Makes Love to Pressure

This is one of the few times where I did not feel Stephen Jackson’s presence in the game. He got his numbers as usual, but the focus of the game was mainly on the young guys on the team. In a surprising move, Coach Don Nelson–a known rookie-hater–gave almost all the young guys significant floor time minutes.

With Al Harrington on the inactive list with an undisclosed injury, Brandan Wright took his place in the starting lineup. At times, Wright showcased his potential with an unblockable hook shot and a block of a fadeaway jumper reminiscent of the one he had on Kenyon Martin’s jumper in the Denver game. But, Wright has a tendency to get down on himself and would disappear from the game at various times. He needs more confidence in himself, gain the killer instinct found in the great players.

Anthony Randolph has all the confidence in the world and then some. His first few shots were all mid-range jumpers. He wasn’t looking to pass the ball when he got it; you knew it was going to go up. On the defensive side of things, Randolph tried to block every shot. His length and hops combination gives up crazy high clearance. When he is paired with Andris Biedrins or Ronny Turiaf, the lane becomes a block party. Randolph finished with 8 points and 7 boards in 17 minutes.

Marco Belinelli got some run to rest Stephen Jackson. He was able to surprisingly stay with his man for the most part and fight through screens. He also drew a charge which was nice to see. His shot, while smooth and quick, did not fall as regularly as it should.

The third point guard, Marcus Williams, also saw action in this game. In 9 minutes of play, Williams tallied four assists including a cross court bullet pass that hit Azubuike on the stride for an easy lay in. His defense and shot selection was pretty poor though. If we could only combine the defense of DeMarcus Nelson, the shooting of CJ Watson and the passing of Marcus Williams, we would have a pretty good point guard.

The team had a chance to come back late in the fourth quarter, but everyone you would expect to make free throws did not. Watson and Jackson both missed two free throws. Biedrins was the best free thrower on the night going 9 for 10.

Rudy Gay though is a beast. He could hit shots from every spot on the floor and he had the athleticism and size to mix it up a little bit inside as well. OJ Mayo is built from the same mold. When the Grizzlies went with their small lineup, they were able to run right by the Warriors in every sense of the word.

Stephen Jackson's Line:

Tags: 2008-2009 Season, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA
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The Denver Nuggets were running on adrenaline early in the first quarter, dunking every other shot. A blockbuster trade for a premier point guard in Chauncey Billups can do that for a team. On the other spectrum, the Golden State Warriors had just come off an abysmal loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The first half of the first quarter showed a sluggy, uninterested team. Midway through the 1st, a switch was flipped and the Warriors came revving back from an 18-point deficit to make the game close by halftime.

The switch came in the form of Brandan Wright. Wright’s length and athleticisim on defense forced Denver’s 2nd unit into costly mistakes. Stephen Jackson was there to turn those mistakes into points for the team, hitting a number of jumpers and taking the ball to the hole.

The second half was a showcase of the Warriors’ big men potential. Wright had a career night with 18 points, 13 boards and 3 blocks. Near the end of the game guarding Kenyon Martin, Wright jumped high in the air and used his 7′5″ wingspan to block Martin’s jumper. Wright’s play officially demoted Al Harrington to the bench.

Andris Biedrins did not have an efficient night as he is known for. He did show off a few impressive post moves though. Chris Anderson could not stop Biedrins in the block; his spin to the center of the lane for a fingeroll showed off his nice footwork and uncanny nose for the hoop. Biedrins foul trouble did not slow down his aggressiveness. In fact, he became even more aggressive on defense and offense. A showcase of his potential came in the 4th quarter as well, when he took a handoff from Jackson at the elbow, dribbled around Jackson’s screen and slammed it home over Nene for an and1. On the trip down to the defensive end, Biedrins was there once again to deny Denver from an easy layup. Biedrins finished the night with 13 points, 11 boards and 5 blocks to continue his double-double streak to 12 games. Not since Nate Thurmond has there been a player on the Warriors to average a double-double for that amount of games.

Throughout all this, Jackson remained as the steady hand guiding the teams’ reins. Setting an example for the younger players, Jackson took it upon himself to harrass Carmelo Anthony into a poor shooting night. Jackson played excellent defense on Anthony, denying him the ball at every turn and keeping him out of his comfort zone. When Jackson sat down, Anthony proceeded to demolish Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson on the low block.

The player I am most impressed with this season is Ronny Turiaf. I can’t get enough of this guy. He started his first game for the Warriors and defended the post very well. He was able to body up against the larger players that give Biedrins difficulty. His all-out abandon in blocking shots is always fun to see. He also has a pretty effective jumper out to 15-feet. Jackson better watch out, Turiaf-fandom may very well take over this blog.

Photo by Don Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

Stephen Jackson's Line:

Tags: 2008-2009 Season, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, NBA
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Stephen Jackson and co. had a poor shooting night in the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Not much to say about this game. Wide open jump shots and easy layups the team usually makes were not being made.

Rather than moving without the ball to get more easy looks, everyone settled into the isolation 1-on-1 offense that was used most of last season. Unfortunately for the team this season, no one on the team has good enough handles to go 1-on-1 consistently. For all his positives, Jackson’s handling is average at best. His high dribble can be picked easily by quick hands.

