Tag: Golden State Warriors

Warriors’ Draymond Green pick for Super Bowl 54 may upset 49ers fans

Draymond Green made his prediction for Super Bowl 54 and it may upset some San Francisco 49ers fans

While the Golden State Warriors have struggled throughout the 2019-20 NBA season, another team from the Bay Area has risen to championship contention.

The San Francisco 49ers will represent the NFC and the Bay Area in Miami at Super Bowl 54. At the same time, the Warriors are relegated to making predictions for the big game.

Draymond Green was a key factor to the Warriors championship run, winning Defensive Player of the Year along the way. However, when it comes to his Super Bowl prediction, his pick may ruffle the feathers of some Bay Area fans.

After racking up 16 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night, Green was asked by NBC Sports Bay Area reporter, Kerith Burke whom he will think will win the Super Bowl. Green went with the Kansas City Chiefs with his decision hinging their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

Oh man, I’m going back and forth on who is going to win, but I think I’m going to go with the Chiefs — Patrick Mahomes is great, when you got a great quarterback like that, it’s tough to beat — Although the Niners defense is crazy, they remind me of that Giants defense that won two Super Bowls — I don’t know it’s a tough pick, but you usually got to go with the great quarterback.

Before the Warriors run, the San Francisco Giants won three titles, and now the San Francisco 49ers will have the chance to take the Bay Area championship baton with a win in Super Bowl 45.

Draymond Green on getting booed by Cleveland Cavs fans: ‘I love that’

Draymond Green was booed by the Cavaliers fans in Cleveland during pregame introductions.

For a moment, the Golden State Warriors rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers was one of the best in the NBA. The teams met four straight times in the NBA Finals, with Golden State taking home three championship banners.

Now, in 2020, the team’s are drastically different from those that battled deep into the playoffs. No LeBron James, no Kevin Durant and both “Splash Brothers” are dealing with long-term injuries. However, there is still bad blood between fans of the Cavaliers and one member of the Golden State Warriors.

In the Warriors’ first trip to Cleveland in 2020, when Draymond Green was announced to the home crowd, he didn’t exactly receive a warm welcome, in fact, it was quite the opposite. The home crowd booed Green as his name was announced during the away team starting lineups.

During Golden State and Cleveland’s battles in the NBA Finals, Green played 10 games in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, averaging 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

After the game, Green was asked by reporters what he thought of the boos from the home crowd.

I love that — to come back here and they still boo me, it’s like man, that little chapter is over, but when they boo me, it just kind of takes me back — it puts you back in that mindset and that feeling that you had coming in here when those boos were really warranted — so yeah, that was good — that was exciting.

Against the 2019-20 Cavaliers, Green played like there was a championship on the line, tying his career-high for assists with 16, adding eight points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks to lead Golden State to a 131-115 victory in Cleveland.

Draymond Green’s 16 assists lead Warriors to blowout vs. Cavs, 131-112

Draymond Green racked up 16 assists in Cleveland with seven different Warriors scoring in double figures to break Golden State’s five-game losing streak.

It hasn’t happened much throughout the 2019-20 NBA season, but against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors looked and played like the best team on the floor. Instead of a tight loss at the end of the game, the Warriors finished their night in Cleveland with a blowout victory, 131-112.

A monster third quarter from beyond the arc decided the game in the Warriors favor. Golden State hit a franchise-record 10 3-pointers on 10-of-14 long-range shooting in Cleveland to stretch their lead to 105-78 heading in the final period. The Warriors finished the third quarter scoring 44 points to the Cavaliers 19. Draymond Green added eight of his 16 assists in the third quarter, while Glenn Robinson III added 10 points.

In Cleveland, the Warriors had one of their better shooting nights on the season, with seven players scoring in double-digits on 53.9 % shooting from the field and 51.4 % from beyond the arc.

Golden State earned a much-needed win after dropping 15 of their previous 16 and will now have a chance to extend their winning ways when they play the struggling Washington Wizards next. 

Vintage Draymond Green

The Warriors’ former Defensive Player of the Year has had an up-and-down season mixed with injuries and inconsistent play. However, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Green showed why he’s an All-Star caliber player. 

Behind his career-high-tying 16 assists, Green netted a near triple-double against the Cavaliers, adding eight points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. 

