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What do two post-college graduates do on a Saturday night? Drink? Club? Have fun? No thank you. We watch basketball and argue about what’s going on! The best part for you? You get to take a backseat to our conversations! Welcome to the first commentary of the 2013 NBA season, where Matt Tuckness and Josh Biers drag their asses in front of a TV and watch the Golden State Warriors play against the Memphis Grizzlies in a game that looks to be slow, boring, and could be Curry-less. What could be better right?
Jermaine O’Neal #7 of the Golden State Warriors greets Zach Randolph #50 of the Memphis Grizzlies before the game on November 9, 2013 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee
Josh Biers: Well, I guess Steph is going to play after all. The Warriors trudge out their impressive starting five of Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, Andrew Bogut, and Iggy against the Grizzlies’ Mike Conley, Tayshaun prince, Tony Allen, and the Fat Bros (Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph). Any early predictions on the final score? I’m going with 89-85 Grizzlies in a foul-plagued, four-hour long game where Curry and Thompson go for a combined 5-27.
Matt Tuckness: I haven’t given my predictions any thought yet because I just stopped celebrating the fact that Steph is playing tonight. Do you understand how boring this game would have been if we had to watch the Warriors minus Steph? It may have made our eyes bleed from its sheer brutality. In all seriousness, I think it will still be a low-scoring game given the Warriors are coming off a tough loss against the Spurs. It doesn’t surprise me at all that you picked the Grizzlies to win. I bet it is more out of spite then it is out of truth. I think a 92-85 Warriors victory where solid defense and big threes from Steph and Klay propel the Warriors to a comfortable 7 point win.
Josh Biers (9:20 1st): The game starts just how we anticipated, with the Grizzlies’ first two baskets coming in the paint, and the Warriors’ coming in the form of two jumpshots, both playing to their respective strengths. Steph Curry looks a little slow and has an early turnover, a rarity for him. Meanwhile..Tayshaun pulls up for a long two.
Matt Tuckness (9:00 1st): Tayshaun Prince all day baby!! Could the Grizzlies start a worse shooting line-up? Can Tony Allen shoot from beyond 15 feet? Also, Steph has been the king of turnovers this year. His careless basketball has hurt the Warriors in close games.
Josh Biers (8:29 1st): I suppose you have me there Tuckness. Four minutes into the game and we’re ready to play Russian Roulette. Five fouls, too many Tony Allen free throws, and David Lee struggles in the post is making this game just as unwatchable as we thought. I wonder who cuts Steph’s hair…
Matt Tuckness (8:20 1st): 3!!! He heard you try to make fun of his hair and said “suck on this three Josh!”
Josh Biers (8:20 1st): Just so our readers can put that into context, Tuckness screamed out as Curry pulled up for three, “No…”, and promptly after, “Why did I doubt him!”. There’s a Warriors’ fan with faith in the best shooter in the league. Meanwhile, the pace has quickened as Tayshaun pulls up from 12 feet, (you can hear the groans of Grizzlies fans), and makes it! 12-11 Memphis.
Matt Tuckness (7:14 1st): He has a bone bruise Josh. I don’t want him to lose any confidence in his three because he is not at his usual physical peak. I have come to the conclusion that if I am this happy anytime a Grizzlies player shoots then they truly must be bad. Great put-back by Tony Allen on the Z-Bo miss (that’s the third easy one from five feet he’s fumbled). Offensive rebounding coming back to hurt the Warriors. I am having PTSD flashes from last night.
Josh Biers (4:52 1st): First of all, who the hell is this white point guard ( Nick Calathes) trying to guard Steph? He’s been torched twice already and the one person you don’t want to get hot is Curry. Secondly, Miller has sunk two three’s in the span of one minute and is the reason this game isn’t a six-point lead in the Warriors favor.
Matt Tuckness (4:20 1st): Well Josh I am glad you asked. When he stepped on the floor I decided to google him to gather some knowledge and didn’t really learn much. Pretty much all I know is he is a rookie who played his college ball at Florida. He just threw a pretty iffy 3 foot pass to Z-Bo at the top of the key. Igua with the big 3!
Stephen Curry
Josh Biers (4:20 1st): It’s “Iggy” Tuckness. No one calls Andre Iguodala “Igua”, its blasphemous, it’s like calling Carmelo Anthony “Carm”. The Grizzlies and Warriors have put in their reserves, Z-Bo is still on the court, I suspect he’s there to get into rhythmn as he’s off to a poor start.
Josh Biers (1:11 1st): Is there anything uglier than a Jermaine O’ Neal jumpshot? Why do they run their offense through him??
Matt Tuckness (1:09 1st): I don’t know, but it is a serious concern of mine. Z-bo is killing this second group right now. A huge 3 point play for him.
