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Tag: Harrison Barnes

Clippers Sail into Third, Hawks Rise Eight Spots (Power Rankings: April 12, 2017 Edition)

Seemingly recovered from injury, Chris Paul is playing at a high level as he chases his first championship ring (Verse Photography/Creative Commons).

We’ve reached the final day in a historic NBA season packed with nearly unprecedented statistical seasons by some players, monstrous single-game outbursts by others and a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs for almost all of the teams in the league. On Wednesday’s final 14-game slate, six playoff seeds are still yet to be determined: 1, 2, 7 and 8 in the East and 4 and 5 in the West. Thirteen teams have already been eliminated from further contention, and the rest hope that their fortunes will be on the rise. This will be the final edition of our power rankings this season, but as a reminder, you can chart how every team has fared in our rankings over the course of the season with the interactive graph atop the Power Rankings landing page.

Biggest Jumps: Atlanta Hawks (+8), Minnesota Timberwolves (+6), Los Angeles Lakers (+6)

Biggest Falls: Philadelphia 76ers (-7), Denver Nuggets (-6), Dallas Mavericks (-5) Continue reading

Can Mavericks Forward Harrison Barnes Become an NBA Star (Featuring Jason Gallagher, Andy Liu)?

Now a member of an injury-ravaged Mavericks squad, Barnes is often expected to carry the bulk of his team's scoring load (Matthew Addie/Creative Commons).

Now a member of an injury-ravaged Mavericks squad, Barnes is often expected to carry the bulk of his team’s scoring load (Matthew Addie/Creative Commons).

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This special Harrison Barnes-themed episode draws upon the perspectives of Dallas Mavericks fan Jason Gallagher, who currently serves as a multimedia editor at The Ringer, as well as Andy Liu of Warriors World, to try to determine Barnes’ ultimate potential in the NBA. After four years with the Golden State Warriors, including the final two that resulted in NBA Finals appearances, the 24-year-old forward signed a four-year max contract with the Dallas Mavericks. While Kevin Durant has taken his starting spot on the league’s most dominant team, Barnes has been tasked with carrying the injury-riddled Mavericks on his shoulders. So far, the individual results have been mixed, while the team has struggled badly. Without further ado, enjoy the show, and check out some excerpts from the episode if you’d like:

Jason Gallagher at 3:57-4:12: “They’re kind of playing in a nothing-to-lose sort of mentality at this point, and so I think that him learning to develop these skills of leading a team without the pressure of having to win games is good for a young player.”

6:17-6:44: “I really like Harrison on defense…and specifically Harrison when he plays the 4 he’s found a lot of success as well, especially on defense, in exploiting bigger players. He’s showing himself to be a versatile guy, and you really have to start thinking that way with Dirk [Nowitzki] on his last legs.” Continue reading

Waxing Warrior, Media Negativity and Locker Room Reporting

Kevin Durant had some pointed comments about the media's treatment of Kobe Bryant this season. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

Kevin Durant had some pointed comments about the media’s treatment of Kobe Bryant this season (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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The podcast warriors wax Warrior, as they delve into why Splash Brother Klay Thompson has not been splashing as much, Festus Ezeli’s promising development and coach Luke Walton’s reluctance to rest his stars. The trio also takes sides on a couple of juicy player battles with the media: Kevin Durant vs. the media on their treatment of Kobe Bryant and Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut’s beef with Utah Jazz writer Ben Dowsett on locker room reporting.

Music: “Who Likes to Party?” by Kevin MacLeod

Andy Liu: The Warriors Are “Cocky as Hell”

Harrison Barnes has been a huge part of the Warriors success this season. (nikk_la/Flickr)

Harrison Barnes has been a huge part of the Warriors’ success this season. (nikk_la/Flickr)

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As Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors continue to make history, Andy Liu of SB Nation’s Golden State of Mind comes by to drop some knowledge. He opines on the team’s dominant 19-0 start, Stephen Curry’s MVP play, the Warriors’ biggest weakness (huh? they have one?), their underrated front-office selflessness and so much more.

Here are some juicy bites:

6:30-6:55 Curry’s core strength: “He’s bigger now than he was before, but really the way he’s moving his body is allowing him to stay more grounded and less flimsy when he’s running around. And I think that’s really helped in terms of allowing him to drive aggressively without getting hurt, without getting scared of getting hurt.”

14:30–14:50 The Harrison Barnes enigma: I think he’s overrated in terms of the potential he has…but he’s also underrated in that some people on the other side of the spectrum think he’s not very good…and he only makes open shots and he does what he has to do because it’s easy.”

16:30-16:55 Draymond Green’s importance to the dominant, small-ball lineup: “The ‘death lineup’ doesn’t happen without him. And he’s also the most vocal guy on the team, easily. They call him the heartbeat…he’s the guy that brings the fire out.”

Continue reading

The Still Undefeated Warriors and the Aesthetically Pleasing Hawks

Reigning MVP Stephen Curry has managed to add 9.8 PPG to last season's scoring average as his team sits pretty at 14-0 (Noah Salzman/Wikimedia Commons).

Reigning MVP Stephen Curry has managed to add 9.8 PPG to last season’s scoring average as his team sits pretty at 14-0 (Noah Salzman/Wikimedia Commons).

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Despite Aaron’s absence, Joshua and Loren revisit the Hawks conversation that began with Lang Whitaker earlier in the week. We touch upon Atlanta’s mounting injuries and how those might impact such a well-balanced Hawks squad even more than a typical star-centric team. Although new acquisition Tiago Splitter might not be garnering too many minutes in the early season, we talk about the types of contributions he can make come playoff time.

In the second segment, we reflect on the Warriors’ exhilarating comeback Thursday night against the Clippers. The Dubs’ small lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green has been killing teams in their limited minutes together so far. Should that unit be utilized more? And how integral is the team’s second MVP, Draymond Green? Finally, despite the embarrassing national TV loss, Joshua details what encouraged him about the Clippers’ performance Thursday.

Music: “Who Likes to Party?” by Kevin MacLeod

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