Draymond Green said after the Warriors’ 131-110 blowout loss to the Grizzlies Thursday that he doesn’t view Memphis as a rival.
He’s right.
The Warriors have only one rival: this team’s collective antipathy to playing defense anywhere but San Francisco.
Golden State entered this week thinking they had turned the corner after a five-game home winning streak. I even bought into the hype.
After all, there was overt chemistry on offense and, more importantly, the Warriors were showing effort and connection on defense.
Then the Dubs went on the road. Three games, three losses, and 381 points scored against. It all fell apart in spectacular fashion, and there’s no good reason why that’s the case.
Golden State’s inability to play any semblance of D on the road has been perplexing all season, but it’s downright inexplicable now that we’ve seen this team play good defense at home.
Defense is supposed to travel in the NBA, but the Warriors’ defense is on the no-fly list.
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‘Disconnected’ Warriors suffer another ugly road loss
No matter where the Warriors might be are in these great United States (or Canada) — the moment they leave California’s 11th congressional district, they no longer can communicate, rotate, or anticipate.
This isn’t just a small quirk. The difference between the Warriors’ defense at home and on the road is chasmic.
The Warriors have the third-best home defensive rating in the NBA: 108.1. On the road, they have the third-worst defensive rating on the road: 119.3.
An 11-point delta per 100 possessions is beyond the pale. It’s why the Warriors — who have only lost seven games all season at home — have seven wins on the road.
It’s the reason this …read more
Source:: The Mercury News