FOURTH QUARTER:

** Nice job of gathering a defensive rebound in traffic for Turiaf.

** Such an unnecessary turnover for Belinelli there. Just a waste.

** Great defensive possession for the Warriors: Jackson stymies Pierce on the switch, and then when Pierce does get free, Biedrins closes out to force a missed jumper.

** Belinelli looks like a stuntman on some of these illegal pick calls that he’s drawing; there is contact, certainly, but he’s maximizing the effects to trick the camera — or, in this case, the referee.

** It was such a good first quarter for Jackson, but it’s all gone downhill from there. That drive showed the hardheadedness that derails Jack at key times.

** And then, of course, he comes up with a spectacular block to make up for it.

** Assuming that’s a designed blitz by Biedrins on the screen-roll, Azubuike HAS to overplay Rondo better to the other side.

** The Celtics are getting no pressure on the offensive glass with their small lineup this time around.

** And that’s the Warriors’ first lead since 9:40 of the first.

** I know they’re without Kendrick Perkins, but I really am surprised that Doc’s going to stay small. That lineup is not working for him tonight. Where’s Leon?

** Erik: Yeah, he still is, although it’s been far from perfect. Which is kind of the way it’s been for much of the team: Marco’s been great at recognizing when the 3-ball’s open versus when to pass, but he’s had way too many silly turnovers. Brandan Wright dished out the ball to a couple of open shooters on the 3-point line, but shot below par, especially by his standard.

** The Celtics’ tiredness is showing — Rondo short-arms a wide-open layup that would have ended the Warriors’ 13-0 run. The Warriors have to take advantage.

** C.J. Watson hits a pair of contested pullups in a row? The Warriors must be fated to win this game.

** Great effort by Azubuike to keep Eddie House from getting a second open look, rewarded with a block that, as it turns out, has sealed the game.

** And Patrick O’Bryant adds one more game to his total as Don Nelson’s human victory cigar.

THIRD QUARTER:

** I believe that extends the Warriors’ lead over the rest of the league in “Offensive Rebounds Allowed Off Opponents’ Missed Free Throws.”

** That’s two assists in as many minutes for Brandan Wright.

** Nice slalom for a 1-on-2 bucket…

FOURTH QUARTER:

** I feel like D’Angelo Barksdale, with Don Nelson as Stringer Bell: WHERE’S BRANDAN, NELLIE? WHERE’S BRANDAN?

** Less than 9 minutes left, and the Warriors still need 18 points to avoid their season-low.

** I can’t decide if I’m more impressed with the Warriors’ ability to stay in touch with the Heat because by virtue of their defensive work, or if I’m just appalled at Miami steadfastly refusing to blow out Golden State.

** Season low was 79 vs. the Grizzlies in Memphis.

** Nelson misses a WIDE-open 8-footer after knocking over Wade. If he can’t hit that, he’s not going to stick in this league.

** Spoelstra technical gets the Warriors back to within 4 points. As a ref, when you blow a call that blatantly, you have to admit it and just take your lumps.

** Well, if it was a tank job, it was well done. If it wasn’t . . . well, that’s just too ugly to contemplate.

THIRD QUARTER:

** 5-on-3 Heat break for a dunk after Joel Anthony blocks the shot and outraces two Warriors downcourt.

** Hey, it’s a play for Brandan Wright!

** The endless procession of fadeaway jumpers continues. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the point of a motion-based, drive-and-kick offense to make up for the fact that you don’t have great natural instinctive scorers on the floor by getting shooters open looks?

** It’s a shame that Wright, in light of how well he’s scoring right now, couldn’t have stayed on the floor longer in Orlando or Charlotte.

** Watson blocked trying to dunk on a break? Awful. Just truly awful.

** CC: re Wright. Yup. Can’t understand it.

** Are we sure that these teams aren’t playing a permanent 4-on-5 at both ends in some strange NBA experiment?

HALFTIME:

** A quick breakdown of Miami’s scoring during the 24-5 second-quarter run that put them back in charge. In retrospect, I blamed Belinelli too harshly for the ridiculous Daequan Cook 3-Point Tourgasm.

3 points — Cook 3-pointer off a Udonis Haslem offensive rebound (Randolph closed on Cook’s first trey, but just stood on the right wing while Cook moved to open space).

6 — Cook banks a 3-pointer as Anthony Morrow is late with the closeout.

8 — Wade rubs Nelson off a Shawn Marion pick, lays up over Randolph.

11 — Cook 3 left corner. Morrow late again after being forced to sag on Haslem, who was rolling from a S/R with Wade.

13 — Haslem…

POSTGAME:

** Erik: I don’t know if it was Rowell trying to light a fire under Nelson. (I mean, anybody who tries to use a motivational ploy on a guy who’s used every motivational ploy ever made is simply asking to get schooled in the art. Plus, Rowell has to know by now that he can’t really control Nellie with another $12 million guaranteed.)

I think it may be simply a case where Nelson got frustrated with the inability of this team to defend, so he washed his hands of the whole thing. I mean, on a night like tonight, when the media asks him about Orlando’s rampant 3-pointers, will Nelson just say, “Talk to Keith. That’s his deal” and leave it to Smart to provide an explanation?

FOURTH QUARTER:

** More off-balance jumpers off the dribble! Fun for everyone!

** If I didn’t get paid for this, I’d be changing the channel.

** Hey, wait a minute . . .

** This is just putting the whip to an equine carcass on the Magic’s part.

** Was anyone else a little bit surprised that Marcus Williams didn’t get to the scorer’s table and realize that he hadn’t bothered to put shorts on under his warmups?

