If Sunday’s 120-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers showed anything, it’s that Warriors players aren’t interested in tanking.
With Golden State’s first-round draft pick hanging in the balance, many Warriors fans are hoping their team loses games. Their team is no doubt obliging, having now lost five straight and 10 of their last 12.
But coach Mark Jackson is happy to report it’s not because they’re tanking.
“It’s important for us in the locker room to leave that outside the locker room,” Jackson said. “Leave it off the court. It has nothing to do with us. … Their thought process shouldn’t be draft choice and tanking games.”
Certainly, the Warriors didn’t quit Sunday. To beat the Warriors, the Lakers needed Kobe Bryant to score 40 points – one night after he missed his first 15 shots in a win over New Orleans.
Golden State opened April in a familiar position: headed for the draft lottery. That, of course, sparks an annual debate. With the playoffs out of the question and draft positioning at stake, should the Warriors embrace losing for a better draft pick?
That question looms especially in Warriors-land since Golden State needs to get one of the top seven picks in order to keep its 2012 first-round selection. “Tanking” has become a trending topic on social media and the blogosphere. Many Warriors fans even cheer for opposing teams at Oracle Arena.
The chants only figure to get louder as Sunday’s loss, however valiant, left the Warriors’ 11/2 games behind Detroit for the eighth-worst record in the NBA and 21/2 behind New Jersey, Sacramento and Cleveland. For that matter, Golden State is three games behind Toronto for fourth-worst.
If Golden State lands the No. 8 pick or lower, it goes to Utah based on a trade from 2008. The lower the Warriors finish in the final standings, the better their chances are of keeping their first-round pick.
“I understand it as a fan,” Jackson said. “I grew up in New York City and I was a fan, obviously, of the New York teams. So I get that mindset – as a fan. But as a fan, I wouldn’t want my team, the people that’s in the battle, to have that mindset.”
Still, Jackson said it’s dangerous to buy into that mindset. That’s why he’s noticeably upset after tank-worthy performances such as Friday’s home loss to the Nets.
“You can’t ask guys to shut it down today,” Jackson said, “and then tomorrow tell them to put their foot on the gas pedal and never quit.”
Jackson has something working in his favor. Most of his roster wouldn’t benefit from tanking. The Warriors have six guys playing for a contract (or an extension) next season and three rookies trying to establish themselves in the league.
What’s more, Jackson’s best player available, David Lee, isn’t the type to mail it in. Lee finished with 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 41 minutes Sunday.
Golden State trailed by as much as 15 points in the third quarter and entered the fourth down 89-76. But the Warriors made a game of it with a 20-8 run over the first five minutes of the final period. Rookie Klay Thompson – who finished with 18 points – capped the run with a fast-break layup at the 7:02 mark, cutting the Lakers’ lead to 97-96.
A 12-3 Lakers run, capped with a 3-pointer and a stare from Bryant, put the Warriors down 109-99 with 3:44 to play.
But Golden State answered with another run. With 1:21 left, the ball made its way to Warriors swingman Richard Jefferson. After he drilled the 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to three, Lakers coach Mike Brown called a timeout.
In that moment, tanking was the furthest thing from the Warriors’ mind.
“I’m proud of this group,” Jackson said. “Not just tonight but all year long. We’ve had every excuse tailor-made for us and never used it. Tonight, once again, we battled and put ourselves in position.”
- Center Andris Biedrins returned to action after missing seven games with a strained right groin. He totaled just over 18 minutes, finishing with five rebounds and a steal.
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Warriors rookie Charles Jenkins left the game midway through the third quarter with a left knee contusion after banging knees with the Lakers’ Pau Gasol. Though he was able to return, according to a team official, Jenkins sat out the rest of the way.
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Rookie center Mickell Gladness signed a contract that guarantees him for the rest of the season. Then he promptly left the team. A family matter caused Gladness to miss Sunday’s game. He’s expected back in the next few days.
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Lakers center Andrew Bynum sprained his left ankle in the first quarter. “He was able to walk out fine,” Brown said about Bynum.
