Tag: Steve Kerr (Page 1 of 2)

Andy Liu on Warriors’ 2023-24: “This Thing Is Tenuous”

October 1, 2023 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Golden State acquired the 38-year-old point guard in a deal that sent Jordan Poole, draft picks and a couple others to the Wizards (@Warriors/X).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Creator and co-host of the Light Years podcast Andy Liu is back yet again, and for a record ninth time, no less. His task this time? Helping Aaron preview the Golden State Warriors as they attempt to bounce back from a 44-38 campaign, which saw them finish just six games ahead of the 11th-place Jazz and ultimately fall to the Lakers in the second round. Andy and Aaron discuss last season’s challenges, summer acquisition Chris Paul’s fit, Draymond Green’s leadership, Andrew Wiggins’ value and Klay Thompson’s future, among other timely topics.

7:31-8:39: “They tried to downplay it. They tried to make it seem like they would get through it. But that was the punch that ruined the season. It ruined Draymond Green’s standing as a leader. Nobody respected him or wanted to listen to him after that. … It wasn’t 100% Draymond Green’s fault, but any time something happens that’s like that, you end up not having the same voice you did if you’re Draymond Green. And I don’t think he’s had the same voice for a while now. … I think it just makes things very, very difficult for him to be that guy for this team. I think it works if you’re Steph and Klay. It doesn’t work if you’re Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga and some of these younger guys who don’t necessarily want to hear it from him.”

17:35-17:47: “Steve’s Kerr biggest job this season is to find a way to get Chris Paul to buy in on coming off the bench. Because if Steve Kerr can’t do that…this team is cooked.” Continue reading

Andy Liu: “More Mature” Warriors “Come at You Without Shooting 3s”

May 22, 2022 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Now the veteran leaders on the team, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have led Golden State back to the Western Conference finals with a different approach than years past (@Warriors/Instagram).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

After two seasons of missing the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors are back on the main stage, making their sixth Western Conference finals appearance in the last eight years. Ahead of Sunday night’s Game 3, they find themselves with a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks and are poised to make their return to the NBA Finals. Joining us for a record fifth episode is Andy Liu of the Light Years podcast, who never fails to bring both knowledge and passion when talking about the Warriors.

2:37-3:58: “In those comebacks, it was the defense that was great, but the Warriors rained 3s. It would just be left, right, Steph, Klay, Steph, Klay. And they would just do it repeatedly until they beat the other team into submission, and that’s not what it was last night. It really wasn’t. It was a lot of defense, of course…but it was just getting to the bucket. And I think a lot of that is Steph, Klay and (Jordan) Poole figuring out, like, ‘Hey, we’re great shooters, but that’s not our first option anymore.’ That’s different from what we’ve seen with the Warriors. Is it better? Maybe. It’s not as fun. The comeback is great, but everybody always wants to see Steph go dribble, dribble, dribble, step-back 3, but I think those are less sustainable in the postseason. It’s pretty cool to see a more experienced championship pedigree Warriors team kind of come back this way. It felt like more classic basketball versus the Warriors basketball that we’ve seen for a long time.”

6:13-6:38: “Luka Doncic is a traffic cone. Luka Doncic is amazing. He was damn near LeBron-like on offense Friday night with the way that he was making 3s and getting to the hole. But he doesn’t hold LeBron’s jock on defense. And he’s absolutely terrible. Andrew Wiggins was going at him, Steph was driving right by him, and this Dallas team is exhausted. They go seven guys, they have like two, three good defenders – none of them great – and the Warriors know that.” Continue reading

Andy Liu on Warriors: “It’s Safe Now to Love Steph” Curry

November 3, 2021 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Stephen Curry leads the league in points per game and 3-point field goals. Could a third MVP award be in his future (Instagram/@warriors)?

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

The Golden State Warriors have made their triumphant return to the upper echelon of the Western Conference behind an MVP-caliber start to the season from their star, Steph Curry. On this episode, Andy Liu of the Light Years podcast has made a similarly triumphant return to this podcast to discuss his expectations for the team this season.

