Golden St. vs. Gopher St. game thread
Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 4:50 pm
With all apologies to the Westbrook-less Thunder, I think the Wolves meet their toughest opponent this year in the Golden State Warriors. Not only do they lead the NBA in point differential, but as others have pointed out on this board, the Wolves never seem to beat them. Las Vegas has the game as a pick 'em, and I expect another heart attack special...wish I could be there. These two teams are both in the top five in scoring, and this promises to be a track meet.
Golden State has shot the lights out this year...50% from the field and 47% on threes. the Wolves percentages are a much weaker 41% and 31%. The teams rebound comparably, and I think they are comparable defensively. So how can the Wolves win?
Defensive matchups, pressure defense and free throws.
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are both averaging over 21% while shooting over 50% both from the field and on threes. But they will have to cope individually with the Wolves' best defenders. Corey Brewer has already been successful this year denying Durant and Melo the ball, and he needs to do the same tonight with Thompson. I want Corey to be on the court every minute Klay is out there, and to show the same defensive prowess he has shown this year. Unlike Durant and Melo, Klay has neither a speed nor size advantage over Corey, and I expect Corey to be effective defensively. Similarly, Rubio needs to find a way to slow down Curry. On the ball defense is not the strongest aspect of Ricky's defense, so he will need his best effort tonight.
One area of weakness for Golden State is protecting the ball...only Boston has more turnovers than the Warriors' 20 per game. This is where Rubio and Brewer can win the game tonight. They need to play the same pressure defense they showed against the Cavs, and try to force the Warriors into 20-25 turnovers.
The Wolves take and make 10 more free throws a game than G.S. This is a huge advantage, and they need to exploit it tonight. Establish Pek down low early to draw some fouls, have Love and Martin continue to work their foul-drawing magic, and we should have the Warriors in the bonus for significant minutes.
So, a big challenge for the Wolves tonight. Hopefully, we can outscore them.
Golden State has shot the lights out this year...50% from the field and 47% on threes. the Wolves percentages are a much weaker 41% and 31%. The teams rebound comparably, and I think they are comparable defensively. So how can the Wolves win?
Defensive matchups, pressure defense and free throws.
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are both averaging over 21% while shooting over 50% both from the field and on threes. But they will have to cope individually with the Wolves' best defenders. Corey Brewer has already been successful this year denying Durant and Melo the ball, and he needs to do the same tonight with Thompson. I want Corey to be on the court every minute Klay is out there, and to show the same defensive prowess he has shown this year. Unlike Durant and Melo, Klay has neither a speed nor size advantage over Corey, and I expect Corey to be effective defensively. Similarly, Rubio needs to find a way to slow down Curry. On the ball defense is not the strongest aspect of Ricky's defense, so he will need his best effort tonight.
One area of weakness for Golden State is protecting the ball...only Boston has more turnovers than the Warriors' 20 per game. This is where Rubio and Brewer can win the game tonight. They need to play the same pressure defense they showed against the Cavs, and try to force the Warriors into 20-25 turnovers.
The Wolves take and make 10 more free throws a game than G.S. This is a huge advantage, and they need to exploit it tonight. Establish Pek down low early to draw some fouls, have Love and Martin continue to work their foul-drawing magic, and we should have the Warriors in the bonus for significant minutes.
So, a big challenge for the Wolves tonight. Hopefully, we can outscore them.