Kevon Looney Returns

On top of the win, another positive note for the Golden State Warriors is the return of center, Kevon Looney. Looney’s missed the past 18 games with an abdomen injury and has missed more games due to a neuropathic condition that stunted the start of the season. 

Looney played 12 minutes in his return, tallying two points, four rebounds, two steals and a block. 

Injury Report: Warriors ‘hopeful’ Stephen Curry can return in March

The Golden State Warriors provided an update to the timetable for Stephen Curry’s return from his broken hand injury.

From the minute Stephen Curry broke his hand early in the season against the Pheonix Suns, fans of the Golden State Warriors have patiently been waiting for the calendar to flip to the month of February.

February was the target month for an official update on Curry’s injury, and true to their word, the Golden State Warriors laid out a new timetable for his recovery. Still, more waiting is on the horizon.

Curry has missed all but four games for Golden State during the 2019-20 NBA season, and that number will continue to grow.

Golden State announced Curry would be re-evaluated again in four weeks. Yet, they are hopeful he can “return to action at some point in March.”

The two-time Most Valuable Player has been rapidly progressing through his rehab lately, appearing everywhere you look with the Warriors. Curry was recently cleared to travel with the Warriors on the road and was spotted going through a pregame warm-up before Golden State tipped off against the Boston Celtics.

With the Warriors having lost 15 of their last 16 games and owners of the worst record in the NBA, expect Golden State to continue taking the cautious approach.

Getting him back on the floor next to D’Angelo Russell will help Bob Myers and Steve Kerr get a better look at Golden State’s potential backcourt of the future. However, beyond shaking off the rust and gaining comfort next to Russell, patience is key with Curry’s injury.

If Curry was able to return March 1, he would be eligible to play in the Warriors’ final 22 games on the season.

Steve Kerr gives update on Steph Curry’s recovery from hand injury

Steph Curry could be back on the floor for the Warriors in one month.

The Warriors are persevering through a lost season with both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson out of action, and it’s possible that Golden State may land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 Draft just one year after competing in the NBA Finals. The Warriors currently have the worst record in the league at 10-39, three games clear of the Knicks, Cavs and Hawks.

The original plan for the Warriors 2020 season, according to many experts, was for Curry and Draymond Green carrying Golden State to a mid-seed in the West, allowing Thompson to return from his ACL tear in time for a playoff push. Instead, the Warriors have zero chance to make the playoffs – but according to coach Steve Kerr, the team doesn’t plan to keep their stars off the floor and tank the rest of the year.

On Saturday, Kerr told reporters that he hopes Curry will be able to return to the floor in one month, after he undergoes another evaluation on his left hand. Curry broke his hand in a game against the Spurs on October 30th, but has been making progress in his recovery and joined the team for warmups on Friday.

Kerr said Curry will be re-evaluated on March 1st, and may be able to play around that time.

Via ESPN:

“He’s made some big strides. I guess the word is a month away from having another evaluation. We’re really hopeful that around that time he’ll be able to play. We’ll determine that around March 1. He needs to progress over the next month to lot of action, one-on-one, three-on-three, five-on five. That’s all part of the plan.”

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Report: Kevon Looney expected to play against Cleveland Cavaliers

Kevon Looney’s season has been hampered by injuries, but he is expected to return Saturday night.

The Golden State Warriors expect to have one of their more experienced young players return to the floor Saturday.

According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, fifth-year big man Kevon Looney is expected to play in the Warriors’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Looney will come off the bench and will play a maximum of 20 minutes. He has missed the past 18 games because of abdominal soreness.

Looney, 23, hasn’t played the majority of this season because of different injuries. He played the season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers, but then he missed 20 consecutive games because of a nerve condition. 

This season Looney has played in 10 games and has averaged 10.5 minutes per game. Though injuries have hampered his season, Looney’s play in the past has been effective for the Warriors, a team that has helped revolutionize positionless basketball.

At 6-foot-9, Looney has typically played center, but he has the length and enough quickness to defend perimeter players if necessary.

Last season was Looney’s best because he proved he could be a quality rebounder and scorer around the basket. He averaged a career-high 5.2 rebounds per game, and according to Basketball Reference he shot 72.4% on shots 0-3 feet from the hoop.