2:55-4:16: “I think they could make the Western Conference finals. I think that’s their upside, and, you know, when you’re in that one series to get into the NBA Finals, anything can happen, especially if you have Steph Curry. … I think the worst-case scenario is just Steph Curry being hurt and if that happens, I mean, all right, here comes another lottery pick, right? But other than that, I think this team is bare minimum what that team was last season. They’re an eighth seed, seventh seed at the very least.”

5:06-4:30: “The amount of love Steph got when the Warriors went 15-5 at the end of last season with no chance of actually winning anything, it was incredible. It felt like everybody loved him, and he never got that same love when he was winning titles. … Steph is not a different player than he was in 2018 when they beat the Cavs. … He’s the same guy, but because the Warriors in the last few seasons, especially the last one, didn’t have a chance to win a championship, I think people are coming out the woodwork and saying, ‘All right, it’s safe now to love Steph.'”

Drafting and Dynasties With Pesquera, Ibañez-Baldor

November 17, 2020 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Guest Javier Pesquera believes LaMelo Ball is the 2020 draft class’ top prospect and accordingly expects him to go No. 1 to the Timberwolves (Foxlifevisuals/Creative Commons).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Javier Pesquera, roving NBA draft analyst and occasional consultant for The Stepien, returns to break down the fast-approaching 2020 draft. Then, after the break, Agu Ibañez Baldor stops by to discuss his book, “Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Teams in NBA History.”

*Due to dynamic advertising, time stamps may vary:

Javier Pesquera at 7:28-7:39: “At No. 1, I do have LaMelo Ball in his own tier by himself, and I think LaMelo Ball is gonna go No. 1 unless Minnesota actually finds a trade that they like, which I don’t think is happening at this point.”

12:25-12:42 (JP): “I think there are a lot of doubters as well. I do like him [Obi Toppin]. He has as much potential as anybody in this class, and that’s related to his physical tools. … The comparison to Amar’e Stoudemire pops in your head right away because of the way he leaps off the floor and the way he finishes in transition. He has that type of ability.” Continue reading

Melissa Isaacson: Bulls’ Title Run Was a “Magical, Magical Time”

May 17, 2020 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Michael Jordan hanging in the air (Momez/Creative Commons)

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Melissa Isaacson, former sports reporter for the Chicago Tribune, relives covering the historically dominant Bulls teams of the early 1990s, as she breaks down The Last Dance, the popular docuseries in which she appears. She also discusses her latest book, State: A Team, a Triumph, a Transformation.

Time stamps may vary due to dynamic advertising:

4:25 – 5:40: “Over the years, he [Michael Jordan] really has been sort of portrayed as this egomaniac, and he’s kind of helped along with that narrative. His Hall of Fame speech was taken in a way that I was sort of really shocked by. I actually really liked his Hall of Fame speech. It sounded to a lot of people like he was being selfish. … Hopefully the audience will see through the docuseries, those who maybe had one opinion of him, that the competitive side of him is crazy. No question. It’s on a level that…is not even close [to most people] – it’s not a stereotype – but that is exactly what makes him who he is, what makes him as great as he is. So there’s gonna be some eccentric qualities, but I would never ever call him an egomaniac, and I wouldn’t call him a mean person regardless of some of the scraps we’ve seen him get into with his teammates.”

