The Games Are Over, Let the Blah Blah Blah Begin

 The Lakers victory over New Orleans was surprising, but Sacramento pummeling the Golden State Warriors was almost shocking.  Depending on who is talking, Sacramento played above their capabilities thanks in large measure to a raucous home crowd and Golden State had a bad night; or, the young Sacramento team beat up on the old Warriors.

So their season is over, and the talk about what changes will be/should be/must be/might be made has already begun.  What a din it's going to be for months and months! 

 In their postgame interviews, Steve Kerr and Draymond were slightly in shock but philosophical, Kerr taking the long view and praising this team for sticking together, while Draymond seemed convinced that the current Warriors could have a better year next year.  There's a case to be made for that, in that the rotations changed so much and so many times during this rocky season, only stablizing in a mostly impressive late season run.  But Steph's slightly shocked postgame response was a little different: "I just want to win," he said repeatedly.  He may love this team as it is, but it sure sounds like he's ready for it to change.

The question everyone is focusing on is the future of free agent Klay Thompson.  That he had the worst shooting game of his long career (the first time in nearly 1000 games that he's played more than 12 minutes and not scored) is not a great last impression, and complicates matters further.  Personally I believe it was fatigue.  When a reporter repeated in the presser after the New Orleans game that Coach Kerr said he was going to rest players for the upcoming Utah game, and asked what Klay thought of that, he welcomed the idea of rest, and noted the end of season heavy travel and back-to-backs.  He was tired, and yet played more than 20 minutes against Utah, carrying the scoring burden without Steph.  The game might have meant something but it turned out to be meaningless: the Warriors would have been in 10th win or lose.  A tired Klay might have been the difference in the play-in, though as Coach Kerr said, the Kings physically dominated.

To be realistic, this loss is of limited consequence for them this year.  The Lakers play Denver in the first round, and if it lasts 4, 5 or even 6 games, they will lose.  I'm not sure the Warriors could beat Oklahoma City in 7, but I really doubt they could beat Denver.  Their chances of coming out of the second round, let alone the first, were always dim.  

The real consequence of this not even close loss is that it's the last impression of the season, and increases pressure on the Warriors front office to make big changes in the off-season.  As Kerr said, the West was very competitive this year--with its 46 wins, the Warriors would have been a playoff team last year.  And it seems the West is only going to get stronger next year.  San Antonio is going to be better, Memphis is likely to be better, Sacramento--though whether they even get into the playoffs this year seems to depend on Zion's health in their upcoming play-in game in New Orleans--is a young team that's likely to be better.  In addition to making next season a steeper mountain to climb, it also may limit the talent available to the Warriors in trades and free agency.

So there may be action in the off-season but there most definitely will be talk, talk, talk.  I hope to avoid it.  On the other hand, it's an election year and so the news will be no refuge.  Well, there's the WNBA.  There will be basketball there.

Play-In Set, Starts Tuesday

 The Golden State Warriors won their last game of the season against Utah, but the help they needed from other teams didn't materialize, and so they start the play-in at the 10 position, meaning they will need to win two elimination games on the road just to get into the first round of the playoffs.

The crucial difference was that even though the Dubs defeated the Lakers last week, they lost to New Orleans at home, while the Lakers defeated the Pelicans on the road on Sunday.  Sacramento also won their final game.  So now the Warriors travel to Sacramento for the first play-in game on Tuesday.  If they win it, they play the loser of the Lakers v. Pelicans.  

The other consequential outcomes on Sunday mean that the Phoenix Suns avoid the play-in after all, and the #1 seed is Oklahoma City, with the Nuggets and Timberwolves behind.  So if the Warriors win the play-in games, they will face the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

The Warriors played Utah Sunday at home resting Steph and Draymond, but Klay Thompson, who after the New Orleans game had expressed a desire for a rest day, was left to carry the scoring burden with 25 points.  A banged up Kuminga didn't score at all, though he had the most assists of his career.  With starters and the usual second team getting a bit more than 20 minutes each, Coach Kerr emptied the bench, giving a few players a rare appearance.

So how do things look?  The Warriors are more banged up than they were a month ago, but many other teams have equal or worse injury problems.  That's going to make these play-ins and playoffs less than predictable.  The Warriors had a tough end of season schedule in terms of excessive travel and several back-to-backs, so fatigue may also be a factor.  

Still, the Warriors will be expected to win in Sacramento.  Their likely opponent then will be the Lakers, despite LA's big win against New Orleans Sunday, especially if Anthony Davis is out with the injury he apparently suffered at the end of Sunday's game (he led all scorers with 30.) Also, Le Bron played heavy minutes.

  Either of the 9/8 teams is beatable, though both have defeated the Dubs at least once this season.  Can the Dubs handle the Lakers with both Le Bron and Anthony Davis on the floor?  They haven't in their past two victories over LA.  The Dubs go into the play-ins with some momentum (while Sacramento does not), but so do New Orleans and LA when their stars are on the floor. On the other hand, if the Warriors win both games, they won't have to face Denver in the first round, with those match-up problems.

But first they have to get past the Kings.  They may not have Gary Payton II available, Kuminga may not be fully healthy, and Podz continues his puzzling lack of scoring, putting more of a burden on a weary Klay Thompson.  Still, Kerr has a lot of faith in the Draymond/Jackson-Davis combination to augment Steph and hopefully Klay, and in general Kerr expressed a lot of optimism about the team peaking now.  Andrew Wiggins has been playing well lately, even after his ankle injury (he had 19 points Sunday.) Defense has stepped up a lot, but the Dubs still haven't conquered their propensity for turnovers.  So it's Tuesday, game on for the play-in.

Meanwhile, congratulations to Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who hit his 300th career home run on Sunday.  The former National League Most Valuable Player joins such revered Pirates greats as Willie Stargell and Ralph Kiner on the 300 dingers roll, though unlike them, Andrew didn't hit them all while playing for Pittsburgh. Still, he hit 216 as a Pirate, placing him just behind Roberto Clemente on the all time list.  I've seen him play in both the Pirates and SF Giants uniform.  He was one of the few real stars for the Pirates in the decades after the Barry Bonds era in Pittsburgh, with a lot of joy and charisma as well as the skills that made him an exciting player.  

He remained a fan favorite in Pittsburgh and a fixture in the city, especially when he married a Pittsburgh girl and maintained a home there.  He returned to the Pirates this season by his own choice as well as the club's, and he seems destined to retire there as a player and perhaps remain with the Pirates organization.  This too is in an older tradition of Pittsburgh sports, when it wasn't unusual to see a couple of former Pirates managers sitting together in the ballpark stands.