[Game] Golden State Warriors (6) @ Sacramento Kings (3) (WCDS Game 5, 2-2) 4/26/2023 7pm Pacific 10pm Eastern (TNT)

[macadocious]

So, I have not read this thread, and I doubt I will. I was at the game again last night and unfortunately the Warriors fans in my section were the worst sports fans I've ever been around in my life. 6-7 in a row, drunk, obnoxious, stood the majority of the game, after every big warriors play they would turn around and taunt the entire section. Flipping people off, yelling at them, getting in the face of old people. I am sad for these young men that they feel this is an appropriate way to act in public. They were 21, they were late 20s to maybe early 30s. Security talked to them multiple times, even pulled a few of them out of their seats to talk. I don't know how there wasn't a fight or 6.

 

[hrdboild]

The silver lining to all of this is we’re learning a lot about what this team needs going forward.

It’d really help the team if we had…

1. Good defenders & shooters at SG, SF, & PF. Huerter, Murray, & Barnes have the shooting part but are all below average to average defenders (still hopeful Murray can become a good defender). Sabonis ideally has 4 good defenders around him who can help makeup for his lack of length, athleticism, and rim protection. It was one of the reasons I was hesitant about the Huerter trade back in the day because (although a good player) he didn’t seem like the ideal fit in a starting lineup that has a defensive C like Sabonis.
2. Someone who can provide a bit of rim protection/weak side shot blocking at PF. Murray is not horrible in this department (especially as a rookie and SF) but if our PF could help block some shots (vs. Barnes who averages 0.1 BLK per 36 min), I think it would go a long way to help reduce the layup/dunk lines we see here and there. I’m not saying we need a Jaren Jackson level type shot blocker (although I wouldn’t complain) but some who can help us contest a few more shots at the rim.
3. Another above average to good rebounder at SG, SF, or PF. Sabonis is obviously a great rebounder but Huerter, Murray, & Barnes are all below average to average rebounders. I think it would go a long way to have one more solid rebounder out there to give Sabonis some help when teams are sending 3-4 guys to crash the board.
4. Another star player at SG, SF, or PF. If we address the first three points above, we’d already be a much better and competitive team with very few weaknesses but if this team wants to get into that top/championship level tier, we’d ideally have another star who can push Sabonis into that 3rd scoring option/facilitator role. The 3rd star ideally needs to be a good shooter and defender as well to stay consistent with the first point.
   

I guess you could try and make a trade for Royce O’Neale, sign PJ Washington, resign Barnes, and hope Murray develops into that 3rd star (or at least a good defender). That gives you…

• 3 good defenders & shooters at SG, SF, & PF (assuming Murray becomes a good defender)
• 1 more good rebounder (O’Neale is great for his size/position)
• Someone who can help protect the rim (PJ Washington averages 1.2 BLK per 36 min)
• A potential 3rd star who can shoot/defend (if Murray grows into that role/type of player)
• The best bench in the league led by Monk, Huerter, Barnes, and an upgrade at backup C.

I think we've learned a lot about what will and what will not work in the playoffs. We need to be careful though not to overreact to how we match up against one team and make our roster worse by focusing only on how to beat a Golden State squad which is on the precipice of deconstructing itself anyway (age, injuries, salary cap issues). Our biggest advantage is that we are young and we're led by a core group of All-Star playmakers that very few teams have been able to slow or stop. The defense needs to get better but there will be plenty of time to discuss potential additions and trades in the off-season. I agree with the sentiment that we shouldn't be conceding victory and already discussing this now. We were one shot away from winning Game 4. If we win the next one it's all even again with the final game on our court.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

At the very beginning I was encouraged to see Keegan driving in and getting shots, I never ever really seen that in the regular season, my mouth dropped. Lets hope he builds on that!

That's made the rest of the game all the more bizarre. He gets off to his most aggressive start and has 10 quick points,.....only to never get another shot. One of the weirder things I've seen in a playoff game

 

[hrdboild]

His personality seems very passive to me. He seems to not want to establish himself but rather be a part of the team, but when he's needed he doesn't assert all that often. Not sure if he can address the timidity in the next few years but I see similarities with HB and his passivity.

