ducks
10-17-2005, 09:08 AM
Dunleavy's versatility boosts Warriors' hopes
By Marcus Thompson II
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
HONOLULU - There's no question point guard Baron Davis is the Warriors' best player. There's no disputing that guard Jason Richardson is right behind him. The two have to play well for the Warriors to be successful.
But the X factor, the difference between a playoff berth and a 12th consecutive early summer, just might be forward Mike Dunleavy.
"There's going to be some nights where he's going to score big for us and there's going to be some nights where he won't," Davis said. "His defense and his ability to be out there and to make plays without having the ball is going to be really helpful in the long run."
Dunleavy showed in Wednesday's 112-81 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the University of Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center just how many ways he can help the Warriors win.
The most obvious was his outside shot. He knocked down six consecutive shots in the first quarter, four from 3-point range. He led the fast break when Davis was trapped in the backcourt, making all the right decisions on where to go with the ball.
He threw the best pass of the game in the first quarter Wednesday. From the right wing, Dunleavy bounced a chest pass across the lane through traffic, hitting forward Troy Murphy in stride on the left side of the paint.
"I don't know how he got that through," Murphy said.
Dunleavy also did an admirable job defending Lakers forward Lamar Odom, who runs the point in the Lakers' triangle offense. He helped keep Odom from breaking down the defense off the dribble and stayed with him on cuts to the basket, holding him to four points on 2-for-8 shooting with three turnovers.
"I can do a lot of things, so every night it's going to be something different," Dunleavy said. "Hopefully, I'll be doing a lot of things every night."
It's his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways that makes Dunleavy such a valuable commodity, if he can be productive consistently.
On nights when points are hard to come by, the Warriors can turn to Dunleavy's stroke to provide some offense. When teams decide to take the ball out of Davis' hands with traps, Dunleavy can lead the break. If the coaches decide to go small, he can use his quickness advantage to crash the boards, which is what he did to get his first basket Wednesday.
Perhaps the best part about Dunleavy's game is that he doesn't need much assistance to flourish. He doesn't need to dominate the ball to create for teammates. He doesn't need plays run for him to get his shot off. He doesn't need a lot of shots to score a lot of points.
"That would be nice. But I've come to realize that might not happen," Dunleavy said of getting more plays run his way. "I'm just going to be ready. You've got to be ready for the ball, you've got to make cuts, you've got to find other ways to score, put points on the board, make the team better. If I don't get plays called for me, I'll figure something else out."
By Marcus Thompson II
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
HONOLULU - There's no question point guard Baron Davis is the Warriors' best player. There's no disputing that guard Jason Richardson is right behind him. The two have to play well for the Warriors to be successful.
But the X factor, the difference between a playoff berth and a 12th consecutive early summer, just might be forward Mike Dunleavy.
"There's going to be some nights where he's going to score big for us and there's going to be some nights where he won't," Davis said. "His defense and his ability to be out there and to make plays without having the ball is going to be really helpful in the long run."
Dunleavy showed in Wednesday's 112-81 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the University of Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center just how many ways he can help the Warriors win.
The most obvious was his outside shot. He knocked down six consecutive shots in the first quarter, four from 3-point range. He led the fast break when Davis was trapped in the backcourt, making all the right decisions on where to go with the ball.
He threw the best pass of the game in the first quarter Wednesday. From the right wing, Dunleavy bounced a chest pass across the lane through traffic, hitting forward Troy Murphy in stride on the left side of the paint.
"I don't know how he got that through," Murphy said.
Dunleavy also did an admirable job defending Lakers forward Lamar Odom, who runs the point in the Lakers' triangle offense. He helped keep Odom from breaking down the defense off the dribble and stayed with him on cuts to the basket, holding him to four points on 2-for-8 shooting with three turnovers.
"I can do a lot of things, so every night it's going to be something different," Dunleavy said. "Hopefully, I'll be doing a lot of things every night."
It's his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways that makes Dunleavy such a valuable commodity, if he can be productive consistently.
On nights when points are hard to come by, the Warriors can turn to Dunleavy's stroke to provide some offense. When teams decide to take the ball out of Davis' hands with traps, Dunleavy can lead the break. If the coaches decide to go small, he can use his quickness advantage to crash the boards, which is what he did to get his first basket Wednesday.
Perhaps the best part about Dunleavy's game is that he doesn't need much assistance to flourish. He doesn't need to dominate the ball to create for teammates. He doesn't need plays run for him to get his shot off. He doesn't need a lot of shots to score a lot of points.
"That would be nice. But I've come to realize that might not happen," Dunleavy said of getting more plays run his way. "I'm just going to be ready. You've got to be ready for the ball, you've got to make cuts, you've got to find other ways to score, put points on the board, make the team better. If I don't get plays called for me, I'll figure something else out."