SAN FRANCISCO — Gary Payton II’s timely poster of Goga Bitadze was subsequently wiped out due to a technical foul.
There were defensive flops, sloppy passes, and cold-blooded three-out shots while the Indiana Pacers capitalized on every mistake and capitalized at the right time. It was one of those nights that the Golden State Warriors would like to quickly forget, but still remember the lessons.
The lessons of their 121-117 loss Thursday night to an understrength Pacers team for the second night in a row is the need to play with discipline, better execution and preparation.
“I don’t think I prepared the team well for the game,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “Every time a team is missing half the players, it’s like the same old story in the NBA. All the guys that don’t play can’t wait to come out. They just brought it to us all night and I didn’t prepare the group very well and it was a struggle.
“We just couldn’t stop all the time. Their guys stepped up and played, hit big, and in the second half we had big losses. I think we had 14 balls in the second half and it hurt a lot, so just be aware of the combination of it all.”
The lack of execution was the conclusion of Payton II.
“The shots just didn’t hit us. It’s hard and we’re a bit in a stupor right now, but the shots aren’t falling.”
Here are some more observations about the Warriors’ overtime loss.
stagnant crime
The Warriors, with the exception of Curry, failed to buy a three as the game progressed. The Golden State hit 9 of 42 from deep and the Pacers hit 15 of 35. The offense struggled to get a consistent flow. Even though the Warriors looked good in his opinion, Curry took away from this game the correlation between how the scattered offense seeps into other areas.
“Sometimes the way the game goes on offense, the way the shots go, can affect discipline and energy on defense. Because your mind starts to wander a little, trying to catch your rhythm. Curry said. “Sometimes you get mad at yourself because you miss open shots and it spreads to the other side. I feel like it was a small part of what happened throughout the game.”
Kerr felt that the crime was hasty.
“We definitely sped up a bit. 9 out of 42 out of three, but it wasn’t the best game in terms of our implementation to make those 42 three-point shots, so I don’t think we deserve to do much more than that. It just felt like we were scattered there in a hurry, that’s for sure.”
A slightly unsung reason for the Golden State’s cold night was the fact that without Draymond Green organizing the offense and setting up well-timed screens, the Warriors seemed to force the problem from three more often than not. Of course, the views were there, but the frames did not match, and some looked hasty.
Errors in protection
The Warriors were reckless and undisciplined defensively, committing 20 fouls and going over the limit for the entire game. The defense also turned down light buckets, which Kevon Looney felt was the difference between the game.
“We let them get a lot of Cs early, gave them confidence, and they kept throwing,” Looney said. “Guys like (Justin) Holiday were on the scout record, known for being a great shooter and some early looks. Our pick-and-roll defense wasn’t the best today. I don’t think we were physical. They didn’t feel us tonight. They were comfortable in all their actions, and we did not take anything away. It’s something we’re kind of known for, and we didn’t do it very well.”
One of the biggest mistakes in the game came during the last regulation game, when Curry failed a task.
“We were trying to just cover the three-point line and they had a weird start setup and there was just a lot of room and I was looking at the ball for about two seconds,” Curry said. “Jay (Justin) Holiday took a good shot and shot. I know there’s a conversation if we fouled and stuff, I was just a step slower and he gave him too wide a look and tried to guard the entrance and I was caught in that look.”
Accountability Partners
In a post-game press release, Kerr blamed himself for the loss, feeling that his team had not prepared. While Kerr feels responsible for the preparation, the players just feel guilty for the loss. Looney believes Kerr is not alone in his guilt. Everyone involved gets their fair share of the blame.
“I think everyone will take some of the blame for tonight. Not only him. Luni said. “Everyone has a few games in the game that they would like to bring back. I know I know, and as a team we all do it.”
Kerr takes charge, which is what Curry thinks is being passed on to the team.
“It’s his nature to take responsibility,” says Curry. “I think it’s part of our culture. We all have a tendency to look at ourselves, what you could have done differently. I’m doing the same thing. We obviously knew they had a lot of boyfriends and it’s kind of a story with two different ends. This can lead to you simply dominating because you are more talented. They had nothing to lose and they played very hard. The guys used their abilities very aggressively, and it showed.”
