2015-2016 NBA

[Jay]

CHICAGO PLS!!!

Golden State looks amazing still as well.

[Zanchief]

I'm rooting for Denver and Knicks to be terrible for our Bargnani first rounder. Not sure what to make of the Raps this year, but I don't see them being that relevant. I hope, but we'll see. JV could have a big year and we could see two Al-Stars (Lowry and JV) which would be nice since the games are in Toronto.

I guess the West has some teams people like...

[Jay]

Did you watch Detroit vs Atlanta? What did you think?

[Zanchief]

I don't have cable and negative free-time so I don't watch anyone but Toronto right now. What happened in the game? Detroit played well I assume?

[Jay]

Detroit lookin SOLID and the starters are all really well rounded. Pretty epic game today against Chicago (even though Chicago lost -_-)

Trying not to get my hopes up too high because if Derrick gets injured again there might be a PS4 pad launched into my TV.

[Zanchief]

Detroit could be very solid. Good coach, good team. Low ceiling I think though. We'll see. I feel a bit bad for Chicago. So much potential but something always goes bad.

[Lyion]

Cavs going all the way this year.. Bank on it!

[Zanchief]

I've heard that before.

They'll likely get out of the east, but the top west teams are all much better right now.

[Arlos]

From all accounts Curry seems to have started off the season well so far...

[Jay]

Curry is a monster and a defender's worst nightmare. Great defenders are trained to put players into compromising positions where they are forced to take shots. Stephen Curry's favorite shots are from those positions.

From all accounts Curry seems to have started off the season well so far...

I'm reluctant to say this as my basketball knowledge isn't as deep as some, but I think he's literally the best shooter in NBA history.

[Zanchief]

I think he is too, Jay.

[Arlos]

I think all the offseason talk about how the Warriors either lucked into their championship or weren't worthy has pissed them off a tad. I mean, winning by 50 points over Memphis, who are at least supposedly (from the shallow amount I've read, anyway) not even remotely a terrible team? I know motivation in a team that just won it all can be a little problematic at time, but I suspect that will not be an issue for the W's, given how much disrespect they got in some quarters over the past few months. Should be an interesting season to at least follow from afar, since I just don't watch the games much.

Then again, given how terrible the 49ers are this year (and how much I hate their fucktard owners, who have reached Cohen/Stirling/Snyder/Dolan levels of horrible), plus my lack of ability to get invested in the Raiders, I have not been watching much football. So, as I now have more sports-viewing time available, perhaps I will try and actually watch the Warriors more this season. Not that I'll know the finer points of what's going on, certainly, but...

[Zanchief]

I don't know many people who dogged on the warriors this offseason. I would think most rational sports people know it was a well deserved win.

[Arlos]

I don't know many people who dogged on the warriors this offseason. I would think most rational sports people know it was a well deserved win.

There was a bunch of local media articles talking about that.

[Jay]

I think the only scrutiny that Warriors are getting for their win is that Cleveland was missing 2 All Star caliber players due to injury. On that front, Cleveland missing 2 All Stars and the Warriors having a full healthy squad is definitely good fortune.

[Jay]

Curry 31 pts, 7-11 from the 3pt line. Jesus Christ.

Not sure if you follow basketball enough to know Arlos, but if you make a little under half of your 3pt shots, that's considered decent. That percentage is usually based on a low volume of 3pt shots (like 5-7 total average).

Dat stepback.

[Zanchief]

His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) right now is just crazy. It's 47.1, which if he keeps it up (impossible) will be 15 points higher than the next highest of all time (Wilt Chamberlain).

To say he's having the best statistical season of all time would be a huge understatement. Again, it's impossible for him to keep it up, but it's fun to keep track of. At this rate he's a shoe-in for MVP. It's a one man race.

Also, anyone check who's in first place in the league (tied)? That's right...

[Arlos]

I realize I'm a basketball neophyte, but what the Warriors are doing so far this season is reasonably ridiculous, yes? 6-0, 5 of them vs playoff teams from the previous year, something like a 20 pt average margin of victory, 74 points in the first HALF tonight vs Denver, and Curry averaging > 35 pts a game. All while missing their head coach, and all but one while missing their starting center. We even have one of the local sportswriters that I like, writing an article basically saying he sees tying or surpassing the 72 win record as possible. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2 ... ld-happen/

Thoughts, basketball guru types?

[Jay]

Yeah this is unreal. Curry is in a one man race to the MVP.

[Lyion]

I realize I'm a basketball neophyte, but what the Warriors are doing so far this season is reasonably ridiculous, yes? 6-0, 5 of them vs playoff teams from the previous year, something like a 20 pt average margin of victory, 74 points in the first HALF tonight vs Denver, and Curry averaging > 35 pts a game. All while missing their head coach, and all but one while missing their starting center. We even have one of the local sportswriters that I like, writing an article basically saying he sees tying or surpassing the 72 win record as possible. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2 ... ld-happen/

Thoughts, basketball guru types?

I think Cavs in 5 over Golden State as long as some brute doesn't pull Love's shoulder out of his socket again. Playoff team in the NBA isn't the same as playoff teams in the NFL.

