Warriors vs Rockets || Game 5 ||

glad I can help...my nerves started back up again last night. But aye this is more fun than last year imo.

Athletic Alchemy

30 min before tip off, tonight is 6pm PT so I will be live at 5:30 pm PT

Athletic Alchemy

McCaw is back, so added more defense for us.

WarReady

What?

Kyle Walker

Man you went deep on this analysis I like it. Heard this the other day. Cp3 injury isn't pure luck on gsw part. This is also a brutal defensive strategy employed by warriors. When you have 2 rocket players isolating all the time then you get broken down

Yo alchemy what time will you go live with your pre game 6 show. I live in the UK and I've tried catching you're pre game videos but somehow always miss them.

So here's the scenario: Ws have the ball and are down by one, Draymond kicks the ball out to Cook who is wide open on the 3-point line. He fumbles the catch and then goes up for the three. There are 45 seconds to go and 16 on the shot clock, so there is no rush for them to stay in a 2-for-1 scenario. Steph Curry, the greatest 3-pt shooter in the history of the world, is rotating out on the line to Cook's left with Harden "guarding" him, not within 10 feet of Curry, and the guy who should be on Curry, CP3, is standing in the paint at the other end of the court, holding his hammy, so it's a guaranteed 5-on-4 scenario. And Cook shoots the ball, the biggest shot of his life, and misses. The Rockets rebound the ball, they still have a 1-point lead and now technically they are in a 2-for-1 scenario, if they're willing to shoot the ball relatively quickly and not just run down the 24 with Paul crippled. This happens because Kerr puts Cook in the game as another shooter, when he has the guy they hired for this purpose, Nick Young, sitting on the bench "earning" his $5.5M; whatever you say about him, Swaggy is unlikely to choke when he's open from 3, that's his only reason to exist in this world. And this also means Kerr has Curry and Cook guarding Harden and Paul, and Klay switched onto a forward; Klay taking chances trying to provide help on Harden is the reason Gordon had that open three moments earlier; Young is bigger, can defend the iso, and Houston is clearly the best application of Swaggy there is, one could say the main reason he's even there. But Kerr plays Cook, and Cook, whose NBA career is basically 8-10 games where the Ws were crippled with multiple injuries and may only be here because he's KD's poodle, totally screws the pooch. Meanwhile the guy they needed to make the right play, Iggy, is in street clothes on the bench, his natural backup McCaw the same for the same reason, Ig's wiseman small ball replacement S-dot is sitting next to them, and Ian Clark, the guy Swaggy and Quinn have jointly replaced, is watching it on his sofa, having outplayed those two in the last round and more than earned his measly $1.5M in NOLA this year. Wtf - let's really call it a buck, this sums up the W's season perfectly. So far...

"This series will play out as Destiny says it should" ? Are you saying there is a secret message in the video game Destiny and if I run out and buy a copy I can find out early what the series result will be? Quick, help me find my car keys.....

Steven Stanley

You're my therapist, Alch. This game had me so worked up and upset, I had to leave the house and go for an hour long walk. Came home and sulked in front of some video games. Your first take posted and I was immediately soothed. 24 hours later, I'm having anxiety, and I see your Patreon... You relaxed me dude. This series will play out as destiny says it should. I'll be good as long as the Dubs play their hearts out with their brand of basketball that has faded in this series. Peace bro!

Mitch Moyers

I agree. Lord I hope Coach Kerr and his coaching staff are seeing these things

WarReady

I saw some good things in the 2nd half. I think GSW is right on the verge of turning a corner offensively, and I think they know it. Even if Iguodala doesn't play in G6, there are good signs. Ball screens for Curry led to the best player/ball movement we've had against this defense. It also is what finally got Klay going in the 2nd half (with Curry/Klay pick and pops). So this is what we need to keep doing. Need to pick spots where we can go to KD iso but we cannot be doing this routinely bc the defense predicts it and adjusts. Curry ball screens force the defense to communicate and make multiple decisions on the fly. It also will force Curry to be more active, not passive. KD will still get his shots and they will be better shots bc they will be assisted instead of him holding the ball and having to create on his own. If we do this, we will see the return of the offense we are used to seeing.

I agree with you that the CP3 injury changed everything. But I don't think that was just a result of bad luck. We know Houston is playing a 7 man rotation. I think part of GSW's strategy this whole series is to physically wear down Houston to the point of where they can no longer stand upright. This was the same strategy the Cavs used against us in 2016. After that experience, I think GSW learned that series like these are wars of attrition. The team that ultimately wins isn't the best team; it's the team that's left standing. That's why we got KD. GSW understands that you can lose battles but still win the war. It's like a boxing match going into the later rounds. What we have been doing to Harden and CP3 is wearing them down possession by possession. The Spurs did this to Harden last year, just physically broke him. There's no doubt that the huge physical toll put on CP3 the past 2 games played a part in his hamstring giving out. In the 4Q last night, we used a full court press on him. We are making them beat us off the dribble one on one on every play and then making them defend nonstop on the other end. This is a physically brutal game and you are punished relentlessly. It comes down to who is left standing at the end. So I have to agree with Kerr when he says he loves the position they're in right now. Bc this is almost the opposite of the position we were in in the 2016 Finals. Even tho we had the 3-1 lead, we were running on fumes by G6 and G7. With all their stats and analytics, Morey and the Rockets believe they have built the perfect team to beat GSW and who knows, maybe they did. But analytics can't account for the things we're talking about here, it can't account for injuries and the physical beating you take. That comes from experience and GSW has the advantage there bc we've been thru this before.

