the Warriors are giving up 110ppg...

[AirBonner]

That is insane. What is the record for a season?

[Prime_Shaq]

This is where their lack of interior presence really shows, Javale might be the difference maker here.

[antonAC]

is steve kerr being stubborn continuing with Pachulia or does he really see him as the long term best solution.

it's not even the interior defense that's the main problem, it's his lack of boards.

he's also not mobile enough to take advantage of the floor spacing, the warriors may be the first team in history that needs a player that provides floor... tightening? I don't know, but the raptors could swarm all over the perimeter with him on court not worrying much about the interior.

[Kawhi]

Pace.

[hold this L]

They don't seem to be trying all that much and Zaza is trash. :lol When they focus, they have been able to completely shut teams down like the 2nd quarters vs the Craptors.

[Showtime80']

For them it is a glaring but manageable problem.

The advantage they have in today's league particularly is that all of the top teams and most of the other teams are perimeter oriented and try to play the same game the Warriors do which is a very big mistake. They are the creators and benchmark for the 3-point centric offense which the ENTIRE LEAGUE has embraced. The Thunder and Cavs showed the only way to compete with them is to be physical and kill them on the inside and the problem with that is all of the supposed "new star big men" like KAT, Cousins, Davis and Embiid are toiling away on lottery teams so they don't get a chance to really exploit GS weaknesses on the inside for a contender that can challenge them.

The only player, not even team, that concerns the Warriors is LeBron James. That's it! Everything went right for Cleveland in those last 3 games in last year's Finals and LeBron went into another level which will be difficult to duplicate. We'll see what happens. Nobody else in the East matters.

The Clippers are still in the prove it to me stage like they are EVERY YEAR and the Spurs are also waiting to see if a team without Tim Duncan can still go deep in playoffs.

With the acquisition of Durant and letting go of Bogut the Warriors basically said to the rest of the league "Catch us if you can" and as of now their proving that it is not going to be an easy task.

[BigKAT]

For them it is a glaring but manageable problem.

The advantage they have in today's league particularly is that all of the top teams and most of the other teams are perimeter oriented and try to play the same game the Warriors do which is a very big mistake. They are the creators and benchmark for the 3-point centric offense which the ENTIRE LEAGUE has embraced. The Thunder and Cavs showed the only way to compete with them is to be physical and kill them on the inside and the problem with that is all of the supposed "new star big men" like KAT, Cousins, Davis and Embiid are toiling away on lottery teams so they don't get a chance to really exploit GS weaknesses on the inside for a contender that can challenge them.

The only player, not even team, that concerns the Warriors is LeBron James. That's it! Everything went right for Cleveland in those last 3 games in last year's Finals and LeBron went into another level which will be difficult to duplicate. We'll see what happens. Nobody else in the East matters.

The Clippers are still in the prove it to me stage like they are EVERY YEAR and the Spurs are also waiting to see if a team without Tim Duncan can still go deep in playoffs.

With the acquisition of Durant and letting go of Bogut the Warriors basically said to the rest of the league "Catch us if you can" and as of now their proving that it is not going to be an easy task.

Good post. My prediction is that GS doesn't make the finals.
Not this year. I've stated it multiple times and people usually disagree with me. But that doesn't mean I don't think they can rape this league for the next few years. I just think that -this year-, they are not making it.
Call it a hunch.

[sixerfan82]

And when you're scoring 120+ ppg a lot of concerns go out the window.

This reminds me of the lakers from early 2000s. When you have 2 guys putting up 30ppg on a nightly basis you're asking for 30ppg+ from the other 8-10 guys on the bench? This is because the likelihood of the other team matching your output isn't that high and so when players like rick fox and derek fisher would would give you 8-12 ppg, it makes winner that much easier.

If you look at the standings, the highest scoring teams that poses a threat to them in the playoffs are the clippers and trailblazers. Like other posters have said before, the clippers are probably hungrier and the only team/player of real concern is lebron james.

[imdaman99]

They don't have to play defense, they can just outscore everyone. Run and gun the other team into oblivion.

At least that's what I hope their mentality is, so they can blow it in the playoffs lol

[Showtime80']

I think that comparison is a little off sixersfan82.

Those early 2000's Lakers were an absolute TERROR on defense when they put their mind to it (2001 playoffs) not to mention they played at a very slow pace when compared to the Warriors and where a very physical team starting of course with Shaq in the middle and guys like Fisher, Harper, Shaw, Grant, Green, Fox and Horry who were not afraid to get their hands dirty. They didn't have the star depth GS had but the Kobe/Shaq combo at that time in their careers was absolutely unstoppable.

