Golden State Warriors’ Depth Will Wear Down Pelicans
By Eric He
The Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans may be a No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup, but each team possess star power in their lineup — the Warriors with Stephen Curry and the Pelicans with Anthony Davis.
While Curry and Davis will get their stats, each team will undoubtedly game plan to thwart the other’s star and make the role players beat them.
And that’s where the Warriors have the advantage. Golden State is loaded with depth from top to bottom, and if everything is clicking, they will defeat the Pelicans even if Curry struggles.
The Warriors’ second-highest scorer is Klay Thompson (21.7 PPG), an All-Star starter who can take over games just like Curry. Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut are stalwarts, and Harrison Barnes can hold his own against the Pelicans’ Tyreke Evans.
But to the bench, where, in a seven-game playoff series, there are always X-factors, primed to jump in and unexpectedly play a major role in winning a game or even a series.
Jan 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights (5) reacts after making a basket during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Here is where the Warriors own yet another advantage. They can bring in weapons off the bench who are experienced (Andre Iguodala, David Lee), can run the offense effectively (Shaun Livingston), defend the rim (Festus Ezeli) and score in bunches (Marreese Speights, Leandro Barbosa).
As for the Pelicans, their only scoring threat off the bench is Ryan Anderson, who averages 13.7 points per game and is dangerous from distance. Other than that, they’re left with an overrated Norris Cole, a batch of role players — Dante Cunningham, Alexis Ajinca, Luke Babbitt — who are nothing special, and Jimmer Fredette, who deserves his own category of sadness.
The numbers give the nod to the Warriors. Golden State ranks fifth in bench efficiency at 44.3; the Pelicans come in 20th at 34.3. Focusing on defensive efficiency, the Warriors are a +6.3 while the Pelicans are in the red at -2.2.
Speights is the most intriguing X-factor to watch perhaps for the entire postseason. He can take over and straight-up win a game for the Warriors, as he did several times during the regular season. Speights averages 23.6 points per 36 minutes, which ranks 11th among players who have played in more than 60 games. He scores in spurts, and when his jumper is on, the Pelicans better close out on him and fast.
Keys to the Series
– Shutting down Davis should be priorities one, two and three for the Warriors. Davis is averaging 29.5 points per game against the Warriors this season. He is literally a man amongst boys, and Green will have his hands full against a longer, leaner, and quicker power forward.
Mar 17, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of game at the Smoothie King Center.The Pelicans defeated the Bucks 85-84. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
With Davis, the key is not necessarily to stop him, but to contain him. Make him work hard for his points, be physical with him. Force other players to make the big shots. The Pelicans have the same game plan for Curry, but the exception being the Warriors have proven that others can step up and contribute if Curry is having an off-night.
– Which brings us to the next key: wear down the Pelicans with depth. The Warriors’ second unit could pass as an adequate starting lineup on other teams. If the bench can come in and maintain or even increase the lead, it would be a huge motivator for the Warriors and a blow to the Pelicans’ psyche, knowing that Curry and Co. are resting yet the lead is still growing.
– The final and perhaps most important key: don’t change a thing. The Warriors are the first seed for a reason. They won 67 games and ran way from the rest of the league for a reason. They led the league in points per game, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, assists, opponent field goal percentage, and defensive efficiency for a reason. They have a beautiful system with impeccable ball movement, spacing, and unselfishness. They clamp down on defense, which funnels the offense.
That’s how they were the best team in the league during the regular season, and with the real season starting now, all they have to do is keep the status quo.