WARRIORS VS. ROCKETS Kerr looks for bench to make an impact 3- Dot Lounge
When the Warriors treated the Bay Area to the 2015 NBA championship, their first in 40 years, they had the most feared bench in the league. It was experienced, well- balanced and full of game- changing energy: Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights and Festus Ezeli, with the surprise element of Iguodala replacing Andrew Bogut as the starting center in Games 4- 6 of the Finals.
Now, with the focus on Sunday’s Game 3 of the Houston series, that seems like the stuff of fantasy.
If the Warriors play to their capability, nothing will matter; they’ll dust the Rockets and whoever comes out of the East. But Game 2 was a serious wake- up call, raising questions about the Warriors’ depth and the personnel involved. If coach Steve Kerr sometimes feels as if he has a bench full of centers, it’s because that’s pretty close to the truth — and the trust factor is low, especially when Draymond Green gets the start.
Zaza Pachulia has become an afterthought. JaVale
McGee hasn’t played a minute in the series. David West has been exposed defensively and didn’t play the second half of either game. With Jordan Bell getting only limited time — and not yet in crucial situations — Kerr’s best option by far has been Kevon Looney, who earned 24 minutes in Game 1 but was mostly ineffective the next time around.
In the backcourt, where Livingston is the only constant off the bench, the Warriors dearly miss the injured Patrick McCaw, a fierce defender who performed splendidly in last year’s playoffs. Quinn Cook is getting his first taste of elitelevel playoff action and has yet to be deemed a reliable option. Around the league, people are astounded that Nick Young is getting so much playing time ( a combined 32 minutes), and with good reason; Young is good for a few wide- open three- point looks and that’s about it. Houston’s Eric Gordon offers a glaring contrast with his all- court energy and 42 points off the bench so far.
“I think one of the reasons it’s more challenging for me now is the way Houston plays,” Kerr said at Friday’s practice. “They play so small, and spread you out, so it nullifies several guys who you ordinarily would play. And McCaw being out, that takes us down a wing. But it’s the playoffs. Every series brings a different challenge. Different guys off the bench are gonna have a chance to make an impact. I got no problem with how we have to approach this with our bench.”
For certain, knee- jerk reactions tend to be a really bad idea in the playoffs. “I was a Lakers fan growing up, and I remember the Memorial Day Massacre,” said Kerr, referring to the Boston Celtics’ Game 1 destruction of the Lakers in the 1985 Finals. “I’m pretty sure the score was 148- 114 ( exactly), and the next day’s narrative was the series was gonna be a blowout.”
Magic Johnson’s Lakers came back to win Game 2, on the Celtics’ floor, and took the series in six. Perhaps that’s why the notably opinionated Scottie Pippen was so noncommittal Friday as he visited his old friend Kerr at practice. When I asked him for a prediction on Warriors- Houston, Pippen said, “No way of telling. This is two great teams still feeling each other out. I need to see a lot more.”
The 3- Dot Lounge
The greatest pairing of NBA announcers just might have been Bill King and Hank Greenwald, for an all- too- brief time, in the 1970s. One night the Warriors were down by two points with Rick Barry heading to the free- throw line for two shots. “No question,” King told the audience. “He has to make these.” Greenwald paused for a moment and responded, “Well, he doesn’t have to.” As such, Stephen Curry doesn’t have to unleash a hailstorm of made three- pointers on Sunday night, but it would be nice. ... Jalen Rose on ESPN: “If the Game 2 Stephen Curry is the one we’re going to see for the rest of this series, the Rockets will win.” ... And the counter from Kevin Durant: “That’s the last thing I worry about.” ... Coming out of Cal after his freshman season, Jaylen Brown didn’t strike everyone as a sure- fire NBA star — but he’s on that path, playing consistently well through the Celtics’ playoff run. With Game 3 coming up Saturday in Cleveland, “I think I’m a lot better than people expected,” he said at practice. “Which is funny to me, because I’m going to be a lot better. People are amazed now? Stay tuned.” ... It didn’t get much notice, but the Rockets’ Chris Paul was noticeably limping at one point of Game 2, grabbing the back of his leg, and his fourth- quarter minutes were limited. Paul has been sidelined several times in past playoffs, and the Rockets need to know that this one isn’t serious. ... Paul wouldn’t discuss basketball issues at the Rockets’ Friday practice until he addressed the shooting at Santa Fe High School, near Houston: “Our prayers go out to the victims and the families having to deal with that situation,” he said. “Those people come out and support us, night in and night out. This is minor compared to what those people are dealing with. ... It’s scary that’s becoming a norm here. We got to do something about it.”
The notion of digital umpiring came back into focus this week as Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford took very costly called third strikes during the Giants’ last at- bats against Colorado. Both calls were ridiculous, inexcusable, and this sort of thing just can’t happen. Major League Baseball is a long way from instituting the computerized strike zone, but everyone — players, managers, fans, media — needs to see how it works. There should be a strong push to implement the most up- to- date system in spring training, and not at an indefinite date. Next spring ... One thing you’d never get in a digital age: umpires ( allegedly) holding grudges against players or teams who complain too often. ... Disappointing to see NBC Sports Bay Area joining the crowd of networks showing the strike- zone box on every pitch. This is disruptive and totally unnecessary; that graphic should be used for replays only. ... This column has long supported the notion of Hunter Pence changing his hitting approach. His trusty open stance has betrayed him, and he spent too much of last season lunging at down- and- away pitches ( especially from righthanders), either tapping harmless grounders or whiffing entirely. He switched to a closed stance for a few weeks this year — that’s exactly what triggered Giancarlo Stanton’s 59- homer outburst last season — but it didn’t last. Now we’re hearing that Pence is adopting the launch- angle swing that has dramatically helped so many players, including teammate Mac Williamson, and that his stance is radically different. We’ll see if he’s still a believer by the time he recovers from his sprained thumb and starts playing for real, ... Stats- crazed websites love to issues percentages on every little thing. Right fielder races back to the wall, and “he has a 68 percent chance of catching the ball,” some computer spits out. What? And it’s 100 percent dead wrong every time. Every sport. In search of the proper condemnation of this enterprise, I turn to Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead. He calls it “The Cocktail of Stupid.”