Can’t get enough of those thrilling yet torturous late game wins? Want to know more about what the players are saying about Wilson Chandler’s missing tooth (fliers are up around Madison Square Garden) and where it might be? Or just want to see Stephen Curry become the assassin that he transforms into every fourth quarter? If you said yes to any of these, click on through to Golden State of Mind for IQofaWarriors’ game night linkage of videos, interviews, and commentary.
In what otherwise could have been a blowout, the tight game that came down to the last few possessions meant burning the first unit for nearly the whole game. Aside from Biedrins (24 minutes), no other player in the starting 5 played less than 40 minutes (David Lee). Stephen Curry logged the most minutes at 45 and the Warriors clearly needed every minute he was in during the decisive fourth quarter.
From these stats alone, you can deduce that the second unit, particularly Brandan Wright and Jeremy Lin — once again the first two players of the bench, did not get a chance to play much. In 9 minutes, Brandan Wright recorded 7 points and only 1 rebound. Like Biedrins, Wright is long. Unlike Biedrins, Wright has a nice touch around the hoop which he is able to finish well around the hoop and in transition.
But a problematic stat was that he picked up 3 fouls. Though playing nice help defense in the last few games — accumulating a few weakside blocks and blocks in transition, Wright has been horrible in one-on-one situations. He is often overmatched size-wise and struggles to get rebounding position. Also, Wright does not seem ready to catch passes or loose balls that bounce his way, which Lee is a master at based on his ability to get tip-ins and rebounds.
Other interesting stats of the night:
The Warriors shot nearly 53%. The Knicks shot 47%.
The Knicks shot 11 more free throws and were called for 8 less fouls (25-33).
The Warriors only shot 10 3-pt attempts, making 5 of them.
Anthony Randolph played 8 minutes and went scoreless
David Lee, on the other hand, was 11-17 from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line.