I don't think Keegan is timid. He followed a similar pattern when he first got to Iowa -- find a role that makes sense and play within yourself. Then he spent the off-season focusing on his shooting and exploded in his second year as the most potent scorer in NCAA Division 1. Barnes never had a season where he led his league in scoring. It might take more than a year to translate to NBA basketball but I believe Keegan is far more of a silent assassin type than a guy who shies away from big moments. The shots he's been making the last two games have been very impressive -- now imagine how good he'll be once he becomes fully comfortable with the pace and physicality of the game. With his 3pt shooting ability, Keegan is easily going to be a perennial 20+ ppg scorer at the very least. If he starts to build his driving game too and gets himself to the free throw line at a league average rate he'll be an All-Star.

 

[KF8]

Conspiracy theory says that the Kings will win game 6. It's in the NBA's best interest to extend this series to 7 games for the ratings lol.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

His personality seems very passive to me. He seems to not want to establish himself but rather be a part of the team, but when he's needed he doesn't assert all that often. Not sure if he can address the timidity in the next few years but I see similarities with HB and his passivity.

He's a rookie.

He's a silent killer type. Just watch. His dad didn't raise a role player.

Are we forgetting that this kid just broke the all time rookie record for threes?

If we traded Keegan - Vinny Baketballerino would call it malpractice, and he would be right!

 

[Showtime]

He's a rookie.

He's a silent killer type. Just watch. His dad didn't raise a role player.

Are we forgetting that this kid just broke the all time rookie record for threes?

If we traded Keegan - Vinny Baketballerino would call it malpractice, and he would be right!

He broke the record by being a spot shooter. We are talking about him using his skillset to be more, which he hasn't been. So he has the ability but not the mental approach of a guy like Monk for example.

And yes it's far too soon to judge and he may develop that killer instinct but my point was it's a mental game for him at this point.

 

[The_Jamal]

agreed but Heurter can’t be a starter on a championship team

Eh, no. When he's playing like this, absolutely not, but he's an above average starter in the NBA. Silly to overreact yo a bad series.

 

[Showtime]

I don't think Keegan is timid. He followed a similar pattern when he first got to Iowa -- find a role that makes sense and play within yourself. Then he spent the off-season focusing on his shooting and exploded in his second year as the most potent scorer in NCAA Division 1. Barnes never had a season where he led his league in scoring. It might take more than a year to translate to NBA basketball but I believe Keegan is far more of a silent assassin type than a guy who shies away from big moments. The shots he's been making the last two games have been very impressive -- now imagine how good he'll be once he becomes fully comfortable with the pace and physicality of the game. With his 3pt shooting ability, Keegan is easily going to be a perennial 20+ ppg scorer at the very least. If he starts to build his driving game too and gets himself to the free throw line at a league average rate he'll be an All-Star.

It took Fox quite some time to become his current iteration. I'm not closing the book on him I'm just saying his mental game is what needs to develop not that he lacks ability.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Conspiracy theory says that the Kings will win game 6. It's in the NBA's best interest to extend this series to 7 games for the ratings lol.

I don't love conspiracy theories but the ratings here say if there is any reason to push a thumb down you do it Friday for that big Sunday payoff.

 

[captain bill]

If we do lose this series, year one of the Mike Brown era of will have been a huge success. And I think having our first series against his old team and the champs will give the team a whole lot to work on. We get our first full off-season with the coach and clear identification of what needs doing. We will come back better

That said, Kings in 7

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

He broke the record by being a spot shooter. We are talking about him using his skillset to be more, which he hasn't been. So he has the ability but not the mental approach of a guy like Monk for example.

And yes it's far too soon to judge and he may develop that killer instinct but my point was it's a mental game for him at this point.

We largely agree my friend. I'd pour you a glass of Montepulciano and we'd toast to what a great rookie we have. Alla nostra mi amica.

 

[ockingsfan]

He broke the record by being a spot shooter. We are talking about him using his skillset to be more, which he hasn't been. So he has the ability but not the mental approach of a guy like Monk for example.

And yes it's far too soon to judge and he may develop that killer instinct but my point was it's a mental game for him at this point.

