You can be an NBA champion and a serious candidate for your own succession, and lose in quick succession to Charlotte and Detroit! This is the sad record of the weekend of the Warriors who therefore turned the other cheek against the Pistons. Back-to-back, the Warriors spent their time chasing after the score in the second half, and inevitably, at some point, we get exhausted and we lose (128-114).
Still, the Warriors had gotten off to the best start. Stephen Curry is Stephen Curry, Ty Jerome is valuable off the bench, and Jordan Poole brings the usual spark, and Golden State switches to the lead after 12 minutes (37-29). We tell ourselves that the quack of the day before is forgotten. Except that the team is clumsy (4 out of 21 from 3-pointers in the first half) and above all it does not want to defend. Result, Cade Cunningham easily cuts the first curtain, and the Pistons sign a 29-9! Saddiq Bey wakes up, Isaiah Stewart puts in 3-pointers, and Jaden Ivey joins the party. At the break, Detroit leads by 8 points, and Golden State has conceded 63 points…
But the worst is yet to come. Back from the locker room, the Warriors have no legs, and Cunningham continues his festival. The Pistons take a 19-point lead in three minutes (76-57). Poole stops the bleeding but Bogdanovic answers him. The back of the Warriors insists and he scores 12 points in a row! Dwane Casey has no choice but to take a time-out (79-72).
The gap is stabilizing, but the Warriors still refuse to defend … At each close, most often signed Curry, the Pistons respond in stride. Better, Bey scored two 3-pointers in a row, including one on Curry’s nose. The All-Star point guard lowers his head. The Warriors will not return, and they bow 128-114.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— The Warriors’ lack of defense. 128 points conceded… The Warriors don’t want to defend this season, and they still haven’t finished a game without conceding 100 points. Moreover, the opponents have become accustomed to reaching 100 points at the end of the 3rd quarter. The proof again this night with Detroit. The real problem is at the rear. The first curtain is quickly overwhelmed, and then the aids are no longer enough. Result, faults, and many shots conceded: 38!
— The efficiency of the five of the Pistons. The holders of the Pistons have almost scored as many points as all the Warriors combined: 111 points, against 114… Deprived of Klay Thompson, spared, the Warriors drank the cup, and all the holders have a +/- negative. Conversely, of course, the Pistons made the difference when the incumbents were on the floor, and we will remember their big activity with two “double-doubles” signed Isaiah Stewart and Cunningham.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Cade Cunningham. A year ago, at the same time, the leader of the Pistons did not put a shot from afar! This summer, he worked on his “pull-up jumper”, and it’s a formidable weapon. Bigger than Curry or Poole, he hurt them a lot with this shot, but also with his vision of the game. A real conductor, who finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.
✅ Saddiq Bey. The Pistons’ leading scorer, Bey stunned the Warriors in the final quarter with those two straight 3-pointers. Adroit, he is a permanent danger, and he is the one who benefits the most from the gaps created by Cunningham.
✅ Bojan Bogdanovic. The Croatian celebrated his new contract with another solid game. Difficult to do more profitable since he planted 21 points with eight shots! The former Jazz winger does the group a lot of good with his accuracy and discretion. It is the team’s all-risk insurance.
⛔ Andrew Wiggins. It’s the ghost of the player from the last Finals. Clumsy, Wiggins is late in defense, and we see him less going to the fight on the rebound. The Canadian is good when the team is good, and it is not he who can shake up a group.
THE FOLLOWING
Detroit (2-4) : double tour of Milwaukee, Monday and Wednesday.
Golden State (3-4) : trip to Miami on Tuesday evening.
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