Rachel Nichols: Breaking down Boogie Cousins' defense: Is it a problem for Warriors?

You have a 70+ win team and you add one of the 5 best players in the NBA to them. That doesn't tip the scales that just kicks the scale over.

 

I don't view it as cut and dry. People always view this as all or nothing. It wouldn’t have been. You don’t just eliminate Harrison Barnes, not get KD and get nothing, for example.

In a "worst case" scenario Barnes is re-signed, the roster is filled out beyond that, and Draymond doesn't kick players in the nuts.

As far last year... again, this isn't popular thinking, I get that... but I still think KD has a tendency to hurt the Warriors as much as help at times. The Rockets were up because of their defense. Part of the reason their defense was working was because it resulted in mismatches and the Warriors or at least KD thought, I have a mismatch, I've got to attack this!!! The reality is, the Warriors were at their best, in the 2nd half of Game 6 and 7, when Steph and Klay were going off, that ball movement was kicking, etc.

Don't get me wrong... on the whole KD is a plus. He produced as well. But they have a tendency to get bogged down at times, and Houston encouraged that effectively.

It's the sole reason for holding out hope this year, imo. Not only can KD do that, but now with Boogie, plus Boogie's defensive inefficiencies.

 

You do bring up an excellent point that the Warriors deviated from their free flowing ball movement offense to play more iso-ball during last year's WCFs. Forgot about that.

 

We will just have to agree to disagree. Durant has been one of the three best players in the world and has been the Finals MVP in both his seasons with GS.

 

I believe in the first 24 minutes of his first Finals game with GSW, KD had six first half dunks. Six... mostly wide open dunks.
https://247sports.com/Bolt/All-of-K...alf-dunks-against-the-Cavaliers-52988877/Amp/

I'm not too swayed one way or the other by whether he was the Finals MVP or not.

Clearly, dude is a best of a player, top whatever... just they were first in offensive rating the season before he came. They were great before. He improved their defense more than anything.

 

My cousin breakin down n boogie!

 

Durant is their counter to the switch everything defense.

If they dont have Durant last year we straight up crush them.

 

Exactly.

 

I think this season is their last hurrah. Too many signs of internal dissension - KD is not happy and it is clear to me that he has some dissatisfaction with the org and Kerr. The team badly mishandled Klay and his willingness to take a paycut and has now put him and his agent in a position where they will have to make sure they dont get short-changed (recent reports indicate that he wants a max contract now). Boogie has always been a lightning rod and his return to the court has hurt the teams cohesion. Looney and Jerebko are UFAs after the season and will expect substantial pay raises, and Boogie is as well and will probably want 10-20M/season. I am hopeful they lose in the playoffs and would love nothing more than to see us take them down, but even if we dont, it will be sweet to see them come down to earth after KD jets and the roster stays in salary cap hell with a team that cant get past the second round of the playoffs and ends up being more of a 3-5 seed.

 

They are so scared of capela

 

Boogie can only beat nuggets and thunder.

Can Draymond n bogut guard hardens lay up?

 

Bogut, Cousins, Draymond, and Durant in the same locker room? What could go wrong?