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Another fourth quarter double digit lead, another blown opportunity. That seems to be the game script the Warriors have followed as of late.
In the Dubs last game before the All-Star game, the team blew a 10-point lead with seven minutes to go to lose to the Nuggets on a buzzer beater. A lot of people chalked it up to fatigue, especially with the All-Star break days away.
Well, the break is now in the rear-view mirror, and the same thing happened.
Fast forward to the game against the Mavericks, the Dubs were up 19 with 10 minutes left, and then failed to convert a field goal in the next eight minutes of the game.
The Mavs outscored the Dubs 33-13 in the fourth quarter, and lost 107-101, a game where the Dubs had control for at least 38 minutes of the game.
“We played great defense for 36 minutes,” Stephen Curry says after the game. “We felt like we had the game under control. For whatever reason, our energy shifted when we missed a couple of shots, empty possessions. They come down and score, we start getting deflated. And for no reason.”
As of late, the Dubs have tended to relax a bit and that has allowed for opposing teams to rally and steal games. This is in contrast to the Warriors from a couple seasons ago when games were practically over once the Dubs went up double digits.
“We did not maintain our grit coming down the stretch,” Steve Kerr reflects after the loss. “We kind of let our momentum get away from us…it’s a good lesson for us. We gotta understand NBA games turn on a dime. It happens quickly and you gotta be able to withstand that.
With how most teams are three point heavy, leads and deficits can change with a blink of the eye. The volume of threes has created such a high variance that no lead tends to be safe these days in the league.
It is easy for Dub fans to think this would not have happened had Draymond Green been in the game, and while Green might have prevented something like this from happening, Kerr does not want the team to look for excuses for their lackluster effort.
“We can’t just say, ‘Oh well, when Draymond [Green] and Andre [Iguodala] get back we will be better.’ It doesn’t matter who’s out there. We’ve got to do a better job executing under pressure and maintaining competence.”
Kerr was disappointed, but not livid at how his team finished the game. He looked at it as something that could be a learning lesson right now. Better to deal with the tough losses in the regular season, than experiencing them in the postseason.
“It’s good to go through and feel it. This is what it feels like in the playoffs. This is what it feels like when you playing against a really good team. The game is never over.
That’s why we stress all the details we do over and over again. We made so many mental mistakes, coming from the wrong places to foul, not being at the rim in rotations when they went small. Our defense kinda broke down. We let that effect our offense, we have to learn from that and grow from that for sure”
Jordan Poole Struggles Mightily
The most improved Warrior of the season failed to do much in the absence of Klay Thompson. Poole failed to register a field goal, going 0-for-7. Coming off the bench, he is still very hit or miss, and is still trying to develop more consistency.
Poole only saw four minutes in the fourth quarter and was not at all productive. Kerr was asked about his lack of impact in the fourth, and simply said that Poole just did not have it tonight, and he opted to go with other guys instead.
James Wiseman Will Travel with Team on Road Trip
Despite the loss, the good news for the Warriors is that their former No. 2 lottery pick is set to travel with the team on their upcoming four game road trip.
Before the game against the Mavericks, Kerr told reporters that Wiseman is planning to be present with the team as they travel for the next week together.
“He is going on the trip. He’ll get his work in on practice days on the trip.”
Still listed as day-to-day, the big man seems to be inching closer to a return. There is hope that we could potentially see him finally on the court on the road trip.
There were rumblings that Tuesday’s game at Minnesota could be his debut for Wiseman, but it seems premature at this point, as the team has been pretty tight-lipped on when we should expect Wiseman back on the court.
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