9:43 – 10:44: “They [Bulls players] were all just really sensitive to me being pregnant. I have a lot of stories and a lot of memories of…guys interacting with me, Michael patting my stomach before he ran on the court every game when he came back [from his first retirement]. He’d look for me and pat my stomach for luck, I guess. Ordinarily you might be a little put off or uncomfortable, but, again, this is Michael Jordan. … It was just a magical, magical time. I felt blessed. I still feel blessed. A lot of people have asked, ‘Were you aware of how great it was?’ Oftentimes, it takes many years to look back and fully appreciate things. I fully appreciated it, I did, because it was clear that he was the best player in the world.” Continue reading

Dave Zirin: “There Is No Stay in Your Lane…All the Rules Are Gone”

October 11, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has become one of the league’s most vocal advocates on various social issues (Zereshk/Creative Commons).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

In these unprecedented times in which sports is constantly intersecting with politics and society, Dave Zirin of The Nation and the Edge of Sports podcast joins the show for an important conversation. Below, you can find some highlights from the interview:

6:31-7:18: “There is no stay in your lane at this point. All the rules are gone, and I think the very existence of Donald Trump should remove this idea, even as a debate. But the reason you’ve heard it step up in recent years is precisely because we have this Donald Trump[-led] racist backlash taking place in this country. And part of this racist backlash involves squelching voices of dissent. I would argue there’s been no cultural sphere quite like the world of sports in terms of being a center of anti-racist activism. It has been the voice, the clarion call, the moral conscience about racism in the United States over the last five years, dating back to, I would argue, the killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.”

12:49-13:18: “This has always been part of his [LeBron James’] DNA. This has always been a part of the kind of legacy he wanted to leave. So while LeBron James, I would argue, has been strongly affected by the Black Lives Matter movement, by social media, he’s also somebody who came into the league with this idea of thinking to himself, ‘I want to be a global icon like [Muhammad] Ali. I don’t want to be defined just by my bank account but [by] the kind of political contribution that I can leave behind.’” Continue reading

2017 NBA Finals Preview With Brendan Bowers, Andy Liu

June 1, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Despite having just surpassed Michael Jordan to become the all-time leader in playoff points, LeBron James may be facing the largest challenge of his career against the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

The 2017 NBA Finals are finally here. And no surprise…the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face off an NBA-record third straight time. These behemoths come in a combined 24-1 this postseason. The Warriors have won at least 67 games each of the last three regular seasons, whereas the defending champion Cavaliers boast a league-leading 120.7 Offensive Rating these playoffs. As if that weren’t enough, the second LeBron James-Kevin Durant Finals meeting will also be a key component, among a slew of fascinating storylines. To help us preview this highly anticipated rubber series, New York Times bestselling author Brendan Bowers and Warriors World’s Andy Liu team up to provide elite insight on these historic teams.

Brendan Bowers 5:57-7:14: “I think LeBron’s in his prime right now. And I’m not saying that prime’s gonna last X number of years. I don’t know how long it’s gonna last…If I was to guess one thing [as to] why is it the prime now: I think part of [it is] getting that championship for Cleveland, breaking the six-decade streak of no championships, doing it for his hometown, completing the redemption story. I think now that that whole thing is off his back, he’s just playing basketball, and he is, I think, playing it better than he ever has despite the athleticism that he had at 22, at 23, at 24. Continue reading

Jim Park: If Warriors Fall Short, Disappointment Would Be the “Understatement of the Century”

May 26, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Jim Park most looks forward to Stephen Curry proving he can perform at his best on the grandest stage of all (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

In advance of the NBA Finals, Aaron catches up with former Sheridan Hoops writer Jim Park about the Golden State Warriors’ dominance, Steve Kerr’s health-related absence and what, if anything, can slow down these rolling Warriors.

A season after winning an NBA-record 73 games and falling one win shy of their second straight championship, the Golden State Warriors are back to the Finals with a vengeance. There, they’ll be meeting a familiar foe in the form of the Cleveland Cavaliers, setting the stage for the third consecutive NBA Finals matchup between the teams. Storylines abound, including Kevin Durant’s long-awaited rematch with LeBron James on the biggest stage imaginable, but these teams’ recent dominance makes it all even more intriguing. Carrying over from the regular season, the Dubs have won 27 of their last 28 games, including a perfect 12 for 12 this postseason. For their part, the Cavaliers are enjoying a league-best 120.7 Offensive Rating these playoffs and, of course, have only been defeated once, a three-point loss to the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. Each team’s 2017 playoff Net Rating tops +16 points per 100 possessions.