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All-Star vote: The players who always do better with fans than peers

For the fourth year in a row, the NBA has disclosed the vote for All-Star starters of fans, media and players. Since we now have the data of where each player ranked in the final results, we decided to look for patterns. For example, which players …

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For the fourth year in a row, the NBA has disclosed the vote for All-Star starters of fans, media and players. Since we now have the data of where each player ranked in the final results, we decided to look for patterns.

For example, which players do better with fans than with their NBA peers?

We found out 16 guys have ranked higher in the fan vote than in the players vote every year since 2017. Only two on the list have made the All-Star Game and they are both members of the world-beating Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Kind of makes you go ‘Hmmm’, right?

The largest disparity between player and fan vote happens with Jordan Clarkson, though, which was kind of unexpected.

For more details, you can check the gallery above. All rankings based on position and conference.

Warriors rookie Eric Paschall selected for 2020 Rising Stars Challenge

The 41st overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Eric Paschall has been officially selected to the Rising Stars Challenge as a member of team USA.

A positive side to injuries ravaging the Golden State Warriors 2019-20 season has been the opportunity that’s opened up for players at the bottom of the roster. One player that’s benefitted the most from the Warriors depleted lineup is rookie, Eric Paschall.

Paschall was selected No. 41 overall in the second round of the NBA draft by the Warriors in 2019. High expectations don’t usually surround a second-round draft pick. However, Paschall quickly became one of the Warriors leading scorers at the start of the season.

The 23-year-old rookie is averaging 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game. For a period when D’Angelo Russell was injured, Paschall became Steve Kerr’s best offensive option, leading the Warriors in scoring seven times this season. Paschall has registered games with scoring totals of 34 and 30 points in his first NBA season. Paschall is tied for third with Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter for total points scored by rookies with 590.

During the NBA’s 2020 All-Star weekend in Chicago, Paschall will receive some recognition for his productive rookie season. Paschall was selected to Team USA for the NBA’s Rising Star Challenge — an All-Star game for rookie and sophomore players. Paschall was voted in by NBA assistant coaches across the league.

The Villanova product is the first Warriors selected for the Rising Star Challenge since Harrison Barnes in 2014. Current Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have also been previously selected for the challenge.

For now, Paschall will be the only member of the Golden State Warriors represented in Chicago, as the team did not have a player selected as a reserve or starter for the 2020 edition of the All-Star game.

The Rising Stars Challenge will take place on Friday, February 14, at the United Center in Chicago.

Stephen Curry remembers the first game he played against Kobe Bryant

Stephen Curry shared his first memory of playing against the fallen NBA legend, Kobe Bryant.

Since the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash that claimed his life, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, there has been an outpour of emotion across the league.

Teams have been honoring the fallen champion by taking eight and 24-second violations at the start of games. Beyond that, pregame ceremonies have been held, along with players changing their jersey numbers away from No. 8 and No. 24 in respects to Bryant.

For the Golden State Warriors, players have shared their reactions to the loss of Bryant on social media, with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell all posting tributes to the “Mamba.” Warriors swingman, Alec Burks, swapped out of his No. 8 jersey to No. 20 to honor Bryant’s legacy.

Against the Boston Celtics, Curry spoke publicly for the first time since Bryant’s death. The Golden State Warriors two-time Most Valuable Player spoke to TNT reporter, Allie LaForce, about his first memory of playing against Bryant.

I remember the first game back at the forum in the preseason my rookie year like how amazing of a moment that was — you’re sitting there asking questions to yourself, ‘why does he mean so much?’ — he has a presence that I think we all just understood how much basketball meant to him, and he pushed the game to new heights, and we are all the better for it.

The preseason game Curry references took place on October 9, 2009, in the Los Angeles Forum. Golden State won the preseason exhibition, 110-91.

The Warriors will have the chance to honor Bryant on their home floor against his former team when they return to San Francisco to host the Los Angeles Lakers on February 8.

Kyle Lowry frustrated after in-game shove from fan in Cleveland

Kyle Lowry says he’s not sure he’ll be able to control himself next time a spectator pushes him while he’s diving for a loose ball.

Kyle Lowry says he’s not sure he’ll be able to control himself next time a spectator pushes him while he’s diving for a loose ball.