The Warriors have some new tricks
Golden State's classic offensive explosions aren't always the recipe these days. Smothering defense, protecting the ball, targeting specific marks are working against Dallas.
Good morning. Free Brittney Griner. Let’s basketball.
A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, Edouard Manet, 1882
Two things struck me about the Warriors’ last two wins in the Western Conference Finals, wins that landed them a 3-0 lead and on the doorstep of the NBA Finals.
On Friday in Game 2, the Warriors tossed a classic third quarter run on the Mavericks. Dallas had shot really week in the first half of that game and led by 14 at the half. But Golden State won the third quarter by 12, and went on to win the game. Classic Warriors …
… except the Warriors didn’t close the gap by going on some wild offensive run as per usual. In fact, they went 1/6 from three in that third quarter, scoring only 25 points. Kevon Looney had 11 of them. The Warriors closed the gap with defense, limiting Dallas to 13 points in 18 possessions.
You think of a Warriors comeback from down 19, you think of a Stephen Curry explosion, some quick-hitters, a lot of Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson, something raucous, something dazzling. The Warriors came back from down 19 by smothering the Mavericks and letting Kevon Looney get loose. Amazing.
And then in Game 3 in Dallas, Golden State had another good third quarter, turning a 1-point halftime lead into a 10-point lead going into the fourth. That lead basically held, despite Luka Doncic putting up lots of points in an attempt to bring Dallas back. How did the Warriors hold it? By protecting the ball, by slowing down the action, by pulling the Mavericks’ worst defenders into the most action.
That meant Andrew Wiggins getting loose as Luka got yanked in various directions. And oh did Wiggins get loose.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 10 points on eight FGAs with 4 assists in the fourth. Luka had 21 on 9 FGAs. And Dallas was only +1 in the quarter. In the entire second half the Warriors only committed three turnovers, something that has been a problem for time immemorial.
This is either a bad match-up for the Mavericks, or the Warriors are exceptionally good. And with Golden State a game away from the Finals, 11-2 in the playoffs, it’s hard to come to any reasonable conclusion other than that they are this good.
I really like what Kelly Dwyer wrote about what the Warriors are doing to Luka on defense. Subscribe to Kelly! ($)
Luka Dončić’s defense is not his Achilles’ heel. Achilles was mostly good, invulnerable save for the little blip behind his ankle.
No, Luka Dončić’s defense is a millstone, at least when he lets it sit there.
The Warriors made Dončić work in Golden State’s 109-100 Game 3 win, tough enough, what’s rougher is the Warriors made him think. Golden State never let his mind rest defensively, kept him awake as a form of torture.
It’s really hard to be locked in on what the Warriors do — something different than 29 other NBA teams and better than most of those — and try to score or create a good shot for a teammate every time down. So much attention is paid to the Mavericks’ need to get Luka a better offensive co-star, and sure, he needs a better offensive co-star. But Dallas needs to help him not carry a millstone on defense.
I’m not smart enough to say whether that’s conditioning (as ex-NBA player analysts seem to think; they could be right) or technique or effort or whether someone to share the offensive load will help on that end. I don’t know. I just know that Steph Curry has never been as big a defensive liability as Luka is now. I just know that Steph had five fouls down the stretch and the Mavericks, who are smart and good, didn’t find it imperative to attack him, and my theory is that because they know he’s not a mark who can be easily exploited. The Warriors, for the record, did not feel that way about Luka.
Luka responded defensively against the Suns and it turned that series around. He nor his teammates nor the coaching staff appear to have anything for Steph and the Warriors.
Curry is going to win the first ever Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP award, maybe on Tuesday but definitely sometime this week. Wiggins has completely rewritten his narrative and even started giving Luka a bit of attitude. Draymond Green made some excellent points about Wiggins in his post-game reaction video, noting that Wiggins is spending a ton of energy picking up Luka full-court while also doing the job on offense. Himself, Draymond rebounded from his dodgy Game 2 — does any ultra-high IQ player have bigger swings between his good and bad games? — and Jordan Poole was quiet all game until he wasn’t with two huge shots down the stretch. Klay Thompson’s defense was excellent and his bounce is returning.
The Mavericks know they are toast. This is what the Warriors have been doing to everyone except LeBron and Kawhi for almost a decade.
Nice sentiment … for the press conference after you’re eliminated. It feels like a white flag now. Points for being honest with yourself.
The Warriors are days away from punching a ticket back to the NBA Finals, maybe with a WCF sweep. Legends never die.
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