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Got a suggestion for the Warriors. Rip up the identifiers “San Francisco” and “Golden State Warriors” along the baselines. For one thing, they’re a touch pretentious. For another, fans should know where they are (the price of garlic fries should provide a clue) and who is playing (even if you don’t know all their names).
Instead lay down something meaningful, something that speaks to the current Warriors roster. Something like this:
“When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose”
That’s how the sub Dubs played Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Down 63-60 after a hard-fought first half, the Warriors pushed the pedal, outscoring Portland 67-55 in the second half for a 127-118 victory, their second triumph of the season.
With the wounded Warriors — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — cheering from the sideline, the “In Case of Emergency, Break Glass” Warriors played spirited, uninhibited roundball.
If you don’t know Eric Paschall, the Warriors second-round pick from Villanova, you should. Paschall dropped 25 points in a loss to Charlotte on Saturday. Afterwards he allowed that scoring the ball is fun and all, “But I’d rather have the ‘W.'”
Monday, on his 23rd birthday, he had it both ways: 34 points (plus 13 rebounds) and the victory.
Draymond congratulating Paschall on his big night. pic.twitter.com/xk1sv5SGcg
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) November 5, 2019
Then there was Jordan Poole, the Warriors’ first-round draft pick from Michigan. He had 16 points and five assists. In addition to the data, he showed up with attitude.
Late in the second half Poole put Blazers guard (and proud son of Oakland) Damian Lillard on roller skates and drained a go-ahead 3-pointer. For context. Lillard was the guy who buried 45-foot dagger 3 to close out a playoff series last spring.
This Poole step back though 👀 pic.twitter.com/XK5tj9CLyZ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 5, 2019
You could have called it — Portland’s Rodney Hood later gave Poole a blindside shove as they ran down the court. I imagine the sass Poole threw back at Hood was worth the technical foul. Remember, these guys have nothing to lose.
https://twitter.com/TheRenderNBA/status/1191596760248004609
Finally, rookie point guard Ky Bowman gets a rise out of 6-foot-10, eight-year veteran Hassan Whiteside — who claims the nickname of Count Blockula for his own. Just throwing it out there.
Ky Bowman ain't taking that chicken wing from Hassan Whiteside without words pic.twitter.com/9ETLPqri1G
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 5, 2019
So there you have it. Not at all what the Warriors and their fans envisioned a couple months or so ago. But Curry wasn’t complaining Monday night.
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