Golden excerpts can be found below:

Jim Park 3:55-4:03: “Curry really found himself [basketball-wise] while KD was gone, and he really hasn’t looked back even when KD did come back.”

12:20-13:04: “They don’t let teams come back. It’s set up in such a way where other teams have trouble coming back, because, to start the fourth quarter, they have Curry sitting and they’ll have KD starting the game in the fourth quarter, and usually he’s eating. The second-unit guys can’t stop KD, let alone first guys usually, so that’s a tall order for most teams to try to overcome, especially when they’re down. So you really have to play perfectly and try to get out ahead of the Warriors in order to have any kind of chance. Because if you get down, forget it. No chance.” Continue reading

Andy Liu Actually Believes the “Warriors Are Underrated”

March 31, 2017 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Stephen Curry has gotten the Golden State Warriors back on track, and there’s now only one player in the NBA that Andy Liu is concerned about on their road to a championship: LeBron James (Erik Drost/Flickr).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Our favorite Golden State Warriors guest, Andy Liu of Warriors World, is back for a record fourth episode to discuss his team with us. After a brief stumble during which they lost five of seven games when Kevin Durant went down with injury, the Warriors look like they’ve righted the ship. They’re currently on a nine-game win streak, including four convincing wins against teams that will make the playoffs in the Western Conference: the Thunder, Grizzlies, Rockets and Spurs. Andy explains how a team that has by far the best Net Rating in the NBA, the best Offensive Rating and the second-best Defensive Rating, could possibly even be underrated heading into the playoffs. Check out these golden excerpts from the episode:

7:22-8:09: Andy explains why he never bought into overreaction that the Warriors were collapsing during the team’s recent slump:

“Kevin Durant had just gone down, and these guys were really shook up about it, and they had to adjust. In that adjustment period, Steph couldn’t hit a shot, the worst slump of his entire career. Klay was going through a slump as well. Draymond Green hadn’t shot the ball well all year and still isn’t. So they had a lot of issues on that end. They ended up going 2-5, and they played eight games in 13 nights. Since then, they’ve been great. They’ve also played a ton of trash teams. And the scheduling is going to get better from here. They’ve got six of seven at home to end the season…If there was a Finals game today, [Durant] would be playing, but he’ll be back in a week and a half or two weeks, so the team is fine again. That’s why I was never too worried about it.”

Rest for the Weary in Today’s NBA

March 24, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers both did not play during a recent national TV game against the Clippers, prompting a memo by Commissioner Silver about the issue. (Erik Drost/Flickr)

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Resting healthy starters is not exactly a new phenomenon, as LeBron James recently pointed out; heck, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been doing it for more than a decade. However, there hasn’t been a time in NBA history where the practice has stirred up such a high level of controversy and discontent. The panel aims to explore the issue from the perspectives of the commissioner, NBA coaches, current and former players and, of course, the fans. Be sure to get your rest in advance of the stretch run (we won’t blame you for taking care of yourself), but don’t sleep on this episode. Just don’t do it.

Music: “Who Likes to Party” by Kevin MacLeod

Tag: Steve Kerr (Page 1 of 2)

Andy Liu on Warriors’ 2023-24: “This Thing Is Tenuous”

Andy Liu: “More Mature” Warriors “Come at You Without Shooting 3s”

Andy Liu on Warriors: “It’s Safe Now to Love Steph” Curry

Drafting and Dynasties With Pesquera, Ibañez-Baldor

Melissa Isaacson: Bulls’ Title Run Was a “Magical, Magical Time”

Dave Zirin: “There Is No Stay in Your Lane…All the Rules Are Gone”

2017 NBA Finals Preview With Brendan Bowers, Andy Liu

Jim Park: If Warriors Fall Short, Disappointment Would Be the “Understatement of the Century”

Andy Liu Actually Believes the “Warriors Are Underrated”

Rest for the Weary in Today’s NBA

On The NBA Beat

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories