The Warriors have looked like their opponents more than themselves lately. Although they’re shooting a measly 40% from the field. Their quicker ball rotations from drive and kicks got the Heat off balance, giving the Warriors some easier looks than usual. And for once, they’re actually making enough of them to keep the Heat defense somewhat honest.
But most exciting about the ball movement has been the smart cuts that players like David Lee and Monta Ellis have made, reading where double teams have gone into the open spaces.
Louis Amundson, in the second quarter, gave the Warriors 4 rebounds in 10 minutes. 3 of those rebounds were offensive. Dan Gadzuric has played well on the defensive end, finding ways to tap the ball out away from Lebron James: on several occasions, Gadzuric slapped the ball off the backboard, beyond Lebron James’ reach. Acie Law, signed yesterday, was thrown into the second quarter, netting 1 point. But more importantly, Law hasn’t made any mistakes.
The Warriors second unit hasn’t looked this sharp, nor hustled this hard.
Dorell Wright, though not shooting great from the field, looks like a man on a mission. Like when David Lee played against his former team in the New York Knicks, Wright looks ready to show off what he can do beyond shooting stand-still 3 pointers. Him and Monta Ellis lead the Warriors with 12 points each. Except, all of Wright’s points have come off 3 pointers (4-5). In one particular possession, Wright seemed overly-exuberant. He first missed a pump-fake desperation jumper after failing to draw a foul. He quickly followed his shot bouncing wildly off the backboard in an attempt to slam it home. Wright missed the dunk, but grabbed his own rebound only to miss a heavily contested shot from 1 foot out.
Marcus Thompson II Tweeted it best:
gswscribe Marcus Thompson
Anybody think Dorell Wright is not trying to prove something?