** For all the talk on how “white hot” the Magic were, let’s be honest — the Warriors did not help themselves on many of those made 3s by Orlando.

** OH MY. Anthony Randolph to J.J. Redick: I drink your milkshake! I DRINK IT UP!

** I don’t know, CC. That was a pretty hideous get-trapped-in-midair-with-nowhere-to-pass moment for Williams right there.

** Well, at least the Warriors will get to Miami with plenty of time to hit South Beach.

THIRD QUARTER:

** Golden State’s DRR for this game is a stunning 80 percent so far.

** Another example of the limitations of the +/- stat: Wright is tied for the lead on the Warriors’ side at +3.

** Crawford giveth, Crawford taketh away.

** It’s interesting how the Warriors are trying to make lemonade out lemons with Biedrins. He can’t hit a thing inside, spooked by Howard, but instead of just cutting him out, they use him as an unexpected perimeter facilitator.

** Good adjustment by Stan Van Gundy to feed those corner 3s to Nelson rather than Keith “Brick” Bogans.

** Watching Lewis rail that 3, you get the feeling that even if the Warriors were to come back and tie things up, they’d just go to Lewis and…

By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

Warriors coach Don Nelson has admitted on multiple occasions that his team’s small lineup couldn’t match up, talent-wise, with what the opposition put on the floor on a given night.

Against Charlotte on Saturday, that equation was flipped on its head: it was the Bobcats who couldn’t hang with the Warriors’ two-tower configuration of Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf and three wing players.

For one 6 1/2-minute stretch in the third quarter, the Warriors outscored the Bobcats 23-6 using a lineup of Biedrins, Turiaf, Kelenna Azubuike, Jamal Crawford and Marco Belinelli (replaced near the end by C.J. Watson). That was the turning point in Golden State’s 110-103 win; the stretch ended with the Warriors up 81-69, and Charlotte never got closer than five points after that.

The Turiaf-Biedrins lineup played a total of 10:37 on Saturday, after getting some (less successful) run against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday:

Those two games represent the fifth- and sixth-highest total of playing for the Turiaf-Biedrins configuration this season, and you have to wonder how much of that is due to any added influence has gained Keith Smart as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Smart has no problem using the young bigs — recall the game in Houston when Brandan Wright didn’t sniff a second of playing time until Nelson was ejected, and then Smart brought in Wright almost immediately, helping spark one of the team’s only decent stints on the evening — and dumping small ball when necessary.

Of course, it might just be simpler than that. During most of the 23-6 stretch, Charlotte’s Larry Brown, who never met a 12-year veteran he didn’t like, was trying to get by with Juwan Howard at the 4 alongside Emeka Okafor, and the Warriors pinpointed that spot as something to exploit.

Howard was overmatched by Turiaf at both ends of the floor; in 12 offensive possessions, the Warriors ran their screen-roll with Turiaf as the big four times, scoring a total of eight points on those plays. Turiaf also handed off the ball twice in the high post to a curling Crawford, who knocked down an open 3-pointer off one of them with 5:17 left in the third.

There are distinct differences in the Warriors’ S/R with Turiaf as the screener versus Biedrins. Since Turiaf’s own offensive arsenal features much more mid-range jumpers (as opposed to Biedrins’ game, which is much more based on rolling through the lane), he’s able to sell out…

FOURTH QUARTER:

** CC: You’re right — Belinelli is already light-years ahead of Jamal as a defender.

** Biedrins with five fouls; unless Nellie sends out Kurz and Turiaf up front, it’s up to smallball to maintain the lead until the final stretch.

** They leave Biedrins in . . . high-risk, potentially high reward.

** Or, high degree of flip-flopping.

** There’s little more delating than having your opponent drain a 3-point desperation heave with 2 on the shot clock.

** Unless, of course, it’s having your opponent come right back with a trey of their own.

** Not to be needlessly negative, but this game brings back memories of closing with the small lineup against Miami during the Heat’s visit to Oakland.

** Down 5, 28.3 seconds left, and you airball an FT? That’s brutal, Emeka.

** I’m surprised Crawford didn’t tackle Marco there.

** 50 at the line for Crawford seems like a bit of a cheat, but that’s a wrap.

THIRD QUARTER:

** If Azubuike can make that feed to Wright, it’s a dunk.

** Jr Honda: I hear what you’re saying, but Ellis is staying in Oakland, working on his rehab, which is a better use of his time.

** Eddie: They would fill the exact same role on this team, which is why I never put much stock in that specific rumor.

** Let’s see if the Biedrins-Turiaf pair works any better than last night.

** Good job by AB of menacing Felton’s shot but retaining rebouding position all the while.

** Wallace uses that same cradle-the-ball-in-your-arm-like-it’s-a-football drive that Azubuike and Monta Ellis favor. It may be effective, but damn is it ugly to watch.

** Crawford is moving into that realm where he could win this thing single-handedly, at least at the offensive end. He’s already had a pair of 50-point games in his career; a third would move him up to a tie for fifth on the list of 50s among active players. The rest of the list:

Kobe Bryant 23
Allen Iverson 11
LeBron James 5
Tracy McGrady 4
Shaquille O’Neal 3
Gilbert Arenas 3

** He still has problems sharing the ball, but give Azubuike credit: This is his best ball of the season.

SECOND QUARTER:

** Is it bad to admit that I kind of forgot Ryan Hollins even existed?

** It’ll be interesting to see how Belinelli deals with drawing greater attention on offense based on this litle spree.

** With four rebounds already, Kelenna Azubuike is having another nice floor game, but his offensive…