If it were to happen. Steph it would be cowardly, KD it would be selfish. I think they figure it out. But your right KD is the question mark.

Athletic Alchemy

As someone who can still feel the frustration of seeing Rick Barry refusing to shoot the ball in the second half of game 7 of the western conference finals against the Suns.....I don't envision that type of ego implosion from any of our players now....I think they are too grounded and too connected to each other by bonds that aren't just based on talent....but we will find out if Kevin is part of that or an interloper....

Steven Stanley

sometimes make them do it 3 times, I've seen them have to give up as the clock runs down, you can see us doing it more as the series moves on

Russ

Good point Becky, I've noticed KD in the same way, one watches them as much as we do and you can feel it, somethings bothering KD. Maybe why, as AA points out, he isn't committed to D as much now, but that's probably because of the offensive load as much as anything since Steph got hurt. CP3 injury so Karma, I've been predicting an injury for him since the playoffs started. Juiced up muscles on a smaller frame.. Happens to him every year.

Russ

I wish I could push the heart button 100 times. Your analysis of the game is spot on. I believe KD has a beef about something...not sure if it's Kerr or what, but he has been different since about mid season. He never looks happy. I remember seeing him going up to Kerr during a time out, as the camera was cutting away, and clapping his hands in Kerr's face after Draymond had shot a 3 and made it. His body language and facial expressions tell me he's got a bone to pick, to bad he's letting it turn him into a pain in the ass. He is wrecking the Warriors MOJO!!

Becky Lafrenz

If KD is going to shoot those he has to turn away form the help. Or if he insists on tuning middle, what happened to his Dirk one legger?

Athletic Alchemy

Totally agree about the defensive switches. I realize they're just going to re-screen and probably get the switch anyways, but any time we run off the shot clock in the process is a benefit to us, right?

Wilding Threlfall

If he Ig cant play gm6 doubt he can play gm7. That said I expect him to play Saturday night.

Athletic Alchemy

Harden with a real chance to sway his legacy one way or the other these next two.

Athletic Alchemy

At the start of this series, We warriors fans probably all played out all the pros and cons of what these two teams are, and what they aren't. As you spoke of in your video Alch, I expected Steph to eat Chris Paul's lunch. Livingston too. Livingston hasn't been good, and yes, as the Warriors looked against the Thunder when it was 3-1. They played with too much fear to me, and not enough anger. Several things are different in reality as opposed to what I saw in my mind in this series. Warriors ball movement has been cooked down to "hey, that Kevin Durant guy can score! Just give the ball to 'em." In fact Coach Kerr said after the game, when asked, "what problems are you seeing there when Durant is thrown the ball in the post?" He said, "that's not a problem, you throw Durant the ball in the post, that's a good thing." At the start of the playoffs. Yes. In the previous series. Yes. For two out of the 5 games played. Yes. But the Rockets have changed how they go at him. I watch his eyes when this happens, he looked to teammates several times, and for some reason, all of that Golden State, move the ball, business, as become, 'go ahead, shot it KD.' Just one guy, too many times. Now KD is capable of as they say, falling out of bed and getting 20 points, but the lot of his shots are tough ones because the Rockets know for certain he is going to shot it. Steph is being passive and deferring to KD. And I thought we handled this already after the Christmas Game, learning Steph is the engine that makes this team go. One more time, one more 'gain, I write. Turnovers. Don't do that. Don't foul. And two games we lost, we would've won. Someone in Warrior's colors is due for 40ish point game. Somebody. The Chris Paul thing-as fucked up as it is to say-helps, however, if Golden State shrugs and says oh well we can just win now just because, that'll surely be our downfall of Gordon shooting the 3-ball until our life is gone. The dubs rarely drop three straight. We all can recall the last time they did with everything on the line. If they truly are still mentally as solid as they say, and understand their loses have been predicated more so on what Golden State hasn't been doing, rather than what the Rockets have been, then yes, we will still punch our ticket to the NBA finals, albeit with the asterisk of Chris Paul being hurt when doing so. I'll still take a ticket to that movie.

WarReady

Although it's hard to watch the Warriors commit so many mistakes in execution and missed opportunities (omg Cook with 2 wide open 3's) I still came away seeing positives.....I know, I know it might be hard to see but: Oracle is a game 6 advantage, Warriors played more reserves more minutes (basically 10 players to the Rockets 7) and without Paul, Harden's fatigue factor will grow, Harden was as 1 dimensional as he's ever been relying on driving for a layup or foul (further draining his gas tank) but of course the karma of the Paul injury is the ace in the hole certainly in game 6 but even if he plays game 7 compromised at less than 100% that might also be a win for the Warriors. Most importantly, Alchemy is right Bell is unafraid, Klay is unafraid, Draymond is unafraid and that counts double in a game 7. The Trump card for me is that I think it's extremely unlikely that Iguodala doesn't play by game 7.

Steven Stanley

That's the one thing I forgot when I watched the game originally. I don't understand KD is well a ware of is giant stature in the paint and shoots over everybody, but when he goes to the rim, since he has guard like handle, he thinks he's fuckin 6'3 I cant understand why he doesn't finish above the rim and the demoralize the guards when he takes them to the hole. I hadnt heard about CP-3 Harden's legacy about to get cemented in Another Hall-a-Famer with an asterisk next to his name *God in March, disappears in May

Stevie Ray

Entire bar lost their mind when Livingston made that kick out pass without putting it back up right away. Same with Klay clanking that wide open 3 with zero people in the paint. Both teams struggling from 3 it’s just mortifying seeing us hunt for it still, these games aren’t getting to 125 points. Each bucket is mattering.

Spence