8th ave wrote:Mark Jackson said something to Klay Thompson in the Pacers game that made me step back and say, "Wow, that's good coaching." Ric Bucher was listening to huddle after Klay Thompson strings together some wide open bricks, and Jackson said something along the lines of, "Hey look. You missed some shots and thats going to happen. What really matters is that you got back and you played defense. I can live with that." I really appreciated that little tidbit.

Having gone 8-2 over their past 10 games, the Golden State Warriors epitomize why I continue to say the NBA is a coach's league. Head coach Mark Jackson has been the difference this season.

The Warriors went 6-1 during a brutal seven-game road trip, losing only in Orlando on Dec. 14. This season, armed with a real offseason and training camp -- as well as a normal routine instead of last season's compressed schedule -- Jackson has had more time each week for practice and film study -- a must for such a young team. Just look at the results; under Jackson's tutelage, the Warriors are 16-8.
Before the season started, most experts looked at the Warriors and saw nothing different from the same old Warriors -- a team that has always been known for fast-paced offense and one of the league's worst defenses.

After all, look at point guard Stephen Curry, all 175 pounds of him, add a skinny shooting guard in Klay Thompson and a thin power forward in David Lee -- as well as a motley crew of centers -- and you get lots of outside shooting without a whole lot of toughness. In fact, one might guess that with the quality shooters the Warriors have, they'd be winning games with their offense.

Instead, Jackson has them rebounding with passion and pride, and playing hard-nosed defense. They are focused nightly on making things difficult for opposing shooters. They have one mission -- limiting opposing offenses to one shot on each possession. Make no mistake, this is not a team looking to create chaos. So they don't get many steals or blocked shots. But what they do get is stops, thanks to a physical mindset that comes directly from Jackson.

Ask yourself this question: Would this team be the best defensive rebounding team in basketball if Mike D'Antoni was the head coach? No. Maybe they would lead the league in offense, or just perimeter shooting, because of the offense he would run to utilize young shooters Curry and Thompson. But lead the league in rebounding and overall toughness? No way. And yet, that's what Jackson has done.

What's impressive about Golden State is that this is only the second phase of Jackson's plan. The Warriors are defending hard and rebounding, but to get them to play with that kind of energy, Jackson has to give up something. Indeed, the Warriors hack a lot of people. They are fighting to be a top-five team every week in defensive field goal percentage (and likewise from the 3-point line), but they are in the bottom five in free throws allowed.

This is why they are not yet considered a complete top defensive team. Chicago, now seasoned at playing this type of defense, can be a top-three defensive field goal percentage team as well as rank among the leaders in fewest free throws allowed. Defenses must crawl before they walk, and the Warriors are almost there. Still, no one is complaining, because this newfound toughness and overall identity is what helped the Warriors accomplish their recent run of success.