Golden State Warriors' Jarrett Jack Needs To Focus on Defense To Focus More On Defense

Even teams that are enjoying strong NBA seasons occasionally have a long night.

That includes Jarrett Jack and the Golden State Warrior defense.

The Warriors brought back memories of seasons in the 1960s when it was common for teams to score in the 120s, 130s and 140s. Then the NBA discovered defense.

So much for the discovery.

The Houston Rockets have been playing well lately, but the Warriors’ 140-101 loss on Tuesday has NBA experts scratching their heads. How did that happen?

The Warriors weren’t ready to play, that’s for sure. They had allowed 93 and 97 points in their previous two games.

Jack had a decent game offensively with 20 points. He finally found his scoring touch again, shooting 7-of-14 after going 3-of-9 and 3-of-13 in his previous two games. But as usual, Jack didn’t play much defense. In the past three games, he had a combined one steal and six defense rebounds. Jack’s lack of defensive ambition apparently worn off on his team. He was not on the roster for his team Wednesday night due to a bruised shoulder.

Tuesday’s game served notice to Jack and the Warriors what will happen if they keep deciding to take a break on defense.

The Warriors won four straight, so it’s not like they were goofing off in recent games. But how do you explain allowing 23 three-pointers in one game? Sure, the Rockets were hot and it’s obvious the Warriors were not. It was also a poor night for Warrior coach Mark Jackson and his staff. Their defense was ineffective in trapping Houston ball-handlers, and the rotations were very slow. They were napping in the first half, allowing the Rockets to hit 14-of-18 in 3-point attempts.

That’s one for the ages – at least the Warriors hope they never see that type of defense again.