Golden State Warriors Preview: Stephen Curry vs Eric Bledsoe tonight! (Photo: http://instagram.com/text3graphics)
Phoenix Suns (17-10) at Golden State Warriors (17-13)
Tipoff: Friday, December 27, 2013, 7:30PM PST
Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @samesfandiari and @goldenstatenz)
Despite being 1.5 games behind in the standings, the Warriors are fully expecting to beat the upstart Suns tonight, even though they are wary of the dangerous Phoenix backcourt tandem of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe.
“We should be expected to win this game and go out East with some momentum,” Andrew Bogut said yesterday after practice, referencing the Warriors’ seven-game roadtrip starting on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“It’s going to be a tough game. Phoenix, that’s a team who last year, you marked down as an automatic win,” added Draymond Green.
As much as Wednesday night’s triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers was a watershed victory for the Warriors, the 106-102 loss at Phoenix six games ago on December 15th could be looked at as a low point, in which head coach Mark Jackson told reporters after the game, “The guys in the suits want it more than the guys in uniform.”
“In Phoenix we came out kind of sluggish,” Klay Thompson said at today’s shootaround, “We didn’t start playing until the 35-minute mark. That’s when we made it interesting, but it was too late.”
“We’ve had some spots throughout this entire year where we’ve played good. We’ve had some spots where we’ve played bad. However, that game we lost it,” Green added “It’s a game that we thought that we had a chance to win, regardless of how bad we did play that game. ”
“They’re a good basketball team,” Jackson said of the Suns, yesterday after practice, “They play extremely hard, every position. Enjoying a successful year.”
The game plan seems to be establishing the intensity level and controlling tempo.
“Every night they come out, they’re going to play hard. We have to come out and rise above their intensity level,” Green explained, “We have to make them try to match our intensity level. We’re not trying to match theirs. That’ll be the main key to the game.”
“I think we need to control the tempo defensively. They run the ball just as much as us. We need to push the ball, but at the same time we need to get back defensively,” Bogut said, “Bledsoe and Dragic are a tough matchup for our guards. As a big guy I need to help on those guys as much as possible.”
The Warriors are looking to use this game as momentum heading into a seven-game road trip to the East Coast.
Bogut said that the team “hopes to continue to carry it and turn this three-game win streak into a four-game win streak.”
“You never know how a roadtrip like that is going to go, so you have to take care of your home court,” said Green.
“To be a great team you gotta win on the floor,” Thompson said, “Tonight’s a good step for us and I’m excited. It’s always fun to play in Oracle.”
“It’s important for us to continue to chalk up check marks in the ‘W’ column,” Jackson said, “Especially in this tough Western Conference — so many good teams. It’s going to be a battle all year long. We get an opportunity to be at home playing against a team, we’ve got to capitalize. That’s a very good team that creates problems and playing extremely well.”
Other pre-game quotes from the Warriors:
- Fast Forward: Warriors won’t overlook Suns this time
- Blake Griffin’s Accusation Not Fazing Golden State Warriors
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