After a disheartening 88-87 loss at Oracle to the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis discussed his feeling about taking the loss, the team's fifth in a row, putting much of the blame on himself for how the game ended.
Now, Monta finished with a game-high 32 points in 36 plus minutes for the W's last night, and was seemingly their only viable option down the stretch in the 4th quarter. Though he still told the media the loss was 'on him.' But Warriors insider Matt Steinmetz feels Ellis needs to afford himself more time for a game-winning play:
The Warriors had 11 seconds and Ellis dribbled for much of it...[Ellis] puts himself in a position where he doesn't leave himself an extra second or two to improvise, which is a big part of his game. Instead, he puts pressure on himself to make something happen quickly...
Bottom line is when he winds down the game clock too far, has to be perfect, because it's clear his goal is for the shot to go in as the buzzer is sounding. But he's got to give his team a chance for an offensive rebound or quick foul...give himself the opportunity to make a pass.
Either way, the Warriors need to stop leaving themselves in positions like that with turnovers and bad decisions, which have led them to 5 straight losses now and the Miami Heat next up on the docket.
Video via csnbayarea.com.
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