Corey Maggette strained his left hamstring in the middle of the 1st quarter and was not as effective after returning. When his ability to drive and draw fouls is taken away along with his rebounding, he is a pretty mediocre player that likes to chuck. The team can not afford two chuckers. Stephen Jackson has already secured that role based on seniority.

What’s worse is that the point guard and sixth man for the team are also chuckers. CJ Watson should not even label himself as a point guard. His mentality is more of a scorer who does not score that much at the NBA level.

The sixth man, Kelenna Azubuike, is a mini-Maggette without the reputation to draw fouls. I have not seen him pass the ball once yet. He is pretty much a blackhole.

The only bright note for the Warriors in this game was the play of Andris Biedrins. His line of 16 points on 8-14 shooting and 22 rebounds is proving the critics that he could be the focus of the offense in the future. Although, he still has trouble defending the brusiers of the league.

Marc Gasol, the young center retrieved from the Pau Gasol trade, tore up the Warriors interior defense. He score 27 points on 9 for 11 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds. He also has a nice free throw touch, knocking down 9 of 11 in that area. After this game, he made a believer out of me. So much so that I dropped Mario Chalmers to pick up Marc Gasol in my fantasy league.

Stephen Jackson's Line:

Tags: 2008-2009 Season, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA
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A little rest goes a long way. Still feeling the effects of the overtime loss the day before, Stephen Jackson started off slowly scoring only two points in the first half. Jackson was able to get a prolonged period of rest in the 2nd quarter. Once the 3rd quarter rolled around, Jackson took off in his aggressiveness on both offense and defense. At one point, he scored nine consecutive points including a welcome-to-the-NBA dunk over Chris Douglas-Roberts similar to the one he delivered on Anthony Randolph in the practice scrimmage a week ago.

Jackson’s hot streak put the game out of reach, but before that, other players played a major role in keeping the game close.

Andris Biedrins had another impressive game. His night’s line was 23 pts on 8 for 11 shooting, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and an amazing 7 for 8 at the free throw line. Although a few of the shots he made were the usual layups and tip-ins, Biedrins showcased a few nice low-block post moves and had a nice running bank shot. If he continues his solid play, he may be an All-Star in the not so distant future.

Corey Maggette had a rather poor shooting night, going 3 for 13 from the field. But, he was still able to score 20 points due to his proficiency at getting to the free throw line and making the freebies. Although a few late game intentional fouls contributed to his total, making 13 of 15 is still impressive. His activity going for loose balls and grabbing ten rebounds was also appreciative. When he first arrived, rumors from the Los Angeles Clippers was of a guy who played no defense and only jumped into defenders for fouls. But, so far this season, Maggette puts energy into defense and dives for loose balls.

The two-headed point guard duties fell to DeMarcus Nelson and CJ Watson. Although there lines are pretty poor, their management of the game was decent enough to keep the Warriors afloat. With their ball-handling ability, they were able to give Jackson a breather from having to bring the ball up court. They were also able to stay in front of Devin Harris for most of the night. The only times Harris was able to get around them was running them through screens.

There has been one good thing which this team differs from last years’ team–perimeter defense. In the past, Baron Davis and Monta Ellis would just let their man waltz into the lane forcing Biedrins to foul. Now, the opposing guards are not able to penetrate as freely and Biedrins is able to stay in the game longer. The addition of Ronny Turiaf is also a big plus. With another big alongside Biedrins, he does not need to cover the entire lane.

Although, the New Jersey Nets is a bad team, hopefully the Warriors can take the positive away from the win and build on it for future contests.

Stephen Jackson's Line:

Tags: 2008-2009 Season, Golden State Warriors, NBA, New Jersey Nets
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Statistically speaking, Stephen Jackson had one of his better all-around games. He finished with 19 points, 7 boards and 5 assists. That’s right. 7 boards!!

The game was decided in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter again. Don Nelson’s big-ball lineup brought the Golden State Warriors down from a double-digit deficit to take the lead near the end of the first half. The rotation of Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Al Harrington, Ronny Turiaf, Andris Biedrins and Kelenna Azubuike kept the game close leading into the 4th quarter. Turiaf and Biedrins were especially solid defending the interior from the likes of Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh.

But, once again, when the game was on the line, the Warriors could not find the guy to close it out. In the game against New Orleans Hornets, Al Harrington missed a game-winning three pointer. In this game, Maggette was given the ball with 14 seconds left. He drove in at the five second mark and slipped on his own accord. With the short rotation, it became a given the team was going to lose in overtime.

In these type of situations, I hope they look towards Stephen Jackson to handle the role. He has hit game-winning shots in the past and is comfortable with taking on the pressure.

Having watched these last two games, the team seems to be one good point guard away from being undefeated this season. The team needs a pass-first, competent ball-handling point guard to give Jackson a rest. Rumors are swirling around Harrington with possible deals involving Kirk Hinrich or Raymond Felton. Either of those would be a good stopgap until Monta Ellis gets back from his injury.

In the meantime, this big-ball lineup is interesting. There wasn’t a time last year where the team as a whole dominated the boards as they did in this game. Keeping turnovers to a minimum, grabbing the defensive rebounds and working the ball inside has kept the game close for the most part. If Nellie can just sub in more of the bench, this season may not be as bad as predicted.

Stephen Jackson's Line:

Tags: 2008-2009 Season, Golden State Warriors, NBA, Toronto Raptors
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