

The Warriors reach the midway point in the season tonight against the visiting Pacers, who have lost 8 of their last 11. This one also falls into the “must-win” category if the Warriors are going to continue their climb back to respectability during this easy stretch in the schedule. What to watch for tonight:

  • Play like the better team. The most disappointing thing about Monday’s game was how unnecessarily close it was. The Warriors were clearly the better side, but every time they threatened to break the game open they’d give up a run to the Nets. The Pacers are certainly a better team than New Jersey, but the Warriors should be able to own the matchup against a slumping team on the road — they just need to avoid playing down to their competition.
  • Shoot the damn ball. Even during their current rough stretch, the Pacers are holding their opponents to 91 points per game on 40.7% shooting. The Warriors have been shooting the ball well recently, particularly from 3, but they’ll need to keep that up tonight if they want to avoid a similar slog to what we saw against the Nets on Monday.
  • Get Curry Hot. It’s no secret that Curry has struggled of late, particularly on the defensive end. Can he avoid the early fouls that have prevented him from getting into the early offensive flow, the most recent Clippers game excepted? His Assists to Turnovers ratio has been better of late, but that seems to have come from an overabundance of caution when it comes to aggressiveness. Can he find a happy medium?
0
17
Jan

Preview: Nets at Warriors

New Jersey
Nets

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
1:00pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
January 17, 2011 • Recap
Nets 100
Warriors 109
 
March 9, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 90
Nets 94
 

The Warriors welcome the Nets to town for an MLK day matinee. This is a game the Warriors should win, period, so let’s see if they can turn this into a laugher early. And while you’re at it, how about a big game from Monta to up his all-star status?

0
14
Jan

Preview: Clipper at Warriors

Los Angeles
Clippers

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
October 29, 2010 • Recap
Clippers 91
Warriors 109
 
January 9, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 91
Clippers 105
 
January 14, 2011 • Recap
Clippers 112
Warriors 122
 
January 22, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 109
Clippers 113
 

If the Warriors wanted revenge for last Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Clippers in LA, they didn’t have to wait long. The Clips will be in Oakland tonight, fresh off a win over the Heat that makes me a tad bit worried about tonight’s game.

Let’s hope the Warriors can play more like the team that barely lost to the Lakers on Wednesday, rather than the half-asleep losers who stunk up the Staples Center on Sunday. Seems like it’s been a long time since they had that two-game winning streak — and even longer since the inspiring win over the Hornets — as I feel like I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth for a lot longer than just since Sunday. But they get a chance to wipe that away in front of the home crowd tonight, so let’s see if they can start turning things back around.

5
12
Jan

Preview: Lakers at Warriors

Los Angeles
Lakers

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
October 31, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 83
Lakers 107
 
November 21, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 89
Lakers 117
 
January 12, 2011 • Recap
Lakers 115
Warriors 110
 
April 6, 2011 • Recap
Lakers 87
Warriors 95
 

Well, I sure hope the Warriors got some rest since their stinker in L.A. against the Clippers, because tonight they get to face a Lakers team that kicked the everliving shit out of the Cavs last night (almost doubled them up — and how about that -57 for Manny Harris?).

Not sure what to say in the preview since I’m almost less optimistic in this game than I was when they faced Miami a few weeks ago (though that turned out a bit better than expected, all things considered). So good luck tonight, Warriors — you’re going to need it.

3
9
Jan

Preview: Warriors at Clippers

Golden State
Warriors

@

Los Angeles
Clippers

Staples Center
12:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
October 29, 2010 • Recap
Clippers 91
Warriors 109
 
January 9, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 91
Clippers 105
 
January 14, 2011 • Recap
Clippers 112
Warriors 122
 
January 22, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 109
Clippers 113
 

The Warriors visit the Staples Center for a Sunday matinee against the suddenly resurgent Clippers, who have won 6 of their last 9 (incidentally, it appears that the Clippers actually play a high number of weekend matinee games — must be part of Donald Sterling’s emphasis on a nice family experience over the on-court product). Who will triumph when two sub-.500 teams put their best stretches of the season up against one another? What to watch for this afternoon:

  • Containing the beast. Blake Griffin has been a revelation, and he’ll inevitably have a few monster dunks against the Warriors today. He’s had 22 straight double-doubles, so the best hope for the Warriors is to do what they can to contain him rather than stop him outright. In the first meeting, they got him in early foul trouble and held him to 14 and 10, which you know they’d take in an instant if offered to them again today. In fact, this strategy leads me to point #2…
  • Get to the line. The Warriors are averaging 8 fewer foul attempts per game than their opponent this season, which is just not sustainable if they’re going to contend for the playoffs this year. Step one in closing that gap is getting to the line against bad opponents, but the Warriors got that strategy off to an inauspicious start by going -15 on the stat against the Cavs. With Kaman out, a rookie big in Griffin, and Lee looking as spry as he has all season, today could be a good opportunity to start turning this around.
  • Get Curry into the flow. While his turnovers are down since returning from his injury, I feel like Curry hasn’t really gotten rolling again in his all-around floor game. In fact, in the last game Monta was by far the better distributor with 10 assists compared to Curry’s 4. Let’s see if the soph can get things clicking again today against a sub-par opponent.
0
7
Jan

Preview: Cavaliers at Warriors

Cleveland
Cavaliers

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
January 7, 2011 • Recap
Cavaliers 98
Warriors 116
 
March 8, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 95
Cavaliers 85
 

The Warriors return home to host the dreadful Cavaliers tonight. The Cavs have lost 8 in a row and 18 of their last 19, so there are absolutely no excuses for losing this game. Hell, I’d say there’s no excuse for not winning by double digits, especially since it appears that Varejao and Daniel Gibson will both be out with injuries. So no keys to the game, other than just win baby!

