Take Aways from Game 2 as Series Moves to Portland

The Golden State Warriors mounted a big fourth quarter comeback to go up 2-0 in the series. Here are some takeaways from that game.

Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors took a 2-0 series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers. The series now moves onto Portland for the next two games. The Warriors Game 2 win certainly did not come easy as they did not lead the game until 5:33 was left in the fourth-quarter. Here are my biggest takeaways from game 2 as the series goes to Portland: 1. Stephen Curry does not need to rush back from his injury. The Warriors’ Game 2 win proved that the Warriors can pull out a close win without Curry, and on a night they did not shoot the ball particularly well. The Warriors need a fully healthy Curry for the Western Conference Finals. However, the Warriors have shown they can take care of business against Portland without him. 2. Draymond Green is the most valuable player to the Warriors right now. With Curry injured, Green stepped up big time in Game 2 multiple times providing big time defensive stops when they needed it the most. He blocked four shots and took some huge charges. Even though he had a tough time finding his shot missing all 5 of his 3-point attempts, the offense still ran through him. Green took the ball up the floor and used his great vision in the post to find his open teammates. Despite his bad shooting night, he still managed to get a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds along with 7 assists. Green is the heart and soul of the team, and his refuse to lose effort gets the team going. 3. The Trail Blazers are doing anything they can to stop Klay Thompson from hitting his 3-point shot. The Trail Blazers’ Game 2 adjustments were effective as Thompson had a tough time finding his shot in the first half. Whoever was guarding Thompson never left him and played zero help defense. Even with this tough defense, Thompson was able to hit some timely 3’s in the four-quarter. The Trail Blazers have shown that with Curry out their primary concern for the series is stopping Thompson. 4. Festus Ezeli proved in Game 2 that he deserves a role in the Warriors’ playoff run after not playing in Game 1. Ezeli had 8 points going a perfect 4-4, grabbed 6 rebounds, and blocked a shot in 13 minutes of action. Steve Kerr decided to put him in late in the third-quarter in hopes of getting a spark. Kerr was very pleased with his minutes, “He changed the whole game with his pick-and-roll defense, his presence around the rim, and the energy he gave us.” Ezeli proved to Kerr that he can make a difference in this playoff series. 5. Damian Lillard has the ability to turn it on to a level comparable to Curry. Lillard’s third-quarter was incredible as he scored 17 points and hit a clutch buzzer beater 3-pointer to give the Trail Blazers an 11-point lead heading into the fourth-quarter. However, Lillard was held scoreless in the final quarter. The main concern for the Warriors defensively should be stopping Lillard. The Trail Blazers go as Lillard goes which was evident in the fourth-quarter. 6. Mason Plumlee has been a non-factor for the Trail Blazers. Plumlee finished Game 2 with 6 points and 6 turnovers. He could not seem to do anything right in the second half with the game on the line. The Warriors have done a great job keeping him off of the glass by only allowing him to have one offensive rebound in game 2.  If the Trail Blazers want to have a chance to come back down 2-0, they need Plumlee to start playing like he did against the Clippers in the first round.