#58: DET @ GSW 2/27/10

Detroit Pistons

Record: 21-37 (23rd) • Point Differential: -4.3 (25th) • Pace: 88.4 (29th)

Off. Efficiency: 104.0 (25th) • eFG: 46.4 (29th) • TO: 15.4 (14th) • OReb: 31.0 (2nd) • FT/FG: 21.8 (22nd)

Def. Efficiency: 108.9 (21st) • eFG: 51.0 (23rd) • TO: 16.2 (7th) • OReb: 26.4 (17th) • FT/FG: 27.1 (29th)

PreThoughts

The Warriors' second-longest homestand of the season ends here. In fact, while nobody was looking, the schedule tipped decidedly in the other direction; after this game, the Dubs will have played 31 times in Oakland and just 27 times elsewhere. (Cross "tough schedule" off the franchise's long list of attempted excuses.) The Warriors have gone 2-3 on this Oracle tilt so far -- the wins were both thrilling in their respective ways, and a victory over the Pistons would be enough to call this homestand a relative success.

The Pistons are not exactly what you'd call tough customers, either. In the teams' last meeting, Detroit prevailed, rising to a record of 11-12... they lost their next thirteen games, however, and now rate worse than the Dubs by point differential. The Pistons feature most of the same defensive flaws as the Warriors, letting opponents score efficiently from the field and often from the line. And while the Warriors shoot fairly well from the field, the Pistons shoot worse than any team that's not based in New Jersey.

However, the Pistons have somewhat stabilized of late, winning six of twelve. Richard Hamilton, overrated and overpaid though he may be, has re-found his form... he's been Detroit's top scorer in each of their last six games, averaging 27.2 points per contest in that span. And the one area in which the Pistons rate well -- offensive rebounding -- is the one area that has most kneecapped the Warriors this season. The Dubs will need a healthy dose of Andris Biedrins in this game to have a chance. Let's hope that he and Nellie allow that to happen.

Warrior To Watch: Stephen Curry, who's earned this label for the foreseeable future. Can he finally post two excellent games in a row?

Piston To Watch: Tayshaun Prince, who's been logging heavy minutes for over a month now, quieting fears about his back problems. The Pistons will look to shake up their roster this summer, and a Maggette package for Prince is a (longshot) possibility the Warriors should pursue.

GSW @ DET 12/12/09: PostThoughts

For fuck's sake.

Stellar game from Monta, strong game from Maggette, decent games from CJ and Curry. Really, I don't have a beef with how any Warrior played. That's not to say that they all played well... Vlad and Morrow were both really bad, and Mikki, Randolph and Hunter combined to give us one rebound in 38 minutes. Still and all, this was the second half of a road back-to-back, a game you shouldn't expect to win. I can't fault the effort of the players.

The coaching -- hoo, boy, I can fault the coaching. This was smallball as ignorantly stubborn as any Nellie has ever foisted upon us. We luck into playing the Pistons to a draw on the boards in the first half, and Smart takes that as a sign that we need to get even smaller? Is it written somewhere that the end of days will descend upon the earth if the Warriors actually outrebound somebody? Did we really just finish a close game -- on purpose, mind you -- with Vladimir Radmanovic protecting our rim?

Smallball got us outrebounded 24-10 in the second half, and what did it give us in return? Maybe the one sequence where C.J. tied up Austin Daye? Yippy goddamned skippy, Smart -- that is not a good trade. You don't just cede the glass unless you're dramatically profiting in other ways, and for the 105th straight game, we didn't. We don't get a bunch of extra three-point attempts off because we're small... we're still below-average in that department. We don't rack up steals because we're small... we rack up steals because we have players who are good at racking them up. We don't succeed on the fast break because we're small... we succeed on the fast break because we're fast and can finish. It's not like Monta's basketball powers are neutralized if there are two tall Warriors on the court.

Smallball sometimes nets us an extra steal or two in the first halves of games, as wings aren't used to Watsonian levels of pressure. But in second halves, teams have become used to our peskiness, and they just start destroying us; once they've adjusted, smallball is worthless to us. And yet the sideline directive always is the same, no matter the shape or color of the coach giving it: "Shrink 'em down!"

I don't know which coach is responsible for which parts of the decision-making "process" here, and at this point I don't really care. It's not even about wanting to see more Anthony Randolph, either. It's about wanting to see some basic understanding of basketball on the part of our coaching staff. Smaller is not always better. Rebounds and shot-affecting really do help you win, and you should not give up on them without having a really good reason. Vladimir Radmanovic is not a good fucking reason.

Right now, I can't muster much appetite for the prospect of Keith Smart coaching this team. I'm sure the team would be more energetic and functional under him, and who knows -- maybe left to his own devices, he'd be capable of assembling sane lineups. But right now, it feels like he'd just be dishing out warmed-over Nellieball, and the thought of that is not only appalling, but embarrassing. How much more misguided smallball do we have to sit through? How long does it take to realize that the mismatches you're creating are working against you?

GSW @ DET 12/12/09: PreThoughts

1) We must expect a loss, and can not resent one overmuch. 2nd half of a road back-to-back with a short bench... you're really, really, really not likely to win a game like this.

2) The Pistons are hot, to boot; they've won four in a row, last toppling Denver on Thursday. Surprisingly, it has all come despite the absences of Tayshaun, Rip, and most recently, Gordon. Thanks to injuries and quirky decision-making (a combo we know all too well), they've of late gone to war with a Maxiell/Jerebko/Wallace/Atkins/Stuckey starting lineup that has to be one of the worst-scoring quintets in recent memory. Shit, I thought Chucky Atkins was dead.

3) Having said that, they're not a fearsome team; both their offense and defense rate a bit below average. The only things they excel at on a team level are offensive rebounding and getting to the line, and they're not too good at scoring once they get there.

4) As the stat nyrdz tell it, the rumors of Ben Wallace's demise have been greatly exaggerated; he clocks in with a .611 Win%, placing him in the league's top 30 (and only slightly behind Anthony Goddamned Randolph). He can still bull real players around, let alone Vlads and Mikkis; if we keep him below 15 boards tonight, it will be something of an achievement. A little Chris Hunter might be in order, especially since guys will be tired.

5) It'd be a good night to give Monta a break on the defensive end. The Pistons won't often have two threatening guards on the floor... we'd be well-served to let CJ and Curry guard Stuckey for stretches, so Monta can save up some energy.

Warriors Player To Watch: it's gotta be Randolph till further notice. Of the guys in the rotation, he played the fewest minutes last night, so if Vlad or Mikki is visibly drained, he could get a look early.

Pistons Player To Watch: Wallace, the terrfying embodiment of all that we lack.