I think a lot of the reason that we haven't seen Keegan's full arsenal is that Brown has put him a specific role and Keegan is abiding by it.

Keegan has a much shorter leash than the vets and he's getting pulled for small mistakes all the time. Keegan is a smart and unselfish player and he's not going to jeopardize his playing time and the team by playing hero ball at this time. Once coach Brown loosens the reigns on Keegan, we are going to see more of his full arsenal. I think he's going to be a 3 level scorer in a year or two, which he showed at Iowa.

 

[Albatros]

I honestly think Keegan could be a genuine number 2 guy in a couple of years.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

I honestly think Keegan could be a genuine number 2 guy in a couple of years.

Fully agree. And furthermore I think Domas would have no problem sliding back to number three to make that happen. Our chemistry is elite.

 

[gunks]

I honestly think Keegan could be a genuine number 2 guy in a couple of years.

Good guy Keegan seems like he doesn't want to ruffle feathers and take too many shots, but he's been showing more and more.

I'm hoping Brown is like "You're our #2 next season" because then good guy Keegan would be like "ok coach" and drop 20+ on elite efficiency.

I'm mad about the loss last night because it probably spells the end of our Postseason, but we no longer have to squint to see how the future could maybe break right for us. Now we have to squint because the future is too bright to look at directly!

 

[SLAB]

Fully agree. And furthermore I think Domas would have no problem sliding back to number three to make that happen. Our chemistry is elite.

I think Domas would be glad to fade back in the pecking order.

 

[The_Jamal]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1651630715686223872

Sensational.

Idk if your Brown how you don't consider just matching Davion minute for minute with Steph. Don't screw around with any other defender on him

 

[Showtime]

Can we discuss how the warriors are beating the kings? They are game planning around neutralize Domas and his offense. Attacking the DHO, limiting him on both ends in the post, and forcing the role players to make shots.

What is the king's strategy? Mitchell on Curry and sometimes box +1.

Seriously one team has a strategy to slow down the best offense in basketball and the other has no gameplan.

 

[hrdboild]

I think Domas would be glad to fade back in the pecking order.

I don't know why it's suddenly cool to rag on Sabonis. Keegan is better as an off-ball scorer and Fox is elite when he doesn't need to do all the shot-creation himself. So even with Keegan expanding his role, Domas is still going to be the focal point of the offense with his playmaking ability. It's not his fault he's currently on a team without a post-defender who can share those responsibilities with him and help to keep him out of foul trouble.

 

[Livinthedream]

How to you get interior defense when your starting all star center doesn't give you that? You either move him to the 4 and play Len or just play Len more. The problem is obvious. You can't play an uptempo long range offense with a twin tower front line. The latter option keeps Sabonis off the floor.

The third option is for him to get healthy and work on expanding his face up game out to the 3 and his post game with baby hooks and turn around Js. If he does this then there's nothing the defense will be able to do to limit him and his defensive liability becomes less of an issue, ala Jokic.

Doing this also allows some time to play the twin towers in limited minutes because if Domas can suddenly space the floor like a Kevin Love then the offense doesn't suffer.

Yes, Domas has to either be able to hit the 3 at a respectable clip, or the Kings can't have an offense and all it's components rely solely on Sabonis.

Also, an interior defensive presence doesn't always have tobe a 7 footer. Draymond is exceptional, but he's not huge. Vanderbilt is disuptive for the Lakers. Siakim. There are ways. Also, if you watch the Warriors, they gang tackle Sabonis in the paint when Looney is out. So the defensive scheme for the Kings may also need to evolve.

 

[The_Jamal]

I don't know why it's suddenly cool to rag on Sabonis. Keegan is better as an off-ball scorer and Fox is elite when he doesn't need to do all the shot-creation himself. So even with Keegan expanding his role, Domas is still going to be the focal point of the offense with his playmaking ability. It's not his fault he's currently on a team without a post-defender who can share those responsibilities with him and help to keep him out of foul trouble.

Yeah some of these jabroni's were ready to ship him out to Siberia last night and straight up play Alex Len over him lol . He hasn't been himself this series, but he's not the sole reason why we've dropped 3 in a row. I don't even think he's the main reason.

