Daily MVP Film Breakdown: Warriors Clicking as Cousins Returns
The Golden State Warriors have been playing up to their potential lately, and that’s a terrifying thing.
The Warriors didn’t dominate the way most expected them to in the first third of the season, but that seems to be correcting itself. They haven’t lost in regulation since Christmas, and they’re averaging 134 points per game (!) in January. They came into Denver second best in the West, but changed that very quickly. Golden State scored 51 points and a team record 10 three-point shots in the first quarter, overtaking the Nuggets at the top of the standings.
The Warriors first quarter in Denver:
KD: 17 points, 7/7 FG
Klay: 13 points, 5/6 FG
Steph: 12 points, 4/6 FG pic.twitter.com/7ofqJKv6jw— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
The highest scoring first quarter in NBA history resulted from unselfish ball movement between some of the best players in the history of the game. Kevin Durant finished the quarter with 17 points, but he started the game as a facilitator. Klay Thompson is shooting 47% from deep in January, and Durant kept finding him off of simple screens for easy makes. Denver was a step slow defensively all night.
Klay pump faked this dude into the next dimension. pic.twitter.com/5VTKhNQtGV
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
I guess Denver didn’t get the memo about Klay Thompson running off screens? pic.twitter.com/q4XE0ocVf2
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Name something scarier than the Warriors in transition. pic.twitter.com/IO1KJa9Bhy
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Durant had 5 assists in the first five minutes of the game, four to Klay Thompson. pic.twitter.com/BNkH4v1Vfh
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Durant also shares the court with another all time great shooter, though his name escapes me.
Sick pass out of the post from KD.
Pump, fly by, dribble, stepback by Curry. pic.twitter.com/7hq6q4Lk1A— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Double KD, pass to Dray, swing to Steph, pump, splash. pic.twitter.com/j8EBoDSg9e
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Durant and Draymond Green had a very heated, very public spat earlier in the year, but the chemistry on the court has been superb. KD’s gravitational pull on the defense is tremendous, and Green remains one of the most dynamic passing forwards in the game.
Dray screens for KD off the ball and rolls, Durant passes to him immediately, and Green throws a perfect lob on the move. pic.twitter.com/lII0x5ci6A
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Steph Curry doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the tiny things he does to create openings for his immensely talented teammates.
Little rub by Steph gives KD an inch of space, and that’s all he needs. pic.twitter.com/vaZDSHouAQ
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Curry’s creative, uniquely dangerous passing also isn’t talked about nearly enough. He sees lanes that few others can, tries things most players wouldn’t, and makes it work regularly.
Sneaky awesome pass by Steph, and Klay torches Jokic for a hammer dunk. pic.twitter.com/Lx4mE3PPmr
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
When four guys are focused on Steph, he can make an easy pass to Looney. pic.twitter.com/Swy1Ezd4F9
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Draymond still plays awesome defense, Steph can still run the break and throw darts, and Iggy can still get up there. pic.twitter.com/iL101r3Izx
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Of course, Curry’s calling card is his ridiculous shooting. He put the range on display as the game went on, flat out ripping it from over 30 feet.
Steph has insulting range pic.twitter.com/O7cqs9Txad
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Somehow, defenders are still losing track of Stephen Curry in 2019. This should be punished with 50 lashes in front of the team during film sessions every time it happens.
If you lose track of Steph Curry after he passes the ball, bad things happen. pic.twitter.com/LlhrHHXbgu
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
This example is from later in the contest, but it’s a staple of Steph’s game. He drives, passes under the basket to a shooter on the wing, and runs to the corner next to him as the defense panic rotates to the guy with the ball. It almost always gets the greatest shooter ever the easiest 3 in the game.
Rule number 1: Steph doesn’t stop moving after he makes a pass. pic.twitter.com/I11e8j1cBs
— Dave DuFour (@DaveDuFourNBA) January 16, 2019
Even when Steph misses, it winds up working out for the Dubs. It helps when those long rebounds wind up in the hands of one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game.
HAHAHAHAHA pic.twitter.com/5dXxcz5W04
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
KD is an absolute menace when he puts the ball on the floor. He can pull up from anywhere, or get all the way to the rim in two extendo-leg steps.
KD starts the game with a deflection and an easy pull up at the stripe. pic.twitter.com/HGRvKMxldQ
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
KD gonna KD pic.twitter.com/TlnwpjtrWJ
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Siiiiick read and skip pass by Draymond, then it’s all KD. pic.twitter.com/88dGauoMSs
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
At the end of the quarter, Durant put his full scoring skill set on display. He started with an early clock pull up three from deep to ensure a two for one opportunity, and then took that second possession all the way to the rim.
A 2 for 1 special for KD to close the quarter pic.twitter.com/4scO6eBXXO
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) January 17, 2019
Golden State is firing on all cylinders after a rockier than expected start. The ball movement is spectacular, guys are playing for each other, and it’s a historic amount of firepower. Oh yeah, and they have DeMarcus Cousins making his season debut tonight. The rest of the league better hope Boogie somehow manages to wreck this Death Star from the inside, otherwise it’s pretty much over.
