Why Steve Kerr called the Warriors’ last win their most complete yet
Jordan Poole showed up on both sides of the ball and the Warriors
handily won the turnover battle vs. the Kings
>Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dunks the ball
against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter of an NBA
basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP
Photo/Randall Benton)
>Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dunks the ball
against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter of an NBA
basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP
Photo/Randall Benton)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: October 25, 2021 at 2:10 p.m. | UPDATED: October 25, 2021 at
2:26 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/10/25/why-steve-kerr-called-the-warriors-last-win-their-most-complete-yet/

SACRAMENTO — The Warriors are 3-0 and, in coach Steve Kerr’s opinion,
just turned in their most complete game of the young season. They’ve won
all three of their games in different ways, as Stephen Curry noted
following Sunday’s win.

So, what was it in the 119-107 victory over the Kings that caught Kerr’s
attention?

Let’s get into it.

- Playing without Steph

Curry was quiet for much of the fourth quarter while the Warriors
protected their lead; his only contributions to the box score during the
final period were four missed shots and a lone rebound. That Golden
State held on while its star took a backseat stood in contrast to the
second quarter, when the Warriors fell into their largest deficit of the
game with Curry on the bench.

The Warriors’ 31 bench points were shy of the 55 their reserves posted
in a season-opening win over the Lakers, but Kerr lavished praise on
Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damion Lee, Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II
afterward.

“It’s really just fun to see the depth of our team,” Kerr said. “Juan
came in and gave us huge minutes. We needed those. Damion Lee kept us
afloat in the first half. … The contributions from Gary and Otto, in
particular, off the bench, made such a huge difference.”

Lee played all but the final 27 seconds of the second quarter, splitting
time in the backcourt with Curry and Jordan Poole, and scored nine of
Golden State’s 31 points in the quarter. Payton was the Warriors’ first
man off the bench, a role usually filled by Andre Iguodala that may be
hard to relinquish after Payton’s play Sunday.

Whereas Curry exited for his first break trailing by 2 and returned to
an eight-point hole, when he came back from his second rest, Golden
State had turned a two-point advantage into six — and didn’t give up the
lead again.

- Jordan Poole’s best game

When the Warriors needed to ice the game in the fourth quarter, it was
Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins who stepped up. Wiggins led the way with
nine points in the quarter.

Poole, the third-year guard out of Michigan, picked the pocket of Kings
guard De’Aaron Fox twice in the final eight minutes, both of which led
to easy layups, one he finished on his own and another he dished to Lee.

“Jordan Poole probably had his best defensive game,” Kerr said. “And he
supplemented it with a really good offensive night too.”

Payton, a defensive stalwart, sat in the back of the room and nodded his
head in agreement while Kerr gave his postgame assessment.

- Creating possessions

Poole’s late swipes of the Sacramento guard were two of 12 steals for
the Warriors, while the Kings came away with none. The Warriors won the
turnover battle, 19-6, and, more importantly, the battle for points off
turnovers, 29-9.

“I think taking care of the ball was a huge part of our defense,” Kerr
said. “That was the difference in the game. … We got all those extra
possessions and we didn’t put ourselves in jeopardy in transition.”

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- Draymond’s aggression

Kerr said before the season that he wanted Draymond Green to impose his
will more often offensively.

The 10th-year forward apparently got the message.

Green scored a season-high 14 points against Sacramento. But more
broadly, he is exhibiting the attitude Kerr wants to see through the
Warriors’ first three games.

Green has taken 7.3 shots per game over the season’s first week. He
hasn’t averaged more shots per game since his last All-Star season in
2017-18.

“I’ve loved his energy, his attacking the rim,” Kerr said. “He’s just
been super aggressive, which is the best version of him. … He’s had some
hoops in all three games just going to the rim off the pocket pass from
Steph.”

Curry pointed out one moment in the second quarter, when the ball was
kicked to Green on the perimeter on a broken play. It wasn’t one of
Green’s 12 attempts from the field — but it was the product of them.

“At first, his instinct was to look at the rim and attack. That just
made everybody react,” Curry said. “Then he found (Nemanja Bjelica) on a
backdoor cut. … It’s almost demoralizing for teams because you have to
give up something.”

--
Evan Webeck | Reporter
Evan Webeck covers high-school sports on the field and beyond — and a
little bit of everything else — for the Bay Area News Group. A Pacific
Northwest native and graduate of Arizona State, Evan has previously
worked for The Seattle Times, MLB.com and Sports Illustrated.

Allen wrote:

> Why Steve Kerr called the Warriors’ last win their most complete yet

> Jordan Poole showed up on both sides of the ball and the Warriors
> handily won the turnover battle vs. the Kings
>
> By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
> PUBLISHED: October 25, 2021 at 2:10 p.m. | UPDATED: October 25, 2021 at
> 2:26 p.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/10/25/why-steve-kerr-called-the-warriors-last-win-their-most-complete-yet/
>
>
>
> SACRAMENTO — The Warriors are 3-0 and, in coach Steve Kerr’s opinion,
> just turned in their most complete game of the young season. They’ve won
> all three of their games in different ways, as Stephen Curry noted
> following Sunday’s win.
>
> So, what was it in the 119-107 victory over the Kings that caught Kerr’s
> attention?
>
>
> Let’s get into it.
>

> - Draymond’s aggression
>
> Kerr said before the season that he wanted Draymond Green to impose his
> will more often offensively.
>
> The 10th-year forward apparently got the message.
>
> Green scored a season-high 14 points against Sacramento. But more
> broadly, he is exhibiting the attitude Kerr wants to see through the
> Warriors’ first three games.
>
> Green has taken 7.3 shots per game over the season’s first week. He
> hasn’t averaged more shots per game since his last All-Star season in
> 2017-18.
>
> “I’ve loved his energy, his attacking the rim,” Kerr said. “He’s just
> been super aggressive, which is the best version of him. … He’s had some
> hoops in all three games just going to the rim off the pocket pass from
> Steph.”
>
> Curry pointed out one moment in the second quarter, when the ball was
> kicked to Green on the perimeter on a broken play. It wasn’t one of
> Green’s 12 attempts from the field — but it was the product of them.
>
> “At first, his instinct was to look at the rim and attack. That just
> made everybody react,” Curry said. “Then he found (Nemanja Bjelica) on a
> backdoor cut. … It’s almost demoralizing for teams because you have to
> give up something.”
>

If Draymond could recover his offense, that would be huge.

--Robin