It's hard if you're a fure guy to control the flames. Guess about whom I'm talking. Draymond, are you reading this? Prrobably not, already in Boston in a hotel room dreaming about tying up Horford again, as you did in Game Two at Chase Center. You were "The Man" my man. You set the tone for the rest of the game. Your teamates picked up your vibe. The Celtics did not shoot so well with hands in their faces, did they? I loved the Fire, Draymond. But, please be careful that the flames don't burn you. The Warriors must have you playing not sitting in the locker room waiting for the league to fine you for a Flagrant Two.
I wonder how many people listend to Coach Kerr talk about Steph Curry's physical conditioning. All of us who've been Curry fans from the day that he stepped on the court at Oracle Arena should be able to see the difference between Steph's shoulders then and now. It's a visual. Coach Kerr praised his super star for that growth, for that intelligence of growth, for Steph's indomitable will. My wife, Melanie, once told me that Steph Curry is every grandmother's wish for a son-in-law. It's a good way to put it that as a model for youg men, there is no better one than Steph.
I was delighted to see how much better Jordan Poole played. I was delighted to see how delighted Steph Curry was when Poole hit that incredibly long jumper almost at the half court line. Leadership???
If thee is a most valuable player on the Warriors over the length of the playoffs, may I sugges he is Kevon Looney. I'm sure not one Warrior would argue with me. In the "old days" when I played, there used to be a way of describing Looney's talent for rebounding. We'd say, "he has a nose for the ball." We're not always talking about centers.
Shout out for Gary Payton II, coming off a fractured left elbow, his shooting arm, and playing D the way he did, and scoring and bringing energy up and down the court. You've found a home in the Bay Area and in the hearts of all Warriors fans.
There is a constant truth in the NBA: NBA Finals Championships are won by DEFENSE. End of story.
End of Blog.
PS. When will the NBA stop treating the Playoffs as a separate part of the season and wait until the playoffs are over to hand out individual awards. When? Write the NBA. Complain. I hope you flood the office. Most of the awards are usually right on, but others are not, such as Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player. Write, Write, Call, Instgrapm. Tweet, Email. Blog.
ODE TO THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 2015 By Tom Meschery
One small change and the line begins: Good luck,
timing, and the stars. This morning I’m still seeing
Curry’s three float through the sky of the arena
reminding me of a lesson in geometry:
An arc is a segment of the circumference
Of the circle – from foot (the flat plane of release)
that travels in silent degrees over the moon.
That it drops into the hoop is a matter
both of mathematics and imagination.
I am watching this arc with my arm in a sling
Having had my shoulder replaced with titanium,
A science of a lesser degree than the one
Curry, and his teammate, Thompson,
use to turn mathamatics into a sport.
As far as my titanium shoulder will allow,
I raise my arm to salute the Splash Brothers
And their teammates, three out of five,
Bogut, Barnes, and Green
And all the other players off the bench, Iguodala,
No small part of the equation called teammates.
And raise it up again through pain
To honor the others: players and coaches,
Gentry, Adams, and Kerr for his coaching
That were it not intense, looks much like joy.
Something so old inside me called desire
Yearns to play again, to shake off years,
Travel through the television screen
And be six-six again, called undersized
Like Draymond Green snatching rebounds,
Playing beyond our skills because we will it,
Because we know that timing gives us wings.
And wherever they are, the old Warriors,
Nate and Rick, Al and Jeff, I wonder, if like me,
They’re watching these new Warriors, Dubs,
Seeing how luck, timing, and the stars triangulate.
