It was one of the few sequences where Anthony Davis was served to play in isolation. But at the end of the first period, “AD” was not able to get the upper hand on Draymond Green. He first challenged his speed, for a penetration, then disturbed him on his “spin move” which ended in a loose ball for the Lakers.
The action is symptomatic of a complicated evening for the interior of the Lakers, and the desire, opposite, to play with ” more strength on both sides of the pitch “, according to Draymond Green. The latter, while Kevon Looney, sick, was pushed to the bench, was the main watchdog of “AD” in this Game 2.
” I took the same shots as in Game 1, I just missed them. Shots at the free throw line, floaters after the screen: it was exactly the same thing. I didn’t take any shots that I didn’t take in the first game “, Minorizes Anthony Davis about this change of “matchup” for him.
The Warriors’ defensive strategy has had an undeniable impact on its performance. After a huge first outing with 30 points and 23 rebounds, he had to settle for his lowest playoff production: 11 points and 7 rebounds. Notable difference between the two meetings, his shooting ratio: 11/19 and 8/8 in free throws against only 5/11 last night and only one free throw shot.
The inside shot less because he was less served by his teammates. LeBron James and the others were better held on the dribble. However, “AD” had scored a lot in the previous match after penetrations from his partners to attract help and free him.
“We can play this same defense and he can play a great game”
Beyond the collective functioning, there is the factor Draymond Green who has been more in physical contact than Kevon Looney. ” Draymond was brilliant. He is our engine, we decided to put him on Davis tonight from the start. He gave us a good start defensively thanks to his aggressiveness “, describes Steve Kerr.
As Kevin O’Connor notes, Draymond Green defended on Anthony Davis on 39 possessions in Game 2, with Kevon Looney limited to 15 possessions and other Warriors to 9 possessions. In Game 1, Kevon Looney was the leading defenseman on AD with 45 possessions, compared to 27 for Draymond Green and 8 for the other Warriors.
” Draymond can compete with anyone. He does well against taller and smaller players. He’s incredibly quick on his feet for his height, he’s got long arms and he’s a real bitch. […] Dray did an amazing job on (Davies) This evening. It’s difficult but we know he can do it and we’ll trust him to keep trying to slow him down. “, displays Klay Thompson.
To avoid this slowdown, it’s up to Anthony Davis to force himself to make contact. ” If A (Davies) don’t try to attack him, (Green) is interested in the second action when the ball goes through A. He is excellent at this, whether he has to change in defense or talk to his guy so he understands what is going on “Remarks Darvin Ham, indirectly claiming more aggressiveness from his player.
” We have to go back and look for ways to make A move, put him in different spaces, different actions, try to diversify his attack “, enumerates the coach.
For his part, Drayond Green and the Warriors seek precisely to prevent him from finding his preferential areas: “ When we try to get him to do things our way, we make things a little more difficult. That said, we can play that same defense and he can play a great game. »
