Golden State Warriors Fan Blog
The End of the Beginning (Warriors 110, Hornets 103)
Posted on January 6, 2011 by Adam Lauridsen
Winston Churchill once said "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." On Wednesday night against the Hornets, the Warriors not only beat a team with a better-than-.500 record, but they did it on the road and with a gutsy fourth-quarter comeback. It doesn't mean the team has suddenly arrived, but at the end of a rough five-game road trip, it at least shows some toughness. With a healthy roster for the first time all season, the team stopped making excuses and brought home a win. As the Warriors enter a stretch of winnable games, we may have just witnessed a turning point.
Wednesday win is particularly encouraging because for three quarters against the Hornets it was business as usual — no defense, stagnant offense and key mistakes triggering big runs by opponents. Midway through the fourth quarter, however, the Warriors started gaining momentum and suddenly unleashed a 14-0 run to take the lead for good. After so many games breaking down what went wrong, it's refreshing to finally get to pick apart what went right:
The Warriors may have finally pulled ahead thanks to an offensive surge, but they got back into the game early in the fourth quarter thanks to improved defensive intensity. An no Warrior was better on defense than rookie Ekpe Udoh. He was a physical force around the basket, denied the Hornets easy looks, did a decent job boxing out (although his rebounding numbers could still improve) and even delivered a nice bucket down the stretch. As has been the case during other impressive Warriors runs this season, defense helped generate offense. As Smart tinkers with his rotations now that he has a full roster of 14 (following the "we-swear-it's-not-cost-cutting" departure of Rodney Carney), Udoh has made a strong push to be the team's crunch-time big man.
While Udoh helped get the Warriors' defense going, David Lee played a key role in sparking the offense. The Warriors spent the first three quarters driving against a relatively packed key and forcing up contested three pointers. Neither option produced results. In the middle of the fourth quarter, however, the Warriors finally started getting more open looks from three thanks in large part to Lee's high-post passing. His ability to quickly and decisively swing the ball to the weak side directly lead to key threes that quickly pulled the Warriors back into the game. His move against Okafor and baseline jumper were also key baskets on the Warriors' road to victory. His line doesn't jump off the page (2 rebounds, even with his bumps and bruises, is embarrassing), but Lee delivered when the Warriors needed it most.
Both Ellis and Curry did a nice job in the fourth quarter balancing their own offense with their roles as playmakers. What impressed me most, however, was how smoothly and precisely the entire Warriors' offense operated. If the team's 8 turnovers isn't a season low, it's awfully close. For an offense that has groaned and sputtered through the early parts of the season, that type of smooth, mistake-free execution is a huge step towards respectability. The Warriors were able to win with only big offensive nights from Ellis and Curry because they cut down on mistakes, giving their opponent fewer opportunities to beat them.
The bench was by no means spectacular, but they gave enough to keep the Warriors in the game even when the starters (except Ellis) went to the bench. Only Ellis played more than 40 minutes, allowing the Warriors to field a team of relatively fresh legs in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. That extra burst of energy paid off, and wouldn't have been possible if guys like Amundson, Law and Radmanovich hadn't turned in solid contributions in their more limited roles. I still think Smart needs to find a few more minutes of rest for Ellis, but he otherwise deserves credit for trusting the bench players and getting more consistent contributions from them.
The question, as is the case after every encouraging Warriors win, is where does the team go from here? After two discouraging losses against elite NBA teams, the Hornets provided a good-but-not-great opponent against which the Warriors could finally get some returns on their gradual improvements over the past few weeks. What they'll hopefully take away from the game — starting at the top with Lacob, Riley and Smart, not to mention the players — is that just a little bit more defensive (whether it comes from greater intensity or better defensive players), matched with more precise offensive execution can go a long way towards improving the team. Moves need to be made to make the Warriors a better team, but they need to be moves focused on those general areas — defense, execution, mental toughness. The type of play that won the Warriors the game in the fourth quarter is hopefully a glimpse of things to come.
Game Summary Joe Lacob, Stephen Curry
Adam Lauridsen
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