Boston last June, Sacramento two weeks ago, and Los Angeles tonight. The Warriors got into the annoying habit of losing the first game of their playoff series, even though two of those games were played on their Chase Center floor…
These two losses, against the Celtics in the Finals and against the Lakers tonight, have certain similarities. The first comes from the opponent played during the previous series. The Mavs in the conference finals and the Kings in the first round were two teams with no circle protection. In both series, the Warriors, and in particular Stephen Curry, were able to attack and finish in the circle and in the key without the slightest resistance.
Steve Kerr: “You can do video sessions, you can talk about strategy, but above all you need to feel this difference in the game and against the opponent on the field”
The sequence with the Celtics and the Lakers, who both have a pivot blocker (Rob Williams and Anthony Davis) and much larger and longer wings on the wings that can block access to the circle, then becomes brutal.
“You can do video sessions, you can talk about strategy, but above all you need to feel this difference in the game and against the opponent on the pitch” explained Steve Kerr after the meeting. “The first game of a series is always like an observation round, in a way. »
The Warriors were able to observe and feel this difference in real time. Throughout the match, Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins went to impale Anthony Davis or did not see LeBron James coming in the second curtain. The Lakers finished with 10 blocks, so 7 for their two stars. Golden State finished the game 14/35 in the key (40%) for 28 points. In Game 1 against Boston, they scored 26 points at 13/29 (44%).
“It’s misleading” described Stephen Curry as to the presence of Anthony Davis. “You think you can take a floater over him and he still manages to hit the ball with his fingertip. We have to keep that in mind, we can’t be stubborn and keep doing the same thing. We have to keep putting pressure on the circle, but we have to do it by being creative. »
It’s not the first time the Warriors have played against this style of defense (Boston, Oklahoma City, Houston, Memphis…), they know how to adapt and we should see more rigorous decision-making in Game 2, even if their trainer said he was generally satisfied.
“With Davis in the key, you’re not going to have easy shots near the circle, but you have to keep attacking” recalled Steve Kerr. “You can’t just play around the 3-point line the whole game. An important facet of our attack is the attack of the racket, to be able to get the ball out, and in the end we did a good job. »
The Warriors have indeed managed to take half of their 3-point shots, and scored 40% of their attempts (21/56). They delivered 30 assists, while losing only 8 balls. They also took 14 more shots than Los Angeles. It’s rare to see them lose with those kinds of stats.
Draymond Green: “We will make the necessary adjustments in defense but it all starts with our aggressiveness”
Their clumsiness on the inside, caused by the Lakers’ defense, but also a lot of defensive errors thus allowed Los Angeles to offset the deficit they had at 3-points (-45).
Darvin Hamm’s men thus scored 54 points in the racket with 58% success (+26), and finished with 20 free throws scored more than their opponent. That’s what made the difference. In this round of observation, it was the Lakers, like Mike Tyson, who took the role of the puncher. The Warriors never knew how to respond, committing twice as many fouls as their opponent (24-12).
“We will make the necessary adjustments in defense but it all starts with our aggressiveness” blamed Draymond Green. “We made silly mistakes, I made silly mistakes. With three fouls in the first half I never found my rhythm and it’s up to me to set the tone on this side. So this adjustment is simple, we have to be more aggressive on the wearer, on their movements, and the rest will follow. »
Despite the loss, Golden State found openings in the final quarter in a 14-0 draw that tied them. Their 3-2 zone defense slowed the Lakers down, forcing them to take tougher shots. With the Lakers at 6/25 from 3-pointers (24%), we should see them help much sooner on drives from LeBron James and on one-on-ones at the post of Anthony Davis.
On the other side, with Draymond Green in pivot and Jordan Poole in place of Kevon Looney, they gave themselves more space. It’s still a card they can use if needed. They also rarely targeted D’Angelo Russell, known for his defensive largesse. Finally, they still have the possibility, as they did against Boston in the last Finals, of putting the ball in the hands of Stephen Curry and increasing their pick-and-roll “high” frequency, even if it means get away from their usual game a bit.
The Lakers, and Anthony Davis in particular, present unique challenges for Golden State, but Steve Kerr’s band wants to be calm. After all, they’ve never lost the first two games of a series with home advantage, and never even lost a series after losing Game 1 at home (BOS 2022, OKC 2016).
Interview in San Francisco.