3
5
Jan

Preview: Warriors at Hornets

Golden State
Warriors

@

New Orleans
Hornets

New Orleans Arena
5:00pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
January 5, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 110
Hornets 103
 
January 26, 2011 • Recap
Hornets 112
Warriors 103
 
February 15, 2011 • Recap
Hornets 89
Warriors 109
 

The Warriors finish off the road trip tonight in New Orleans, where they’ll play a Hornets team that started the season white-hot but has been some mediocre since. But it’s still a road game, and after two straight games with awful second halves I can’t say I’m optimistic about this one.

The good news is that the Warriors are expecting to have their full roster tonight, so hopefully that will help them overcome their usual final-game-of-the-trip letdown. To win tonight, they’ll need to match the fast starts they’ve had in their last three games, but then keep up that energy through to the end. Or, in the immortal words of Mike Singletary, “FINISH!”

4
3
Jan

Preview: Warriors at Magic

Golden State
Warriors

@

Orlando
Magic

Amway Center
4:00pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
January 3, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 90
Magic 110
 
March 11, 2011 • Recap
Magic 120
Warriors 123
 

The Warriors face another hot Florida team in the Magic, who have won five straight after restocking their roster. Can the Warriors rebound from their tough loss at the Heat? Or will they continue the second half flameout that saw them give up a big lead on the road? What to watch for tonight:

  • Attitude. As I mentioned in the recap for the last game, this is a moment where the much talked about team chemistry could really make a big difference (in making sure they’re not flat — still not sure if they can make up for the talent difference). Will they come out with their heads held high, or will they lose the game in the first quarter as they did regularly during Lee’s absence?
  • Inside-Outside. The Magic can shoot the lights out from three, but then they also have beasts inside in Howard and Bass. That’s not a good combination for the Warriors’ scrambling defense, as they regularly break down and leave a man open in an effort to provide help inside after guards blow by Monta and Curry. This could be a chance for Udoh to make a mark playing some tough inside defense, especially if Biedrins remains out (since I have very little confidence in Lee’s ability to hang with Howard).
  • All-Star. These final games of the road trip could be make-or-break for Monta’s All-Star chances, as he won’t get many more chances to play in the eastern time zone before the rosters get picked. He definitely has some ground to make up — largely because of the Warriors’ record — but a couple big games against the Magic and Hornets could do wonders for his national profile. Let’s see if he can seize the opportunity…
12
1
Jan

Preview: Warriors at Heat

Golden State
Warriors

@

Miami
Heat

American Airlines Arena
4:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
December 10, 2010 • Recap
Heat 106
Warriors 84
 
January 1, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 107
Heat 114
 

This one is about as close to a freebie as you can get. The Heat dominated the Warriors in Oakland last month, and I can’t imagine that anyone thinks they’ll do any better in Miami on the back half of a back-to-back.

But if they are able to steal this game, it will be because Dorell Wright has the homecoming game of his life (on both ends of the court), Curry goes on a white-hot shooting streak, Monta plays within himself and doesn’t force any action inside, and the Warriors bigs are able to hold their own inside and kept the rebounding margin close.

Who wants to take a bet that all that will happen?

8
31
Dec

Preview: Warriors at Bobcats

Golden State
Warriors

@

Charlotte
Bobcats

TWC Arena
12:00pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
December 31, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 96
Bobcats 95
 
January 28, 2011 • Recap
Bobcats 121
Warriors 113
 

The Warriors face the easiest game of the current roadie in a New Year’s Even matinee (as an aside, kinda brutal that they have to play a back to back over New Year’s). That said, it’s still a road game, and it’s against a team that seems to have gotten a nice spark from a coaching change (2 straight wins since Silas took over). What to watch for today:

  • Healthy Backcourt. Monta still seems to be struggling with his ankle sprain, and Curry has the flu on top of his own ankle problems. I’d have to imagine that adrenaline along will carry the day for Curry as he plays in front of his home-town fans, but getting Monta back in order will likely be a necessary condition for a W today — especially considering that the Bobcats’ starting backcourt has averaged 58 points and 9 assists in their last 2 games.
  • More Udoh. Udoh only played 6 minutes in the last game, with Smart blaming conditioning and saying he looked a step slow. Let’s hope he has his wind back, as the Warriors will need some inside play over the next 48 hours with Biedrins and Gadzuric still out. Plus, Charlotte seems like a good matchup for him — let’s see if he can take advantage.
  • Don’t Let Jackson Beat You. This is more personal preference than a true key to the game, but please Warriors, I beg of you: don’t let Stack Jack go nuts from deep and win the game on his own. Please.