Game Day: Warriors (19-17) @ Suns (23-11), Thurs 3/4/21

[Nodack]

Way to finish the first half of the season as the hottest team in the NBA.

[ShelC]

[ShelC]

Good win last night, took care of business before the break and got our starters some rest. Great game from the bench and it really shows how deep and versatile we can be. Nader's got a nice all around game so long as he stays within himself. There are definitely times when he's too aggressive on offense and thinks he's needs to try and score everytime the ball gets to him. I like his two-way ability tho and knowing he can come off the bench and make an impact is a big boost and should come in handy playoff time.

Glad Book's injury doesn't seem that serious. He wasn't right in the 2nd half and it was obvious. Good thing it wasn't his knee.

Really happy Payne picked up his play last night. He's been up and down all year with a few injuries but looking forward to him putting together a full 2nd half. I'd hate for him to be a guy in-and-out of the lineup that you can't rely on. We're just a better team when he's out there clicking on both ends. I still like Moore but he's not a fulltime PG and I don't think he and Book found a balance on the court they way Book and Cam have sharing the ball.

Dario with one of his best games as a Sun IMO. He's a fun player to watch, very Boris-esque and could end up one of the better bench players in the league if he can stay healthy.

Solid game from DA as well. We've been looking for him inside a bit more lately and it's been working well when he makes a quick move for a score, especially in transition when he's gets deep position in the paint. Also thought we threw and completed more lobs last night than any of game. Book's gotten a lot better at the lob and DA is getting better at anticipating the toss when he's rolling.

Aside from a few losses that were most likely due to the team adjusting and learning on the fly, couldn't ask for a better 1st half of the season. Guys look a lot more comfortable within the offense, playing faster, passing and cutting and sticking to it for the whole game.

[Wally_West]

[Split T]

Heard Monty after the game mention how they really like what Nader brings and to expect more of him the second half of the season. Sorry Saucy

[bajanguy008]

Man it was hard to watch Book, I'm sure that once the trainers diagnosed it wasn't the knee and more sore quad/charlie horse that Monty knew Book would want to go in the 3rd. I'm sure he probably realized early on that Book trying to run it off wasn't exactly working, to Book credit tho he was doing the decoy thing a decent amount of time and just setting up the others. Those times he couldn't help himself and still decided to attack were No Bueno, anyways glad there was nothing to discuss regarding if to play the 4th

Such an enjoyable game from Payne, I know it was Warriors 2nd team but he was just moving at a different pace to everyone else including our guys. The flare with the dishes tonight and his dribbling made me think of Brandon Jennings for a minute

[Furlanfufi]

Now I like him even more!

[Mori Chu]

Moore and Galloway have been nice bench guards for us this year, but really, we need Payne to be at his best. He's the true PG off the bench, and the reserve offense flows so much better when he is playing well. I know Monty is trying different lineups against different opponents, but I think he should really prioritize making sure Payne has a consistent role and minutes. He will be important in the playoffs.

Our key guys seem to be:

starters: Paul, Booker, Bridges, Crowder, Ayton
bench: Payne, Saric, Cam Johnson, Nader

with contributions here and there from guys like Kaminski, Moore, Galloway, etc. That is a really good and deep team. A few too many guys in there who you don't know what you'll get offensively from night to night (Ayton, Cam, etc.) but still a really deep and impressive roster.

[Split T]

Agreed. Payne is the big X-factor to our bench. I’d say Ayton in the starting unit. If we get bubble Cam and DOMINAYTON in the playoffs, we can win the title this year.

[Superbone]

Better late than never!

[specialsauce]

Agreed. Payne is the big X-factor to our bench. I’d say Ayton in the starting unit. If we get bubble Cam and DOMINAYTON in the playoffs, we can win the title this year.

Titles.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I feel like a lot of Suns fans have forgotten how the playoffs work. None of this regular season stuff matters in the playoffs when these teams are playing every other day in a seven game series. I'm anticipating a lot of slander going towards Ayton when it's become obvious that opposing coaches are game planning to attack his weaknesses.

[Ring_Wanted]

I feel like a lot of Suns fans have forgotten how the playoffs work. None of this regular season stuff matters in the playoffs when these teams are playing every other day in a seven game series. I'm anticipating a lot of slander going towards Ayton when it's become obvious that opposing coaches are game planning to attack his weaknesses.

In no way I am expecting Ayton to 'dominate' in the playoffs, but his floor is pretty high, in the sense that over 30 mins he is still going to give you his rebounds, versatile defense and garbage points.

Or at least that's what I expect, because what are they going to do? Try to deny his post game? He has none. Stay close to him? He doesn't even shoot anymore, and surely doesn't put the ball on the floor. Focus on his rolls to the basket? Be my guest, so Paul/Booker can have an easier way to create for themselves or the snipers. Box him out to keep him away from the glass? They'll need two guys and somebody will be left open (and Ayton will still catch some balls; he is really a great rebounder). And one uderrated skill he has is that his passing is really fast and accurate most of the time, the ball never sticks to his hands.

