Stephen Curry “night-night” shots are always transcendent. Jimmy Butler barging to the rim is perpetually beneficial. Tough and clingy defense against a top opponent is a constant differentiator.
So yes, the Warriors are confident, refreshed, re-energized, and can seize the moment, which is exactly what they showcased in Tuesday’s victory in Madison Square Garden over the Knicks. It was clearly the best game yet of the Warriors’ buoyant and now 9-2 Butler era. They’re sitting sixth in the Western Conference, they’re moving closer to the fifth-seed Rockets, they’ll get Jonathan Kuminga back soon, and they haven’t even shot it that well lately.
Wait a minute: Does this mean this Warriors could barrel through multiple playoff rounds? Maybe all the way to the Finals? Did Draymond Green call this a few weeks ago when he guaranteed a title?
OK, I won’t go that far. The Warriors still have some weaknesses that might be too much to overcome at some point in April, May, or June. They don’t match up well with a few top teams — notably the Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets. They don’t know how much Kuminga can give them. And their cornerstone players are all in their mid- to late-30s, which makes it hard to predict how they’ll hold up through the postseason marathon.
But that Knicks victory was an attention-getter — even with Karl-Anthony Towns out, the Knicks are formidable, especially at home. And the Warriors were on a rough back-to-back, a night after Curry dinged his ankle and with Butler seeming like he was still feeling the effects of some back problems.
This is how you win playoff series
More than anything, as the Warriors were finishing off an incredible 67-47 second half, this felt like a break-your-will game — which we’ve seen from the Warriors before in Memphis in 2015 or Cleveland multiple times or Boston in Game 6 to win the fourth championship of this era. This kind of performance is how you win playoff series.
“They’re finding a real identity and it’s fun to watch unfold,” Steve Kerr told reporters after the game about his team.
And what’s the identity?
“Two-way team,” Kerr said. “Last 10 games, I think we’re second in both offense and defense [in the league efficiency ratings]. Obviously small sample size, but that’s when we got Jimmy. So things have clearly turned with him. He’s a great complement to what we already do, just with his ability to pass. What he’s adding is that maturity and poise.”
Curry is still the best closer in the game. Butler calms the game down and manufactures points by crashing into the lane and getting to the free-throw line. The two stars are working well together and also when they’re leading separate units.
For the most part, they’ve stopped throwing the ball around wildly — when it gets to Butler, he slows things down and gets them into order.
And the Warriors, who are going small much of the time these days, found a way on Tuesday to limit one of the best offenses in the league. After giving up Andrew Wiggins (their best on-ball defender) in the Butler trade, they’ve leveled up on defense by tightening up their rotations and at times over-playing the passing lanes. When they get turnovers or long rebounds, they run.
“With Draymond at the 5, Jimmy at the 4, you can play pretty fast and try to speed teams up on both ends,” Curry said. “And just try to limit your turnovers and usually good things are gonna happen. Whether we make or miss shots, we don’t really live and die by that; it’s just truly the fundamentals of the game. Play good defense, take care of the ball, and then we’re getting better at getting organized offensively with certain sets and actions that Jimmy likes. And we all know if I get the chaos of the offense going, we can create good shots that way, too.”
Mix-and-match on defense; more offense from Butler, eventually
Moses Moody defended Knicks star Jalen Brunson fairly well on Tuesday, as he’s done in the past. Moody seems like Kerr’s best option against other physical guards like Memphis’ Desmond Bane or maybe Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Brandin Podziemski’s been defending quicker guards during this run (and did a nice job on Kyrie Irving last week), so he might get the assignments in the future against Memphis’ Ja Morant, Denver’s Jamal Murray, and Houston’s Jalen Green.
Butler can match up against big scoring wings like the Lakers’ Luka Doncic and the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard. Gary Payton II is always available for a few minutes to shut down top scorers.
The Warriors’ wild-card is Kuminga, who at times over the years has been Kerr’s prime defender against anybody from Morant to LeBron James. Draymond, of course, will have the main minutes defending the opponents’ biggest players. And Draymond and Butler will hold down the back line in all the important minutes.
Is that enough? The 44-point thrashing by Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes on Saturday (with Butler out) wasn’t a good sign. The Warriors are going to have to trick up some things to slow down great penetrators — which is why defensive coordinator Jerry Stackhouse has been dialing up a lot of zones recently. In the second half on Tuesday, it all worked.
On offense, the Warriors need more shooting from Butler than he’s been giving them in the previous week — in his four games leading up to Tuesday, Butler only took 9, 8, 7, and 7 shots and only scored a combined 41 points. Especially in the minutes when Curry sits, Butler has to be as aggressive as he was on Tuesday, when he took 12 shots and made it to the free-throw line nine times. Actually, the Warriors could use even more from Butler.
“That’s obviously what we’re looking for, is to have a two-pronged attack, obviously Steph is the guy who’s going to create a lot of chaos and havoc and come off screens,” Kerr said. “But we need what Jimmy’s doing — nine free throws. He kind of just bludgeons people in the lane.”
That’s playoff basketball. That’s what Butler is built for — Butler has turned it all the way up in the playoffs in two previous very famous sprints to the Finals. Playoff Jimmy hasn’t shown up for the Warriors yet, but of course, it’s not the playoffs yet. But it’s beginning to feel like it. On Tuesday, the Warriors looked like they’re getting very ready for it.
