Phx-Suns.Net

Mori Chu wrote:If I were the Warriors, I wouldn't be too depressed about losing Game 3. They had a lot of encouraging signs in defeat, like Steph Curry finally finding his shot, or David Lee emerging as a usable weapon.

But Game 4 has become a must-win for them. If they drop both in Cleveland, it's over.

Most Golden State Warriors fans probably have never heard of Nick U'Ren. As the special assistant to the head coach, U'Ren quietly stays behind the scenes doing whatever he can to make Warriors coach Steve Kerr look great.

But after U'Ren suggested the drastic lineup change for the Warriors – starting Andre Iguodala in place of center Andrew Bogut – that helped them beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-82 and even the NBA Finals at two games apiece Thursday night, Kerr felt it was only right to give U'Ren a shout-out.

"He's behind the bench, he's 28 years old, he's a kid," Kerr said. "We have a staff that is very cooperative. Whoever has the idea, it doesn't matter. And he brought me the idea."

"I went and brought it up at dinner to mixed reviews, which is fine and totally normal," U'Ren said.U'Ren refused to give up on the idea and did more research. He watched the Spurs in the first halves of Games 3 and 4 of last year's Finals. He began to believe even stronger that if the Warriors went small like the Spurs it would work well against Cleveland. After Walton also embraced the idea, U'Ren sent Kerr a text at about 3 a.m. on Thursday suggesting Iguodala replace Bogut in the starting lineup.

"I just explained that they started Diaw instead of Splitter and starting Andre is something to consider," U'Ren said. "We wanted to tell him in time to watch the film for himself and make the decision."

Kerr woke up to the suggestion and liked it because he believed it would help the Warriors increase the game's pace. It didn't hurt that Iguodala also had played well in the series' first three games, averaging 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and four assists off the bench while doing a respectable job of defending James.

Back when Kerr was the Phoenix Suns' general manager from 2007-10, he hired U'Ren for the video department. U'Ren worked for three general managers in Phoenix before Kerr hired him with the Warriors last offseason. During their time together, U'Ren has built a level of trust with Kerr.

Wally_West wrote:Thought this was interesting.

Most Golden State Warriors fans probably have never heard of Nick U'Ren. As the special assistant to the head coach, U'Ren quietly stays behind the scenes doing whatever he can to make Warriors coach Steve Kerr look great.

But after U'Ren suggested the drastic lineup change for the Warriors – starting Andre Iguodala in place of center Andrew Bogut – that helped them beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-82 and even the NBA Finals at two games apiece Thursday night, Kerr felt it was only right to give U'Ren a shout-out.

"He's behind the bench, he's 28 years old, he's a kid," Kerr said. "We have a staff that is very cooperative. Whoever has the idea, it doesn't matter. And he brought me the idea."

"I went and brought it up at dinner to mixed reviews, which is fine and totally normal," U'Ren said.U'Ren refused to give up on the idea and did more research. He watched the Spurs in the first halves of Games 3 and 4 of last year's Finals. He began to believe even stronger that if the Warriors went small like the Spurs it would work well against Cleveland. After Walton also embraced the idea, U'Ren sent Kerr a text at about 3 a.m. on Thursday suggesting Iguodala replace Bogut in the starting lineup.

"I just explained that they started Diaw instead of Splitter and starting Andre is something to consider," U'Ren said. "We wanted to tell him in time to watch the film for himself and make the decision."

Kerr woke up to the suggestion and liked it because he believed it would help the Warriors increase the game's pace. It didn't hurt that Iguodala also had played well in the series' first three games, averaging 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and four assists off the bench while doing a respectable job of defending James.

Back when Kerr was the Phoenix Suns' general manager from 2007-10, he hired U'Ren for the video department. U'Ren worked for three general managers in Phoenix before Kerr hired him with the Warriors last offseason. During their time together, U'Ren has built a level of trust with Kerr.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-myster ... 09364.html

If anyone should be pissed, it should be Knicks fans seeing Shump, JR, and Mozgov playing in the Finals. The Knicks got absolutely nothing for two starting players that the Cavs were desperate for. And Mozgov has been a difference maker in the middle while the Knicks are currently looking to draft/sign a center. Even David Lee made his mark last night while the Knicks bought out Amar'e in the middle of the year.

jkalldaway wrote: His moves mid-season are what are currently keeping the Cabs afloat (Mosgov, Smith, Shumpert).