[Jay]

I realize I'm a basketball neophyte, but what the Warriors are doing so far this season is reasonably ridiculous, yes? 6-0, 5 of them vs playoff teams from the previous year, something like a 20 pt average margin of victory, 74 points in the first HALF tonight vs Denver, and Curry averaging > 35 pts a game. All while missing their head coach, and all but one while missing their starting center. We even have one of the local sportswriters that I like, writing an article basically saying he sees tying or surpassing the 72 win record as possible. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2 ... ld-happen/

Thoughts, basketball guru types?

I think Cavs in 5 over Golden State as long as some brute doesn't pull Love's shoulder out of his socket again. Playoff team in the NBA isn't the same as playoff teams in the NFL.

Maybe against last year's team but the Warriors are better this year even though the roster hasn't changed much. I think it will be a better series and maybe this time around Lebron will stop crying about how injured he is.

[Arlos]

OK, at this point, even I know this is getting utterly ridiculous for the Warriors. They won last night against what is supposed to be a really good team, and did so after falling behind by more than 20 points... Saw an ESPN stat: Since the start of last season, the Warriors are 3-3 in games in which they fall behind by 20+ points. The rest of the NBA combined is 13-486 in such situations over the same time span... That's utterly insane, statistically. 50% vs 2.6%. Egad. Oh, and lets add in Steph Curry having more 3 pointers made than two NBA *TEAMS*, while averaging > 34 PPG, with 52/45/93 percent shooting splits... You basketball gurus, has there ever been anything like this, outside of maybe the top years of the Showtime Lakers or the 90s Bulls?

We all know I don't watch basketball much, if ever, really. But I think I have to start watching the Warriors this year. To my limited knowledge anyway, this has the hallmarks of being something historic, and we all want to have been there when something historic was happening. For example, with Football, I can always say I saw The Catch by Dwight Clark that signaled the start of the 49ers dynasty, and got to watch Joe Montana and Jerry Rice in their primes as they were destroying the rest of the league. I'm starting to suspect I might someday want to be able to say "Yeah, I watched the Warriors during THAT season..."

Love to hear the thoughts of you more knowledgeable folks on this...

[Jay]

Well, consider this. The best team, win-loss wise (and arguably of all time), won the title and had a record of 72-10 for the season. They opened their first 12 games with 10 wins and 2 losses. That's the '96 championship Chicago Bulls. The Warriors did something similar to their big comeback last night during last years playoffs against the Pelicans. 20 point deficit going into the last quarter and they won with a buzzer beater taking them into OT and winning in OT. When you lose and you had a 20 point lead, that's a crushing blow.

Getting away from technical discussion a bit here, basketball is back and forth and fast paced. If you get a score, I HAVE to get a score, and then if you get stopped from scoring, then I have to score to get a 1 shot lead. That's the mental constant of basketball. With that in mind, what am I supposed to think when I scored, then you scored, but you have the lead anyways? 3 pointers are very mentally damaging to the opposing team and are supposed to be more of a rarity in a game, but they are the bread and butter of the warriors.

[Arlos]

16-0 to start the season. Best start ever in the history of the NBA... Wonder if they have a real shot to get close to the 33 games in a row record?

[Jay]

16-0 to start the season. Best start ever in the history of the NBA... Wonder if they have a real shot to get close to the 33 games in a row record?

Way too many variables. Complacency typically sets in, people get careless, other people lose steam. Curry is finally losing steam and playing at the level of a standard elite player lol. Klay has yet to find his shot for most of the season but he will start heating up soon. Draymond has been the unsung hero of the Warriors and playing at an incredible level and is arguably the most versatile player on the team.

Then there's the rematch @Toronto, another game vs Cleveland and a game @Dallas.

Right now the Warriors are pretty untouchable. When they fall into a deficit, they basically abandon defense and have a shootout and no one has won against their small lineup of Barnes, Thompson, Green, Curry and Iguodala. Curry is unstoppable, so you kinda just gotta double team him without pressing too hard and guess good (pray?). Draymond is too versatile so you have to keep an eye on him. Iguodala needs to be fouled everytime he goes for a shot because he's Shaq level free throw shooting and Klay has an amazing catch and shoot so you can't give him the jumpshot. Same with Barnes.

To beat the Warriors you need to get a good early lead and break their defense when their centers (Ezeli, Bogut) are in play. Once you get the small lineup, this is where every defensive coach in the NBA hates life. You have to decide whether to cover the inside and force outside shooting (which they have destroyed everyone with) or protect the outside, open up the lane and defend penetration. Curry, Iguodala and Green are very strong going inside. Klay, Barnes, and Curry are strong on the outside. All 5 of them can do both inside AND outside shooting/driving though. So what do you do? Vary your defensive options. Constantly change defensive schemes. Hope it affects their shooting. Maybe you'll get lucky and more than half of them have a bad shooting night. If you keep fouling Iguodala, you'll defend 5 shots of damage, but then Curry, Barnes, Klay and Green will slice you up on the inside and hit their free throws when necessary. Small lineup's weakness is defense, but they will outshoot anyone so you basically have to keep scoring and dig deep for a defense that can be constantly versatile.

tl;dr Pray that 3 out of the 5 in that lineup have a bad night.