Richard Jefferson hasn't had an easy transition to the San Antonio Spurs, but this year he has returned to form and made the Spurs the team they thought they would be when they first signed him. One particular play showed how potent he can be in the team's offense--and why Golden State still has a-ways to go to improve their defense.
With the Spurs in control against the Golden State Warriors, frustrations seemed to boil over. Antonio McDyess set a screen on Jefferson's man, Dorell Wright, freeing up Jefferson to curl backdoor towards the basket. Wright assisted Jefferson's efforts by playing OVER the screen rather than going under it, and Lee didn't help matters by completely falling asleep on defense and not recognizing the backdoor lob. Tim Duncan, operating out of the high post, made the right play for about the billionth time in his career and got the easy points.
Jefferson, exultant with the dunk, took his time getting down. Because of where he was positioned on the play, Lee took umbrage. Check out the video after the jump and decide for yourself.
Jefferson tries to ride David Lee after dunk (Nov. 30, 2010) (via thehoopscene)
Double technicals were called on Lee and Jefferson. But was anyone really in the wrong?
While the Warriors announcers predictably decide to lay blame at Jefferson's feet...Lee probably could have avoided the situation if he had picked up Jefferson's cut and recognized the pick play. It didn't look like Jefferson knew Lee was there and was deliberately trying to provoke him. But you could definitely make a case for either side. You can't quite make the case for good Warriors defense here.
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