However, the biggest difference is their offensive system was based on the inside dominance of Shaq during that period which opened the game up for EVERYBODY on that team including Kobe. Like I've always said 3-point/perimeter shooting looks great when it's working but it is A LOT MORE FICKLE than a dominant all time inside game like Shaq had during this period.

To me those Lakers just had too many qualities and intangibles too get beat in ANY of those years by any team of that era, not even the up tempo style of the Mavs and Kings presented a challenge for them.

The Warriors while they definitely are THE BEST playing the current style that the modern league plays, it is STILL A PERIMETER ORIENTED SYSTEM that is more prone to go cold when physical play and slower pace become the norm in May/June.

[HurricaneKid]

The Enver Nuggets allowed 130.8/gm and gave up 107 points IN A HALF.

90-91

PPG without pace adjustment is meaningless BTW

[Kblaze8855]

Something from years ago:


The Enver Nuggets of the late 80s/early 90s. So called because they gave up 118, 113, 116, 113, and 131 ppg over 5 years. Last of those years they gave up 162ppg in the preseason. Yes...162....with the worst defensive effort in pro basketball history....

In the 1990 preseason the Nuggets allowed the Hawks to score...one hundred...and ninety four...points.

1
9
4

In regulation. Gave up 112 in the second half.

And followed it up by giving up 186 to the Suns!

One game they gave up 173 to the Celtics in that preseason. Larry Bird...this is 1990 Larry Bird...past his prime....had 12 points, 19 rebounds, and 12 assists in 19 minutes. And they played them again in 5 days..Bird had 21/15/13 in one half.

They gave up 154 points per game over their first 7 in the regular season including 160+ 3 times with a high of 173.


Now this footage is far from good but I had so many requests on them I had to put something together. And instead of a gang of passable quality old CBS slow motions clips of dunks I wanted to show how they actually played. If you are looking for special effects and brooding movie soundtracks ive never been who you go to. Just...about the basketball.

So...

Covers roughly 87 to 92. See a tad of Alex English but he wasnt as featured in the offenses I mean to show as he was in his prime. A prime which will be covered later this week on a video on the Nuggets with him, Kiki, Dan Issel, and a bit of David Thompson and Bobby Jones. This isnt on the good Nugget teams. Just one I find interesting.

Notice their coach and how in practice they actually work on fast breaks and quick strike plays. The secondary break and shooters trailing. Its one aspect of that team I can respect. You dont need to not play defense to have a well coached transition offense.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF0-JmUNQs0


^
Enver in all its pixelated glory. Kinda mad I couldnt find a clip of Michael Adams double behind the back passes....he did it all the time on the Bullets and a bit on the Nuggets too. Im sure someone will turn one up. Its nice...even though it was often a travel.

[CelticBaller]

Good post. My prediction is that GS doesn't make the finals.
Not this year. I've stated it multiple times and people usually disagree with me. But that doesn't mean I don't think they can rape this league for the next few years. I just think that -this year-, they are not making it.
Call it a hunch.
:roll:

[pedromarinho]

The Enver Nuggets allowed 130.8/gm and gave up 107 points IN A HALF.

90-91

PPG without pace adjustment is meaningless BTWWhat is pace adjustment?

[HurricaneKid]

What is pace adjustment?

An adjustment for how many possessions a team has. So rather than saying they give up the most points/gm it is how many points do they give up PER POSSESSION. For instance, Toronto is actually a fair amount worse to this point in pts/possession but they play a slower game so the other team doesn't have as many chances to score.

However, they have had by FAR the softest schedule in the league to this point. And that will turn around.

[pedromarinho]

An adjustment for how many possessions a team has. So rather than saying they give up the most points/gm it is how many points do they give up PER POSSESSION. For instance, Toronto is actually a fair amount worse to this point in pts/possession but they play a slower game so the other team doesn't have as many chances to score.

However, they have had by FAR the softest schedule in the league to this point. And that will turn around.
Makes sense.

[Bigsmoke]

I thought Zaza was better than this.

wasn't he almost an all star last year?

[CTbasketball92]

Their defense will pick up I think a bit later in the year.

[Prime_Shaq]

I thought Zaza was better than this.

wasn't he almost an all star last year?
Only because he had an entire country constantly voting for him