Golden State Warriors v New York Knicks (1/15/26)

Last night the Knicks took a 31-14 lead in the first quarter and it was a test for Warriors fans:  Are you confident or scared?   I have long maintained that the greats in Bay Area sports history give you confidence in the big moments, even in spite of growing up in the 1970s and "learning" that the home team was going to find some way to lose.

Now the Knicks were missing Jalen Brunson after he twisted his ankle just dribbling the previous night against the Kings, and the Knicks were on a back-to-back night on the road.  But we've seen this year's Warriors team fold behind big deficits, go cold and stay cold from the field, and chase to close the gap late but fall short.   It could go either way.

Fortunately, it went the good way.  The Warriors rallied to get back within five by the first quarter buzzer, tied it with one of Moody's many threes (Nice to see one of our guys do that again) with 8:42 left in the second quarter, take a 62-59 lead at the half, and never trail by more than one the rest of the way on the way to a 126-113 non-clutch victory.

I have observations to share, but the biggest takeaway for me is how good Jimmy Butler is.   Just watching him play is fascinating, as he has the kind of athleticism that Barry Sanders had - just a slight hint that he's going one way gets the defender to bite, and then he goes the other way under complete control.  How many times have we seen him lay it in with no hand within four feet of blocking him because the defender went the wrong way?  Or more accurately, because there is no right way; Jimmy can go the other way no matter what.  

 Then he does stuff like follow his own miss and putting it back or tipping it in, which takes so much athleticism when he has to bounce back from the position he was in after missing to beat one or more guys who didn't.  And he gets fouled often, giving the Warriors points, a breather, and one more step towards the bonus.  

Jimmy finished with 32 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, no turnovers, and 1 foul for a +15.  He's played 37 of 41 games this year, which is a 74 game pace that he's only topped three times in his career, the last being 2012-13 with the Bulls.  He's given them the best non-Steph minutes since Durant.  How happy does Steph have to be that he can rest on the bench without anxiety?

That was a trade that was questioned (yes, even by me) that has only come up roses.  Sorry Heat and Wolves fans... you're just going to have to keep hoping we'll be disappointed. 

Observations

1. Sideshow Podz had another excellent game with 19/5/2 for a +22 in 25 minutes.  We had just been talking about his hook shot when he sidestepped into the lane and made one.  The announcers called it "An LA Fitness" move, joking that it's old crafty guys who take that shot.  He also hit two rainbow jumpers at the shot clock buzzer from the right baseline, one a three and one not.  Then he caught a couple of TD passes for layups near the end when the Knicks threatened to get close.
2. Stephen Curry is such a complete player.  He not only makes every kind of shot (including circus), his defense has gotten so good that no one tries to pick on him any more.   He makes steals with quick, anticipatory hands, keeps guys away from their attempted shots with quick feet, and makes passes downcourt that are on the money.   Always a joy to watch.
3.  OG Anunoby is a goddamn force of nature.  A guy that big, strong, and fast who wants to get to the hoop is a freight train.  But when OG's unstoppable twos are answered with Steph's unstoppable threes, say goodnight Dick.
4.  Jimmy's braids are back.   He's our fashion icon too.  I mean, competing with Steph's shoes, that is.
5. Refs did a good job.  I can't think of any truly blown calls, and I agreed with all their review decisions. 
6. A little too much Bad Dray last night.  He deserved that flagrant for grabbing KAT by the ankle.  He was 1/4 shooting (all threes) and passed to the corner for one of Moody's two misses instead of finishing.  And he made low percentage passes in the key that got picked off twice.  More below.

This might seem unrelated, but the great thing about Joe Montana that you can't tell from just highlights is that he always put the ball exactly where it was supposed to go.  If a receiver ran a good route, the ball would be right where his arms naturally go, away from any defenders, and a catchable ball.   Lesser QBs will much more often miss the spot, either by location or timing, or put up balls that the receiver has to "Go get," meaning they have to beat the defender to it.  

Dray makes too many passes that either aren't going to make it, or require something special from the guy trying to convert.   It's not that he never makes those great Joe Montana passes, but if he could just stick to those and not try the others, he'd be better.   And I do think a player's degree of aggression and risk-taking are conscious choices, even in a split-second. 

That's it for me today.  What's everyone else got?