Sacred Heart Cathedral's student-run newspaper. We've got issues.

The Emerald

Sacred Heart Cathedral's student-run newspaper. We've got issues.

The Emerald

Sacred Heart Cathedral's student-run newspaper. We've got issues.

The Emerald

What the Warriors Need To Do In Order To Make the Playoffs

We’re almost halfway through the NBA season, and the Warriors are sitting at 13-17, 3 games back from the 8th seed in the Western Conference.  In such a tight, competitive conference, the Dubs must make a push in the second half of the season in order to get a chance at the playoffs.  Looking down the stretch, they are playing against Western teams in the top 8 sixteen times out of their last thirty-six games.  If they can at least average above .500 in those games, they can put themselves in a position to steal the last spot.  With the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz in a freefall right now, Portland and Minnesota are the only threats; and in a lockout-shortened season, it’s the season of the young legs.  With a roster where the average age is 25 and is headlined by Monta Ellis (biggest All-star snub of 2012), David Lee, and Stephen Curry, the Warriors should still have energy and firepower to run up and down the court by the end of the 66 games. And in order to continue in the postseason, they need to do a few things…

1 – Play DEFENSE.  While the Warriors are fourth in the league in points scored per game, they’re the only team in the top ten who are giving up more points than scored (99ppg, and 100ppg allowed).  They’re also ranked 2nd to last in blocks and do a bad job in rotating and gambling.  Mark Jackson promised to start a commitment to defense, but numbers never lie.  The Warriors still play the same old Don Nelson type of defense.

2 – REBOUND the ball.  Third to last in the league, the Dubs are averaging a horrendous 39 rebounds per game while being out-rebounded by 5.  Rebounds win games folks (and it starts with good defense).  Other than David Lee, the rest of the roster cannot box out and grab rebounds.  Once everyone starts making a team effort to crash the boards, the chances of winning against bigger teams (which they face most of the time) will increase.

3 – Stop FOULING.  While the refs have been inconsistent all year with their calls, the Warriors still make dumb fouls that place their key players on the bench longer.  During crucial stretches, we witness Curry and Lee play poor defense and resort to cheap hacking that keep them out of the game.

4 – Give Klay Thompson a little more playing time.  Early in the season, I found myself closing my eyes every time I saw young Klay play.  He played ball like he was still in college.  However, in the span of 30 games, he has made a hasty turnaround and has improved on all aspects of his game.  The kid is shooting 45% from long-range and is confident off the screen and pop.  He’s even fearless in clutch moments, like the game against the Sacramento Kings early in the season, in which he made the game-tying three to go into overtime.  Over time, I can see the Warriors trading one of their backcourt (yes I said it) to get an early 2012 lottery pick or a big man and move Klay into the starting lineup.

5 – Have Dorell Wright back.  Whatever happened to the NBA’s best 3-point shooter last year?  Wright has shot a pedestrian 31% from downtown this season and has looked soft and mediocre during the early part of the season.  While his numbers are slowly returning to its normal state, having him play more consistently on both ends of the court will surely give the team a much needed boost.

6 – Be healthy.  While injuries cannot be predicted, especially with an injury-prone roster in a compressed season, it is essential that the players stay healthy and watch over the minutes of the starting lineup.  Monta has seen the court for thousands of hours over the last few seasons and has a lot of wear and tear in his legs.  Curry has glass ankles and the frontcourt is looking pretty thin.  It is essential that the bench step up to give the starts a break.  They have drastically improved compared to last year and we hope to see Rush, Thompson, Udoh, McGuire, Robinson, and the rest of the bench to maintain their effort.

While it’s still too early to judge Mark Jackson’s effects on the team, the Warriors need to start picking up the pace before it’s too late.  We have seen flashes of potential, but we have also seen the same old Warriors.  Heading into the Allstar break, the Warriors have been on their best stretch of the year, winning five of their last ten, with players like Thompson, Wright, Rush, and Udoh stepping up.  The Western Conference has never been this wide-open for anybody to take over and the Golden State Warriors are surely not out of the equation.

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