 

[KainLear]

I don't know why it's suddenly cool to rag on Sabonis. Keegan is better as an off-ball scorer and Fox is elite when he doesn't need to do all the shot-creation himself. So even with Keegan expanding his role, Domas is still going to be the focal point of the offense with his playmaking ability. It's not his fault he's currently on a team without a post-defender who can share those responsibilities with him and help to keep him out of foul trouble.

I didn't read it as a ragging on Sabonis (although we are talking about SLAB here so who knows? lol). But time and time over the season, Sabonis has admitted to his focus and his desire to feed his teammates. Literally to the team's detriment at times, remember the opening games where he deferred too much?

If Fox and Keegan turn out to be the 1-2 punch A and B options, I see Domas deferring to them happily on the offensive end and doing all he can to set them up.

 

[SLAB]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1651630715686223872

Sensational.

Idk if your Brown how you don't consider just matching Davion minute for minute with Steph. Don't screw around with any other defender on him

Dude needs to be less trigger happy on the three, but his defense has been the stand-out of the series for us.

 

[Sac.Kings]

I think we need to throw a few surprise plays to keep the Warriors guessing. They had no answer for Barnes in the post last night. We should go to him there to give him different looks. Wiggins isn’t strong enough to stop him backing up. Keegan needs more consistent looks throughout the game and Sabonis needs to regain his confidence. We need everyone to box out better, period.

Rebounding and our lack of shooting is killing us. If we even shoot average, we are up 3-1 and easily so. Overall, we are battling and I am proud of each of them.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

I don't know why it's suddenly cool to rag on Sabonis. Keegan is better as an off-ball scorer and Fox is elite when he doesn't need to do all the shot-creation himself. So even with Keegan expanding his role, Domas is still going to be the focal point of the offense with his playmaking ability. It's not his fault he's currently on a team without a post-defender who can share those responsibilities with him and help to keep him out of foul trouble.

One thing I'd like to see him step away from, is bringing the ball up the court in traffic. Too many turnovers against playoff intensity defense

 

[Caccia]

One thing I'd like to see him step away from, is bringing the ball up the court in traffic. Too many turnovers against playoff intensity defense.

Good point. I think his teammates can help him out by working harder away from the ball, so he has more passing options when Golden State clogs the lane, as they have been doing since game 2. Make cuts, set a screen for your teammate no matter how big you are, run around like a crazy person until you get open (shades of Steph Curry).

 

[DynaPamm]

So, I have not read this thread, and I doubt I will. I was at the game again last night and unfortunately the Warriors fans in my section were the worst sports fans I've ever been around in my life. 6-7 in a row, drunk, obnoxious, stood the majority of the game, after every big warriors play they would turn around and taunt the entire section. Flipping people off, yelling at them, getting in the face of old people. I am sad for these young men that they feel this is an appropriate way to act in public. They were 21, they were late 20s to maybe early 30s. Security talked to them multiple times, even pulled a few of them out of their seats to talk. I don't know how there wasn't a fight or 6.

You must of been by us…lower level 102? I was sick of watching them giving the finger to us behind them. It was disgusting and sometimes very distracting. Yes they removed a couple of them and then minutes later they returned which I was surprised since one of their so called arena violations was no drunk acts. Made me uncomfortable…. My granddaughter actually texted me to make sure we were ok she was in 222.

 

[macadocious]

Ya, in 101. I was talking to security on and off during it. It was so obnoxious and distracting.

 

[SacTownKid]

Yep. 6'9 wings with his shooting don't come around very often. And what if he does access some of that on-ball scoring he did at Iowa? Then uh-oh, you just traded Paul George/Kris Middleton on a rookie deal.

I just hope Monte remains more patient than the Kings fan base. Would be such a horrible move to go all in this offseason.

The question is still what is a "wing" though? If he's a wing, Barnes is a guard. Barnes can put the ball on the deck and get to the line. Modern wings HAVE to have guard skills. Wiggins is a bright and shining example on that on the other end of the floor. Murray right now looks like a wing circa 2003, not 2023. Right now he's basically a shooter like Horry (sorry, best comp I know, lol, who started his career as a SF BTW) but that might be because his coach is using him that way mostly.