Warriors

Kevin Garnett Almost Joined 'we Believe' Warriors

... few days about the 2008 Boston Celtics , as they’re coming up on the 10-year anniversary of their championship, and Rajon Rondo is planning to exclude Ray Allen from any team celebration. But according to a story told by Chris Mullin in Ric Bucher’s new longform on the “We Believe” Warriors, that ‘08 Celtics team never should have come together ; Kevin Garnett was supposed to be on the Warriors that season. Surrounded by a sea of yellow “We Believe” T-shirts and placards, Davis’ dunk became the lasting image of that run. A more tantalizing one, though, never made it out of Mullin’s dreams: Davis and Jackson joined by Kevin Garnett - yes, that Kevin Garnett, still in his prime - to take the step the We Believers had left untaken. “It was basically done,” Mullin says. “I was doing an extension with Andy Miller on Kevin Garnett’s deal. KG liked Baron enough, and we had talked enough. He said, ‘Yo, I’ll do it.’”. A 2007 draft-night three-team deal with the Timberwolves ...

How 'we Believe' Warriors Shook Up Nba

... T-shirts for the Warriors to place on every Oracle seat. The crowd did the rest. "I was one of the people who thought by the time you get to the playoffs everybody is going to play in front of a big crowd and it doesn't matter, home or away," Riley says. "I still think, for the most part, that's true. However, those people changed my mind pretty damn quick. "I thought of all the things I've been around, that crowd lifted our team more than anything else I've ever seen. I'm totally serious: I've never seen anything like it. That crowd did more for that team than it did for the championship team or the team last year. They were just starved for any kind of winning.". Nelson's time coaching the Mavericks also served to help. Having helped engineer the draft day trade that delivered Nowitzki to Dallas in 1999, Nelson's stint during Nowitzki's formative years gave him great insight into how to frustrate the league's MVP. "It helped a ton," says Azubuike, who was plucked out of the D-League when Richardson went down in January. "He knew Dirk's every move ...

Stephen Curry Finds His Groove As Thunder, Grizzlies Await

... if he has quiet scoring nights, but the Warriors are better when he’s engaged and creating for both himself and others. The Grizzlies problem. The Warriors easily disposed of the Grizzlies the last time these teams met, winning 122-107 on the night that Green made NBA history by recording a triple-double without the points. Green’s 10 steals reflected the fact that Memphis was sloppy and disorganized, and Klay Thompson managed 36 points on 13-for-23 shooting, too. Golden State was focused and energized at least in part because it had lost to Memphis in its two prior regular-season meetings - one a blowout , one a collapse. Historically, the Grizzlies have found ways to rattle the Warriors at times, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens here. After a concerning, confusing five-game losing streak to start March, Memphis has now won four games in a row, playing perhaps its best defense of the season. Pachulia ...

Hot Shooting, Strong Defense, Rest Allow Warriors To Rout Mavericks

... with a spark, only to slowly sputter and fade from the action. A cohesive defense will do that. It has perhaps been their most underrated area this season, a buoy taken for granted after so many questioned what would happen after the Warriors jettisoned rim-protectors in the offseason. Even without Kevin Durant , they've been stout, which is a credit to leading DPOY candidate Draymond Green but also to a roster mostly composed of plus defenders. The Warriors are long, smart and, now, a bit rested coming off a recent awful stretch of schedule. When the Warriors merge that defense with their famed shooting prowess, the fourth quarter becomes the "rest" that league and its TV partners are so relentlessly obsessing over. After his shooting matched the frigid weather of the aforementioned East Coast road swing, Klay Thompson (23 points) has heated to ...

10 Things About The Mavericks Matchup

... On Nov. 9, Thompson scored 18 of his 20 points in the first quarter of a 116-95 triumph over the undermanned Mavericks. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, already missing Nowitzki and Deron Williams because of injuries, rested Andrew Bogut, Wesley Matthews and J. J. Barea. Four Warriors — Thompson, Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green — each hit four 3-pointers. Durant had 28 points and 10 rebounds. … On Dec. 30, Durant had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Golden State’s 108-99 victory. That was Durant’s first triple-double as a Warrior. Thompson helped put that game away by scoring 17 of his 29 points in the third quarter as the Warriors took a 91-69 lead into the fourth quarter. 5. MATCHUP TO WATCH. Stephen Curry vs. Seth Curry: It will be brother against brother for extended periods now that Seth is starting for the Mavericks. In 37 games as a ...

Warriors, Wolves To Play 2 Games In China

... NBA fans. That will be fun to experience.". The game in Shenzhen will be played at Shenzhen Universiade Center, and the Shanghai game will be held at Mercedes-Benz Arena. Golden State has played in China twice previously - at Guangzhou and Beijing in 2008, and at Beijing and Shanghai in 2013. This will mark the first trip to China for the Timberwolves. Minnesota has previously played overseas in Japan, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, England, France and Mexico. The Timberwolves will become the 14 th NBA team to play a preseason game in China; 22 previous NBA games have been held in greater China since 2004. Stephen Curry and the Warriors last played in China as part of the NBA's Global Games series in 2013. China Foto Press via Getty Images. Both Kerr and Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said they look forward to the trip as a chance for players to bond off the court and experience a new culture. ...

Klay Thompson Puts Warriors On Familiar Winning Path

... ESPN's True Hoop blog. Hosts True Hoop TV Live. OAKLAND, Calif. - The Golden State Warriors soundly beat the Orlando Magic 122-92 in a game that provided a scare, a sigh of relief, and ultimately, a return to form. Coming off a stretch of insipid play, the Warriors have been looking for a "get right" game. Thursday's offering seemed ideal. The Warriors finally got some practice time, some rest at home, and now, a forgiving opponent. The Magic struggled to score, which helped fuel Golden State's transition offense. This was to be an easy evening after a brutal segment of the schedule, followed by an inspired fight from the Philadelphia 76 ers on Tuesday. Klay Thompson got the Warriors off to a quick start, drilling five 3-pointers in the first quarter on Thursday night. AP Photo/Ben Margot. At the 10-minute, 30-second mark of the first quarter, Stephen Curry checked himself out of the game, hurriedly limping to the locker room, as Golden State trainer Chelsea Lane raced after him, through the tunnel. It appeared he'd again turned his ankle, this time on Magic ...

Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia Carries On In Father’s Spirit

... The Chronicle. Zaza Pachulia (27) puts up a shot in the first half as the Golden State Warriors played the Oklahoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena in Oakland in January. Zaza Pachulia (27) puts up a shot in the first half as the Golden. In the 14 th season of an NBA career that has included five teams, Pachulia has learned to balance family life with his numerous other obligations. Davit and Saba spend days off from school heaving jumpers at Golden State’s practice facility in downtown Oakland. Being around their idols, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, is their reward for good grades. Over the past four years, when the NBA came to a standstill, Pachulia has taken summer classes at Northwestern University ’s Kellogg School of Management , Emory University ’s Goizueta Business School and Harvard Business School. Between shoot-around and his afternoon nap, he ...