Josh Biers (end of the 1st): The Grizzlies lead by three at the end of the quarter, 32-29. So far, the game has picked up towards the end of the first quarter and if the pace remains the same for the rest of the game, we’ll be seeing triple-digits at the end of it. Storylines so far during this game, and I know Tuckness graciously agrees with me, are:
– Zach Randolph is doing work on the block. After struggling at the beginning of the quarter, Z-Bo has consistently gotten better and is looking dangerous on the block. Hopefully, the Warriors find an answer for him as the game goes on.
– Our initial prediction that this game would turn into a slugfest has been wrong as we’ve seen good, fast-paced basketball. If this continues, look for the Warriors to take the lead as this type of basketball is more to their advantage.
– This game features the ugliest jump-shooters in the league in Tony Allen, Tayshaun prince, and Jermaine O’Neal.
Mike Miller #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates during the game against the Golden State Warriors on November 9, 2013 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee
Matt Tuckness: Woah take it easy on my boy Jermaine. He made a nice jumper in that quarter. I wouldn’t be too quick to throw our predictions away. Teams tend to play better defense as the game goes on, especially in the 4th quarter. I wouldn’t expect many more 30 point quarters. It has definitely been a faster paced game and for the Warriors sake I hope that continues.
Josh Biers (9:56 2nd): Kostas Koufos looks like Hakeem Olajuwon right now, putting some nice post moves on Mareese Speights and hustling for loose balls. Gasol has hit his last two jumpers and Warriors call a timeout as the lead is up to eight. Maybe a fast-paced offense isn’t so bad for Memphis. By the way, who has scragglier hair? Gasol or Bogut?
Matt Tuckness (9:05 2nd): It is very clear that Speights cannot guard Koufos. He may be a little upset that the Grizzlies replaced him with a balding Greek and it is seriously affecting his defense. Bogut, Curry and Klay have reentered the game now. Hopefully this will provide a little spark for the Warriors offense.
Josh Biers (6:29 2nd): Well Tuckness, I love when you’re wrong because it gives me an opportunity to make you feel stupid. The re-entry of the Warriors starting players hasn’t provided a spark at all as the Grizzlies are still up by 8 and playing excellent defense. Klay is settling for long two’s and the Warriors can’t buy a three.
Matt Tuckness (6:15 2nd) : And right on queue, Curry with the three!! I needed to wait a little bit until the Warriors made me correct and I knew it wouldn’t take long. Now if Klay could just make some of the wide open threes he has been getting I would be much more obnoxious about it. The turnovers by the Warriors are killing them right now. The good news is there is still a lot of time left in this game.
Josh Biers (3:57 2nd): Stealmaster Conley! And Z-Bo is bullying the Warrior bigs in the paint. Memphis hasn’t committed a single foul in the second quarter and there is only three minutes left. Let’s see how both teams close out the half.
Matt Tuckness (3:00 2nd): Tayshaun Prince looks a lot like ET. We should make sure to put a side by side of the two of them in this commentary. These fouls are suspect right now. The warriors need to be more aggressive and get to the line. It can’t take 8 minutes before they draw their first foul. Back to 10! Make that 8! Don’t call it a comeback!
Josh Biers (2:43 2nd): Shut up Matt. Any team can take advantage of a deficit if Tony Allen is shooting threes.
Matt Tuckness (2:13 2nd): Ah, but the true challenge is getting him to take the 3. A very hard thing for most NBA teams to do. 4 point game!! There is just something beautiful about Steph letting 3 guys run by him and nailing a transition 3.
HALFTIME
Josh Biers: I’ll admit that the Warriors are hot as they went on a run during the last three minutes of the second quarter. Steph was nasty as he showed off his handles and created some excellent shots for his team. But it was the defense that let them back in the game. Iggy’s active hands generated about three fast breaks for them during that span of three minutes and that’s what’s going to win them the game. The Warriors are excellent on the fast break and if Memphis doesn’t take care of the ball more, they could be ending the night with a loss. Key things to look for next half: Can Z-Bo get back into the groove? Will the Warriors maintain their momentum? How many more threes’ will Curry hit? Thankfully, this game hasn’t been as painful as we anticipated it to be.
Matt Tuckness: Oh, we still have the second half ahead of us Josh. And I can almost guarantee that the 4th quarter of this game will be a slugfest. The Warriors defense is what wins them games. Not only does it do the obvious of preventing the other team from scoring but it generates so much offense that they become almost impossible to stop. It reminds me a lot of the 2008 Celtics. Creating wide open 3 pointers for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce from their suffocating defense. If the Warriors can just limit their turnovers and keep up the defensive intensity they will be tough to stop in this 2nd half.
