In preparation for tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors, we are joined by Eric He, Editor of BlueManHoop.com. We asked him five questions about the Warriors and how he thinks they will fare in Trail Blazers territory. Here is what he had to say:
"1) The Warriors were plagued with injuries across the roster in 2013-14. Supposing a reasonable increase in overall health, do you see them finishing as a top-5 team in the West? Finishing as a top-5 team in the West is definitely a possibility for the Warriors if everyone stays healthy; obviously the biggest concern will be if oft-injured center Andrew Bogut can avoid any big issues. However, where the Warriors finish in the West will be a toss-up because once again the conference is loaded with great teams – I can see the Warriors, Blazers, Rockets, and Grizzlies battling for home court advantage in the postseason. 2) The season is young, but with preseason and an impressive debut under his belt, how has Steve Kerr looked overall as Head Coach of the Warriors? Kerr’s new system – increased floor spacing, some incorporation of the Triangle offense, ball movement – looked amazing in the preseason as they led the league in scoring. The first regular season game last Wednesday was a bit sloppy despite the big win as the Warriors committed 22 turnovers and didn’t really pull away from the Kings until the second half. I think there definitely will be an adjustment period for Kerr, especially since he’s being thrown right into the fire by coaching a team with high expectations. Overall, though, he seems confident, in control, and he’s willing to learn from his assistants, so that’s a good sign. 3) Between Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, and Wesley Matthews, this game features four of last year’s top-5 three-point shooters. Who do you think will get hot and why? They all could get hot. These two teams played some spectacular, intense, high-scoring games last season and that doesn’t happen unless both teams click on offense. I look for this to be a similar affair with Curry/Thompson and Lillard/Matthews lighting it up for their respective teams. 4) The Trail Blazers and Warriors have two of the deepest starting units in the NBA (measured by the strength of the weakest link), but how will bench players affect the game tonight? The bench will play a bigger role for the Warriors than the Blazers because the Warriors are playing the back-end of a back-to-back after facing the Lakers on Saturday. Golden State has a revamped bench with Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa signing in the offseason and Andre Igoudala coming off the bench now. Look for the bench to see more minutes tonight and it will need to chip in for the Warriors to come away with a win. For the Blazers, I’ll be intrigued to see how Chris Kaman and Steve Blake (who played with the Warriors last season) fit in on the bench. 5) What do you think will be the final score of tonight’s game? Why?Blazers 110, Warriors 104 – The Warriors will put up a tough fight in Portland, but playing for the second night in a row against their toughest opponent of the season thus far may be too much. Plus, the Blazers should be motivated to bounce back at home after a disappointing loss in Sacramento."