The only way I see to render Ayton unplayable is to actually take him out of the game by going hard at the rim and getting him in foul trouble, especially given the way refs have been this season. But if they don't get the calls early they can see themselves in a deep hole pretty fast the way we shoot and execute in that half court. And we have to believe that if the opposite team focuses too much on Ayton on defense, Paul/Booker will take advantage of it.

[BKinSJC]

I feel like a lot of Suns fans have forgotten how the playoffs work. None of this regular season stuff matters in the playoffs when these teams are playing every other day in a seven game series. I'm anticipating a lot of slander going towards Ayton when it's become obvious that opposing coaches are game planning to attack his weaknesses.

Isn’t slander if it’s true. And if he can be easily attacked and played off the floor in the playoffs, then that’s something the team should know.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I feel like a lot of Suns fans have forgotten how the playoffs work. None of this regular season stuff matters in the playoffs when these teams are playing every other day in a seven game series. I'm anticipating a lot of slander going towards Ayton when it's become obvious that opposing coaches are game planning to attack his weaknesses.

In no way I am expecting Ayton to 'dominate' in the playoffs, but his floor is pretty high, in the sense that over 30 mins he is still going to give you his rebounds, versatile defense and garbage points.

I'm talking about when defenses play zone or switch everything and allow a guard to defend Ayton. That's when Ayton will be exposed as we've seen he can't reliably take advantage of a mismatch, so his teammates are reluctant to get him the ball.

Smart teams will defend the three point shot and funnel Paul and Booker into lower percentage jump shots.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I feel like a lot of Suns fans have forgotten how the playoffs work. None of this regular season stuff matters in the playoffs when these teams are playing every other day in a seven game series. I'm anticipating a lot of slander going towards Ayton when it's become obvious that opposing coaches are game planning to attack his weaknesses.

Isn’t slander if it’s true. And if he can be easily attacked and played off the floor in the playoffs, then that’s something the team should know.

I'm sure they already know it because a lot of us who've been watching closely know it's an issue.

What I'm trying to say is that Ayton is the key to this team being a real contender. Payne and Saric are great when rolling, but they're not going to win a WCF or Finals series in those roles.

[Ring_Wanted]

I feel like a lot of Suns fans have forgotten how the playoffs work. None of this regular season stuff matters in the playoffs when these teams are playing every other day in a seven game series. I'm anticipating a lot of slander going towards Ayton when it's become obvious that opposing coaches are game planning to attack his weaknesses.

In no way I am expecting Ayton to 'dominate' in the playoffs, but his floor is pretty high, in the sense that over 30 mins he is still going to give you his rebounds, versatile defense and garbage points.

I'm talking about when defenses play zone or switch everything and allow a guard to defend Ayton. That's when Ayton will be exposed as we've seen he can't reliably take advantage of a mismatch, so his teammates are reluctant to get him the ball.

Yeah, that will look ugly. But my point is that you can't do that over a whole game and expect to get away with it when you also have to pay attention Paul and Booker. If one of them is defended by a big, they are in trouble. If I was an opposite coach, I wouldn't base my plans on trying to stop Ayton; he does that by himlsef well enough. Just let him have his garbage and keep Paul, Booker and the shooters from getting hot.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I feel like a lot of Suns fans have forgotten how the playoffs work. None of this regular season stuff matters in the playoffs when these teams are playing every other day in a seven game series. I'm anticipating a lot of slander going towards Ayton when it's become obvious that opposing coaches are game planning to attack his weaknesses.

In no way I am expecting Ayton to 'dominate' in the playoffs, but his floor is pretty high, in the sense that over 30 mins he is still going to give you his rebounds, versatile defense and garbage points.

I'm talking about when defenses play zone or switch everything and allow a guard to defend Ayton. That's when Ayton will be exposed as we've seen he can't reliably take advantage of a mismatch, so his teammates are reluctant to get him the ball.

Yeah, that will look ugly. But my point is that you can't do that over a whole game and expect to get away with it when you also have to pay attention Paul and Booker. If one of them is defended by a big, they are in trouble. If I was an opposite coach, I wouldn't base my plans on trying to stop Ayton; he does that by himlsef well enough. Just let him have his garbage and keep Paul, Booker and the shooters from getting hot.

That's what I meant by attacking Ayton's weaknesses. His weakness is a lack of situational awareness and subsequent execution.

I think that'll be the downfall of the team this season, and really, that's OK. But an urgent and possibly uncomfortable decision will need to be made in the summer. Will Ayton show enough in the playoffs to make the team think that he's going to grow more? Or will he be under a hot spotlight of criticism because it's clear to the national audience that he's mostly a role player?

[Superbone]

It's cool that we can all talk about what will be the downfall of this team before the all-star break.