Tony Allen #9 of the Memphis Grizzlies shoots against the Golden State Warriors on November 9, 2013 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee
Josh Biers (9:38 3rd): It pisses me off that if Curry is cold, Thompson gets hot and vice versa. It’s near impossible for teams to match-up with both these players. So far, the Warriors have clawed their way within two, after taking a brief one-point lead before giving up a Mike Conley three. Great ball movement for both teams and Tony Allen is doing a great job of running the baseline.
Matt Tuckness (9:12 3rd): Josh I would like to introduce you to who us Warriors fans affectionately call the Splash Bros. To young whipper snappers who can make it rain from anywhere on the floor at anytime. If I see Tony Allen make one more baseline layup I may scream. The Warriors need to get out of this zone. The Grizzlies are gashing them in it right now.
Josh Biers (6:51 3rd): Both teams are scoring at a ridiculous pace right now, and they’re almost only hitting three’s. ET’s at the line looking to extend the Grizzlie’s lead to five, and he does; 72-65 Grizzlies. Stealmaster Conley does it again on the inbounds play! Rats. Z-Bo gives it right back. Great game so far guys.
Matt Tuckness (5:14 3rd): I would like you to know that the title of Stealmaster is owned by Chris Paul who is the master of steals. Draymond Green has played exceptional defense on Z-bo this quarter creating a steal and a block. The Warriors need to continue to hang in this game and strike late in the 4th to steal it.
Josh Biers (4:58 3rd): Well the Warriors might have gotten themselves back in the game at the beginning of the second half, but they sure need to dig themselves back out as they’re down by thirteen, 84-71. Z-Bo is making Draymond Green look lost and confused. Mike Miller is lights out from beyond the arc tonight and Memphis is shockingly looking like the more efficient offensive team. Uh oh! Jermaine’s in the game! poor timing as he’ll probably eat up some offensive possessions with poor decisions.
Matt Tuckness (0:37) The Warriors have made a little run to cut it to 9 only to have Draymond get a technical. It really took away any momentum that the Warriors had in closing out this quarter. The Warriors defense has been non-existent in this quarter. Their legs just haven’t been in it. The final game of a road trip is always a tough one but I really expected a better showing from the Warriors on the defensive side of the ball.
Josh Biers (End of the 3rd): I agree. After watching three quarters, I imagine the Warriors will probably be on their last legs and I doubt they’ll be able to sustain enough energy to make a comeback down 13 in an away game. My prediction with one quarter left? The Grizzlies blow this game open halfway through the quarter and we get to see some garbage action.
Matt Tuckness: I never count the Warriors out as long as the Splash Bros are on the floor!
Josh Biers (9:15 4th): David Lee has just fouled out (he made poor decisions while playing in foul trouble) and the Warriors have taken a crucial blow to their hopes of winning this game. Draymond Green has been completely inefficient in guarding the block and has missed on all but one of his three-point attempts. To win, Mark Jackson has to push his team to run and gun, and judging by the way they’ve looked so far, I just don’t think they have it in them.
Matt Tuckness (9:15 4th): I am slightly optimistic with David Lee fouling out. For the first time all year we may seem some semblance of the Warriors playoff lineup. Steph, Klay, Igua, Barnes, Bogut. This should be exciting to watch if Mark Jackson plays them. That line-up could be deadly.
Josh Biers (6:26 4th): A Marc Gasol tip-in makes it a 16-point game, and then Conley puts in a fast-break lay-up to make it a 18-point lead. this could be the knock-out blow, but we’ll see what Mark Jackson does when we return to from break.
Matt Tuckness (5:19 4th): And Mark Jackson has waved the white flag by bringing in the reserve unit to close out the game. This was a tough one to watch as the Warriors were dominated in almost every facet of the game. This is the worst I have seen them look all year. It was a promising game last night against the Spurs, but one that couldn’t be followed up by a team that just didn’t have enough in the tank at this end of this tough road trip.
Marc Gasol
Josh Biers (4:22 4th): Maybe tough for you Tuckness, but certainly not for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the beating the Warriors took. However I can sympathize that Curry was not 100%, the Warriors were coming off a heartbreaker with the Spurs last night, and they’re on the last game of their road trip. It’s turned into a rout as the Grizzlies are up by 23 and four minutes to go. Golden State has some serious work to do on their free-throw shooting and turnover woes.
Josh Biers (1:02 4th): There’s a minute left and it looks like Matt Tuckness has taken a shot to the face. He’s slow to respond to my jibes and his eyes are wandering towards the liquor cabinet.
Matt Tuckness: I can’t belirgirve thewof warrios leet me donen tonifht…. Give me anifhr shorr!
Josh Biers: Well that’s all for tonight guys. The Warriors kept it respectable for three quarters, but were unable to keep up with the Grizzlies. They lost 108-90. Join us next week for our NBA commentary and hopefully our Los Angeles correspondent Ryan Rodriguez will be with us.
