Podz who showed up vs. Spurs gives Warriors chance to thrive originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Brandin Podziemski, often a popular target for Dub Nation’s displeased keyboard gangsters, replied Sunday with the kind of game he’ll need to bottle for the Warriors to make a deep run in the NBA playoffs.
The second-year guard took the right shots, at the right time, and finished with a game-high 27 points. When passing was the obvious option, he chose it rather than holding or pounding his dribble. He did his usual GI Joe stuff, drawing charges from bigger players and grabbing more rebounds than befits his physique.
Moreover, Podziemski played determined defense.
Golden State becomes a real threat if those habits continue in the coming weeks, with the stakes getting considerably higher and the competition getting appreciably tougher than the deficient Spurs, unwitting victims of a 148-106 Golden State runaway in San Antonio.
“You get a night when nobody plays more than 25 or 26 minutes, that’s very helpful,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters at Frost Bank Center. “Big game coming against Memphis [Tuesday night], so we’ll be well rested and in rhythm for that.
“Big stretch coming.”
The Warriors (43-31) go into Memphis in sixth place in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, one game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers – and one game behind the Grizzlies. A win at Memphis would give the Warriors the head-to-head tiebreaker, effectively moving them into fifth place.
Sunday was, then, a TCB (Take Care of Business) game for the Warriors. They beat a team they were projected to beat and did it convincingly. Stephen Curry played 26 minutes, Jimmy Butler III 24 and Draymond Green 21. None of the accomplished veterans played in the fourth quarter because, for the first time since Feb. 25 against the Charlott Hornets, there was no need.
The Warriors know what those three can do, but there remains uncertainty about how the rest of the roster, with the lone exception being Kevon Looney, will respond to the rugged obstacles ahead.
Perhaps none of the complementary players is more pivotal that Podziemski, who starts alongside Moses Moody, Butler, Curry and Green. Podziemski is a primary ballhandler on offense and is first in the team’s rotation of point-of-attack defenders.
He was terrific against the Spurs, playing at a fast tempo from the start and finishing with a game-high 27 points on efficient 9-of-14 shooting from the floor, including a career-high seven 3-pointers in nine attempts. He added six rebounds, five assists and was plus-22 over 27 minutes.
“To start the game, we did a good job of keeping our man in front,” Podziemski said. “That led to runouts, a couple easy ones for Jimmy early. We put both together.
“Coach put an emphasis on starting strong [Saturday] at practice. But he also told us we’re 10-0 [now 11-0] with this group that we’re starting right now. He challenged us to be better; it puts less pressure on that next wave of guys we bring in to have to fight back for us.”
With the Spurs building fortress around Curry and Butler, Podziemski took charge of the offense. Podziemski was plus-14 in nine first-quarter minutes, making both field-goal attempts. He added three rebounds and three assists, with one sloppy pass turning into a turnover.
“We’ve been talking about getting off to better starts, and we got off to a great start,” Kerr said. “The offense was crisp, and the guys did a good job defensively.”
The Warriors needed less than four minutes to build a double-digit lead (15-5, with 8:09 left in the first quarter) before pushing the advantage to 17 entering the second quarter. They led by as much as 29 points before halftime and coasted from there.
“We put it in our own hands,” Moody said. “We didn’t wait on the rhythm to come to us. We went and found it ourselves. We played faster. We started faster. Defense was the key to it.”
Podziemski was relatively ordinary over the first three games of the road trip, two of which ended in defeat. He was stellar in the fourth and afterward displayed his ability to listen to the pleas of the coaching staff.
“Just being really, really good in the first four [minutes] and the last four of each quarter,” Podziemski said of Kerr’s message. “Not letting team teams feel good going into the next quarter. That’s the biggest thing. Those eight minutes every quarter, that’s a big 32 minutes out of the 48.
“If we can control those minutes – obviously teams are going to go on runs; they’re great players for a reason – but if we can win the first and last four of each quarter, we’ll be alright.”
If Podziemski can elevate his game to his level against better competition, the Warriors at least have a chance to be all right.
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