Barry Tompkins: 49ers set for key stretch of season

I am currently zooming along in a train bound for Lisbon at about 200 miles an hour. Or, roughly one-tenth of the speed that my brain is operating on after sitting up all night watching the election results pour in on CNN International.

Undaunted, I forge on, trying desperately to care more about the Warriors or Niners, Giants, Sharks, Bears or Cardinal, than I do what kind of world my grandchildren may inherit.

But, I am a professional. So, HOW ‘BOUT THEM NINERS?

There is a general consensus around Santa Clara that our hometown football heroes are about to turn the corner on a mediocre first half of the season. And, like Clark Kent, emerge from a phone booth fully clad in hero garb. I offer just a couple of words of caution. One, we don’t have phone booths anymore, so emerging as Superman is now simply referred to as indecent exposure. Two, the 49ers personal Clark Kent – Christian McCaffrey – may indeed have an “S” on his chest, but he’s also got a wrap on his Achilles.

The other issue is that the Rams, who may yet emerge as the biggest threat to a divisional championship, are also healthier than they’ve been all year and they already beat the 49ers once this season. Combine that with a 4-4 post-bye record and it could mean they need to win the division to make the playoffs.

It is a common, though hackneyed, thought that a good team coming off a bye week should be able to win. The 49ers are a good team, but to do what’s expected they have to go on the road and do battle with  Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers, while not likely to be in New Orleans playing for it all on Super Bowl Sunday, do not fall into the category of chopped liver. I’m not going to be brash enough to say that this one is a “must,” but being sub-500 with the toughest part of the schedule still looming, probably means you can start planning that late January trip to Fiji.

Booed in Boston

I’ve known Steve Kerr since he was in high school in Southern California. He was – and is – the kid that every parent wants to have.

I wasn’t in his house, but a wild guess tells me that he didn’t have to be asked to take out the garbage. “Already did that mom – I’m just finishing my homework.” You know – the perfect child we all aspire to have.

Lute Olsen, who coached Steve in college at Arizona once told me that the minute he stepped on to the practice floor, he was the adult in the room.

He wasn’t supposed to be a pro, but he wound up playing in the NBA for 15 seasons and won five championships with two different teams. He’s won three more as a coach. To the number, teammates loved him. He’s also amongst the smartest basketball minds I’ve ever been associated with.

Wednesday night he took his Golden State Warriors into TD Garden to play the Boston Celtics. Boston fans can be tough. Not as bad as Philadelphia fans, who booed Santa Claus on a Christmas day game, but not kind. Especially when they feel one of their players has been “dissed” – even by the nicest guy in the world.

It seems that Steve Kerr forgot that he had a guy named Jayson Tatum on his Olympic team in Paris, and didn’t play him – more than once – during Team USA’s gold-medal run. That worked out fine for Steve’s team, but didn’t sit to well in Copley Square – or anywhere else in Boston.

So, when the Warriors took the court on Wednesday, the wrath of Boston hit Steve Kerr.

Fine. Boo Santa Claus – he rejects naughty kids, and if you don’t have a chimney at your house well, sorry for the coal in your stocking. Boooooo!

But booing Steve Kerr is like sticking Bambi in a pot of venison stew. You just can’t do that. It’s un-American.

Kerr had the last laugh on Wednesday. Against all odds, the Warriors left town with a W. They’re now 7-1 heading into Cleveland Friday night. And you know, a lot of that has to do with the guy that was booed in Boston.

I had the feeling coming into this year that the Warriors would have to find a way to deal with the mobile big men in the league – guys like Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and the new kid – Victor Wembanyama? They are going to find out a little about that in their next two games against Cleveland and Oklahoma City, who both have that guy. But what the “smartest guy in the room” is doing so far this year makes a lot of sense to me.

True, he doesn’t have the tough, mobile big guy. But he does have 12 or 13 guys who can play, and can shoot. I think the strategy this year will be, “Your ‘big’ may get his 35 points, but we’re going to way outscore you from three-point range, and because our guys are only playing 24 minutes each, we’re going to be stronger than you down the stretch.” The Warriors “role players” can also do just that without having to put points on the board. That translates to better rebounding, better defense, and more assists.

Honestly I didn’t think the W’s had a prayer this year without a “big” to offset what a lot of the really good teams in the league have. But I’m thinking, if they can stay even reasonably healthy, this team has a chance to redefine what it takes to win in the NBA.

And that speaks to the organization. They hired the smartest guy in the room to coach. They selected players with high character to work for him. And they still have that Curry guy who brings the crowd to its feet on a regular basis.

Even in Boston.

Barry Tompkins is a 40-year network television sportscaster and a San Francisco native.  Email him at barrytompkins1@gmail.com.