Three Stars of the Night: Golden Performances

Mama, there goes that man! Second-year head coach Mark Jackson is directing the surprise smash of the young season, as his Warriors pulled off their fifth straight road win by marching into Miami and taking down the Heat, 97-95. Beating LeBron and the boys in their own house is pretty darn impressive, but sweeping Three Stars? That’s unprecedented. Without further ado, a very golden edition of Three Stars:

Third Star: David Lee – (22 points, 13 rebounds)

With a draining travel schedule and little time to prepare for games, even the best teams are plenty capable of suffering letdowns on the road. One of the main reasons the Warriors have been able to put together such an improbable road winning streak is the consistency of David Lee. While every other player on the roster has had their good nights and their bad nights, Lee has been a solid source of at least 20 points and 11 rebounds in each of the last five games. Lee logged big minutes again tonight (38), but he’s keeping on the gas, staying aggressive and not settling, and providing much more than the “empty stats” he’s often accused of posting.

Second Star: Klay Thompson – (27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 made 3-pointers)

Usually people lose stuff when they travel (their luggage, their sanity, etc.) but Klay Thompson has found his shot on the road. After putting together a truly dreadful first month of the season (38 percent field goal shooting, 29 percent from deep), Thompson’s stroke has reverted to the mean recently. Thompson dropped a season-high 27 points with five made 3-pointers, making it the third time he’s accomplished that feat in five games. The Miami Heat practically put out a welcome mat for 3-point shooters because of their trapping defensive schemes, but after his start to the season, Thompson will take them any way he can get ‘em.

First Star: Jarrett Jack – (20 points, 9-for-14 shooting, game-winning assist)

I know the Golden State Warriors are a different team with a different coach, but it still feels so wrong to go small against them. Miami may have their smallball identity set, but the Warriors beat them at their own game, often playing Steph Curry, Thompson and Jarrett Jack together in an effort to both limit turnovers and space the floor. 13 turnovers on the road against Miami on the fifth game of a road trip is about the best you can hope for, and Jack’s steady hand (1 turnover in 31 minutes) played a huge role in that. That’s all good and well, and the 20 points were a much needed boost, but let’s get down to the real nitty gritty here — Jack is tonight’s top man because he zipped a pass to Draymond Green for the uncontested, game-winning layup. Green was wide open, but credit Jack for not having tunnel vision on a night he couldn’t miss and trusting a rookie to finish the job. Responsibility and consistency: it’s not quite as fun as the havoc wreaking “We Believe” Warriors, but for now, it’s working out just fine.