NBA’s Best Welcome the Sixers

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Golden State made a couple moves that went against popular opinion this past offseason. First, they decided against a trade that primarily involved getting rid of Klay Thompson to bring on Kevin Love. The general consensus was it when you had a chance to pair Steph Curry with another superstar, you had to do it, even if giving up a ‘good, not great’ player like Thompson was the price. Then, despite winning 51 games and having the overwhelming support of his players, management opted to fire Mark Jackson and bring on first-time NBA coach Steve Kerr. People were more divided overall about this decision, but it was still seen as a risky move for a team that had been trending upward each year.

Now, a few months into the 2014-15 season, the Warriors braintrust look like geniuses, as Golden State sits with the best record in the NBA at 24-5. Love has been a disappointment for an inconsistent Cleveland team that hasn’t met expectations, and rumbles are that he might be more of a stats guy on a bad team than a true superstar. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson has taken a huge leap forward after his FIBA World Cup experience, shooting a career-best 43.1% from three and sporting career-highs of 21.3 ppg and 3.3 apg. He’s become a legitimate 1a to Steph Curry’s #1 option in the Golden State pecking order.

As for Kerr, he has the Warriors playing as both a top-5 offense and the best overall defense in the entire NBA. Golden State plays at the fastest pace in the league, which makes a lot of sense to do when you sport the top eFG% at 53.6% (you want to maximize your possessions when you’re the best at making shots. Kerr has also done a great job shuffling what is a very deep roster for the Warriors, and getting David Lee to buy into being a guy coming off the bench in the wake of Draymond Green’s ascension into the starting lineup. Green has made Kerr’s confidence pay off, averaging career-highs of 12.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 3.4 apg while playing his usual stellar defense and keeping defenses honest as a hybrid stretch four.

For tonight’s game, the Sixers catch a break with Golden State going without their top two centers, as Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli have been ruled out with knee and ankle injuries, respectively. Bogut’s absence is crucial; he is the player that takes them from being just a good offensive team to a true title contender. The Warriors’ defensive rating drops from 91.3 to 99.8 when Bogut is not on the court (remember, higher numbers are worse for defensive rating). He’s also the biggest reason opponents have the second worst eFG% against Golden State, and that the Warriors lead the league in blocks per 100 possessions. No Bogut means more minutes for Lee and Marreese Speights, who are both skilled offensive players (the former Sixer Speights has perhaps been less focused on naps and is shooting a career-best 52.4%. However, neither of them are good defensive players and the Sixers would be wise to continually attack the rim.

One area the Warriors do struggle is turning the ball over, as they are a bottom-5 unit in that regard. They often try to get too fancy and attempt highlight-reel passes that get them into trouble (probably as a result of boredom from being so efficient normally). Ultimately though, it doesn’t matter when you have guys like Harrison Barnes stepping up their efficiency, shooting 50% from the field and 41% from three, and of course, Steph Curry.

Curry is actually having his worst season ever behind the arc (a measly 38.5%), but has emerged as one of a handful of MVP favorites due to the team’s overall success. Curry is a legitimate threat each year to the vaunted 50/40/90 club; he’s also shooting 48.9% from the field and 91.4% from the line this season. The man is a dangerous weapon anywhere inside 30 feet and the attention he draws from a defense is remarkable, making things so much easier for everyone else on the court. Golden State has become the NBA’s best thanks to a handful of guys taking steps forward, but they’re even in the conversation to begin with because Curry is around as the centerpiece.

If the Sixers are going to hang around, they’re going to need to play their best defense of the season along the perimeter. That task could be difficult without two of their better perimeter defenders missing the game in Hollis Thompson (illness) and Luc Mbah a Moute (calf injury). Philadelphia might be able to put up its share of points with Bogut out; after all, Michael Carter-Williams can’t possibly shoot 2-20 again. Still, there’s no reason to think the Warriors won’t light the scoreboard up themselves. It wouldn’t surprise me to see 1 or 2 Golden State snipers have a 5-three night. The Jazz game was there for the taking, this game will not be.