Chat » rt hitting greens again and give myself chances. Made four

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA for reasons passing the obvious. Bold moves and commitment have put the Warriors atop the standings in the NBA. They havent lost since the Hoover Administration and are the associations most lethal two-way threat. They rank third in scoring and sixth in opponents scoring. Doesnt take an analytics nerd to figure that yields a high margin of victory. The Warriors win by an average of 10.9 ppg. Thats also first. The Splash Brothers are headed to the All-Star game, deservedly so. Steph Curry is a statistical freak of nature. Hes sixth in scoring, fifth in assists, eighth in steals, third in free-throw shooting and first in 3- pointers made. Klay Thompson is 14th in scoring, eighth in 3-point shooting percentage and fourth in made 3-pointers. Even Curry has emerged into a legitimate NBA defender and Thompson was already considered an elite wing stopper. So, yes, the Splash Brothers are studs who carry this team offensively. The nickname is still stupid, but the point is they are All-NBA caliber guys. Their importance is paramount to be clear. It is not singular to the Warriors obscene success to this point. Steve Kerr came into the Warriors coaching job as the trendy name this offseason. He brushed aside the courtship of one of his mentors, Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks, to take the Golden State gig. Hes a west-coast guy and the rosters werent comparable, so it made sense. It wasnt the easiest transition in the history of business transactions. Former coach Mark Jackson resuscitated this franchise, but was shown the door because of some friction with ownership. Jacksons players were fiercely loyal to their former coach, but now, it looks like Kerr has been their uncle for eternity. The group plays beautiful team basketball and Kerr made perhaps the biggest, boldest decision he could make from the beginning. He reinserted Harrison Barnes into the starting lineup in favor of Andre Iguodala. Barnes started as a rookie two seasons ago, then went to the bench when Iguodala was signed in the summer of 2013. Getting maximum output from Barnes has been crucial to the Warriors success. Building him back into the productive player he was as a rookie was a tough task for Kerr. I think he needed to play this year, Kerr said after Thursdays victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Last year was a tough year for him. He needed to play and let loose. Hes taken advantage of the minutes. Draymond Green is a similar story. He played quite a bit in the last playoffs under Jackson, but now, hes becoming vital. And their presence has given Golden States biggest asset to date - their ability to switch on defense. With the exception of Andrew Bogut, every player in the starting five, and much of the bench, can switch any pick-and-roll on the floor. Thats the strength of our defense really, along with Bogs protecting the rim, the versatility on the wings, the ability to switch and get out on 3- point shooters, Kerr said. Bogut is undervalued, but Kerrs decision to tweak that starting lineup has been genius. It was a brash decision. Iguodala signed a four-year, $48 million contract in 2013, meaning, a man making a shade over $12 million was demoted for a third-year guy who lost his spot a season prior and a second-round pick in Green. Its brilliance is how its enhanced the second unit. Iguodala isnt the explosive player he once was, but can still get the oppositions shirt. Shaun Livingston was signed in the offseason after a career redefining season with Brooklyn in 2013-14. Marreese Speights averages 12.4 ppg in 15.8 minutes per game. We have enough scoring coming off the bench, but the fact we can continue to defend even with our starters off the floor, thats a really big factor for us, said Kerr. And the bench should get enhanced shortly. David Lee has played all of seven minutes for the Warriors this season, but is expected back shortly from a hamstring injury. Kerr should be committed if he tinkers with that first unit, so where does Lee fit in? We are talking about a two-time All-Star who averaged 18.2 ppg and 9.3 rebounds a night for Golden State last season. We need him. Well find ways to play, noted Kerr. It may mean a few less minutes for Harrison and Draymond. We have great chemistry and guys are playing for each other. When David comes back, and things change rotation- wise, guys are going to accept it. And that demonstrates another beautiful aspect of this Warriors team. This is a cohesive group that doesnt let ego get in the way of a good thing. Sounds simple and obvious enough, but in 2014, how often does that really happen? Theres nothing better in the NBA than being on a team like this where you have good guys and youre winning, Kerr said. For veterans like Iguodala and Lee to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the group is too uncommon. Barnes and Green are better players right now and better fits in Kerrs schemes, which are predicated on versatility. And good on Kerr for going with whats best. Iguodala and Lee make a combined $27 million and were integral to the development and success of Golden State. It would be easy to play favorites to the veterans, especially in your first gig and especially considering the potentially fragile nature of the group after what transpired with Jackson. But Kerr put his horses on display and its working. It also doesnt hurt that Kerr has gone younger during this process. We talk about the development of [a franchise] is when your young players develop, said TNTs Reggie Miller. Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have gotten better each year. Thats why the Warriors franchise is in good hands moving forward. Its in great hands now. RANDOM THOUGHTS - Good for the Philadelphia 76ers. No one wants that record of worst start to a season. They play hard, they work hard, so good for them. The all-time worst record of 9-73 is, however, in play. - Potential Western Conference All-Star guards: Curry, Thompson, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Monta Ellis and Damian Lillard. Frontcourt guys: Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge and Zach Randolph. That doesnt account for the fact that Kevin Durant will probably fare well in the fan vote and Dwight Howard was superb before injury. - The Los Angeles Lakers are 5-14, but 1-13 within the Western Conference. So, that should show how bad the East is that LA is 4-1 against them. - You love the Washington Wizards? I do. Theyre loaded. Going to be a force in the Eastern Conference, right? The Atlanta Hawks are a game behind them. The always .500, duller than taupe Hawks could be the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference by the end of the weekend. - Movie moment - Im a sucker for the Oscars, so its cool to me that one of my favorite character actors - J.K. Simmons - is sounding like a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actor. Before you look him up, he was the dad in Juno, the psychiatrist in Law & Order, the hideous white supremacist in Oz, is the yellow peanut M&M and currently is the dean of students for Farmers Insurance. What range. - TV moment - My son was acting up a bit on Thursday night so my girlfriend put on the live screening of Peter Pan on NBC. He said, am I in trouble? I was harsh on The Sound of Music and Id never watch that, or Peter Pan voluntarily, but I respect those involved. They knew scorn was coming, but did it anyway. Daniel Palka White Sox Jersey . Sijsling, ranked 74th in the world, was leading 6-0, 4-1 when his Italian opponent called it quits after just 39 minutes on court. In a match pitting together two qualifiers, Michal Przysiezny of Poland defeated local favourite Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) for only his second Tour win of the season. Omar Vizquel Jersey . Mike Vecchione tied it at 2 with 4:01 left in the first, Saskatoon native Eli Lichtenwald gave the Dutchman the lead 57 seconds later, and Daniel Ciampini capped the spree with 2:57 to go. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/1744e-frank-thomas-jersey-white-sox.html ." Bach is in Rome for the European Olympic Committees general assembly and meetings with Pope Francis. He also visited with Italian Premier Enrico Letta. "The prime minister appeared to be interested in a bid from Italy for 24, because he has realized that the games can serve as a catalyst for development for a city and a country," Bach told The Associated Press on Saturday. Dylan Covey White Sox Jersey . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat. Adam Engel Jersey . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do.MOBILE, Ala. -- Anna Nordqvist moved into position for her third victory of the year, shooting her second straight 6-under 66 to take the third-round lead Saturday in the Airbus LPGA Classic. The 26-year-old Swede, the winner in Thailand and Carlsbad, had a 16-under 200 total on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trails Magnolia Grove complex. "All I can do is put myself in a position to have a chance tomorrow and I felt like Ive done that," Nordqvist said. "Last year, I was in the final group and I was playing well and there was a lot of people coming from behind, so I know this golf course, you can never relax. You always have to keep pushing forward and trying to make birdies because if you dont, someone else will." Nordqvist played the front nine in 5-under 31, birdieing Nos. 2-5 and 9, and added a birdie on the par-5 16th. She has only one bogey -- on her fourth hole Friday -- in 54 holes. "I felt very confident and very comfortable," Nordqvist said. "Got off to a really good start and just tried to keep the momentum. Had a pretty good finish the last three holes, so Im very happy with the day." She set the course record last year, shooting a third-round 61 en route to a fourth-place tie. "I definitely know I can score on this course," Nordqvist said. Catriona Matthew, the 44-year-old Scot who led after each of the first two days, was a stroke back after a 70. She bogeyed three of the first five holes to drop to 10 under, then birdied five of the last 15 -- including three of the last four. "I obbviously got off to a terrible start with the three bogeys when everyone else is making birdies," Matthew said.dddddddddddd "Just knew there was a lot of chances there on the back nine if I could just hang in and try to start hitting greens again and give myself chances. Made four birdies on the back nine, so not the greatest round, but didnt play myself out of it." She won the last of her four LPGA Tour titles in 2011. "I think you come into every tournament wanting to win it, so that was my goal, to come here and win," Matthew said. "Ive been playing well all year, just not holing any putts. So if I can get my putter going, things can go well." Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, the 2012 champion who needs to finish solo third or higher to take the top spot in the world from Inbee Park, was third after a 66. Park missed the cut Friday. "It was a pretty solid day," Lewis said. "Definitely could have been a lot better, so I like that going into tomorrow that I didnt play the best round today. I left quite a few out there, but still made a lot of birdies and got the ball in the hole." She won the North Texas LPGA Shootout three weeks ago for her ninth tour title. Michelle Wie, Jessica Korda and 18-year-old Charley Hull were tied for fourth at 13 under. Wie shot 66, Korda 69, and Hull 71. Wie had a bogey-free round. "I felt like theres a lot of low scores out there, so I was just trying to keep up with everyone else, making birdies," Wie said. "Hopefully, I can have another low one tomorrow." ' ' '