close
close

The Warriors continue to radiate positivity, outscoring the Jazz by 41 points

The Warriors continue to radiate positivity, outscoring the Jazz by 41 points
Posted on | Posted on angela

SALT LAKE CITY — With 3:24 left and the Golden State Warriors leading by 30 over the Utah Jazz, Warriors reserve guard Brandin Podziemski caught his dribble on a spin about eight feet from the basket and led on a glide a four-pivot combination into a sweeping righty hook.

It was a move straight out of the 1970s. Here is the order.

Thirty seconds later, a whistle triggered an automatic timeout. During halftime, Stephen Curry walked to where Podziemski made the move and spent two minutes recreating it with any teammate who wanted to discuss the mechanics.

Trayce Jackson-Davis said they were discussing whether it was a trip. Curry said he concluded it was a legal move. Podziemski said Curry approached him afterward to find out the exact footwork.

“He was fine with it,” Curry said. “It’s not easy.”

This look, which captured about half of Curry's free time, illustrates the mood of this Warriors team early in the season. They just beat the Portland Trail Blazers 140-104 in Portland and the Jazz 127-86 in Utah, a cumulative margin of 77 points through two games, becoming the first team in NBA history to win their first won both games by at least 35 points.

This lack of competition allowed Curry and Draymond Green to sit out the entire fourth quarter of both games. Not only does Warriors coach Steve Kerr play 12 players deep in his rotation, he also manages to spread the minutes fairly evenly. Everyone gets at least 13. Nobody played more than 27. You have 151 bank points. No other team has more than 113.

This relaxed atmosphere, with everyone contributing to success – after a dominant 6-0 preseason – has led to a celebratory mood on the bench and in the locker room, giving the first impression that chemistry on this team is at an all-time high .

Buddy Hield is the focus. The Warriors found a way to lure him into their last remaining international spot this summer, signing him as an immediate, high-usage attacking player because they believed he was at a point in his career where he could handle that type of role in one He would take on the offensive that his skills were suitable for.

It survived two games perfectly. Hield scored 22 points in 15 minutes in the opener and scored 24 points in the first half at Utah, finishing with 27 points. In total, he has scored 49 points in his 35 minutes this season, making 12 of his 16 three-pointers, and when he's not turning out the lights, he's making his teammates laugh on the bench and in the locker room with offbeat comments and reactions.

“He’s just an incredible person,” Kerr said. “Full of joy. Bench always laughs with him.”

Hield thrives in transition and has also performed at a higher level than his reputation would suggest. He had six assists against the Jazz, and two of them were among the highlights – the first a creative drive and throw to the spot he had just vacated for an Andrew Wiggins 3, the next a left-footed shot through traffic to Curry for one Wing 3. Here they are:

Among the many other positive developments: Wiggins appears to be committed. He grabbed 13 rebounds in 23 minutes, which is usually the best sign of his activity level. Trayce Jackson-Davis looks strong to open his sophomore season. He didn't miss any of his 11 shots. Moses Moody scores with great volume in his short playing time on the field. Draymond Green was great against Lauri Markkanen (4 of 17 shooting) and De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Gary Payton II were all part of a strong defensive start.

“The overall athleticism of this team stands out to me,” Kerr said. “We didn’t have that last year. Pressure on the ball, De'Anthony and a healthy Gary are added. Wiggs and (Jonathan Kuminga) are just big and athletic. Kyle is an incredible defender.”

But the two-game rush was not without flaws and unanswered questions. The most obvious is the starting lineup. Kerr is trying to squeeze a large group that includes Kuminga, Wiggins, Green and Jackson-Davis with Curry. They fell 13-6 in Utah after losing 12-5 in Portland.

“We’re going to keep going,” Kerr said. “It's obviously not ideal from a spacing standpoint, so they have to find their rhythm and their style of play. We have to help them with action. But the purpose of the matter is defense.”

Kuminga in particular struggled, unable to get a clean runway to the rim without the space and failing to translate his preseason success as a shooter into the regular season. He has just 12 points in two games and is 4 of 13 from the field.

But in the second half the team started with a 22:10 lead and put the game out of reach. They had a similarly effective run in the third quarter in Portland, led by Green's defense. Overall, this group is plus three in 22 minutes.

“This unit is still learning how to play (together),” Green said. “We didn’t have Wiggins’ entire training camp…Now this lineup gets a chance to get minutes together. What you'll see as we start to settle in on offense. We're coming out in the first quarter and everyone's trying to get to it: Go. Go. Go. Because we want this lineup to perform both well and poorly. Everyone is under pressure. But once we get settled in, this lineup takes over.”

The other looming question concerns this rosy mood. Typically, when you outscore your teams by 40 points and everyone gets the minutes and statistical opportunities they need, everyone is happy. However, there are tough games, defeats and difficult rotation decisions ahead that will further test the true camaraderie of this team.

“That’s our job as coaches,” Kerr said. “It’s because of the experienced players – Draymond, Steph, Kyle, Melt, Loon. There will definitely be times when it's not as fun, we're not winning these games and we're not playing every 15 minutes or more. We know this is coming. The message is: “Something is happening.” There are injuries. There are breaks. There are line-up changes. We all just have to stick together.”

Green expressed a similar opinion.

“We are all there for each other. We all have the common goal of forming a special team that can do special things,” he said. “The minutes won’t run the way everyone likes it every night. I would have liked to have played more minutes on the last two evenings. It is what it is. Just join in. We have great people in this locker room. This is thanks to Mike Dunleavy and the work he did putting the group together.

“There aren’t many complainers in this locker room. That makes a big difference.”

(Top photo of Buddy Hield and Steph Curry: Noah Graham / NBAE via Getty Images)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *