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5 adjustments the Warriors should make for Game 4

By Carlos Murillo

May 22, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors bench reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors bench reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Shorten the rotation

Warriors
May 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) and Golden State Warriors forward Anderson Varejao (18) get tangled up in the second quarter in game two of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Warriors’ Steve Kerr should shorten the rotation and play his key players more minutes.

Earlier in the series, Steve Kerr said that the Warriors would continue to use the same10-man  rotation that they did in the regular season. The same rotation that won them 73 games in the regular season.

That needs to change.

I was actually thinking about naming this slide “no more Anderson Varejao” but felt that perhaps it was a little too forward. But basically, Varejao should not see the court for the rest of the postseason unless everything is either in foul trouble or injured.

The midseason acquisition was a very good low-risk/high-reward gamble. But we’ve seen tat Varejao is largely ineffective. He can’t defend and protect the rim the way Festus Ezeli can. He can’t space the floor like Marreese Speights can. He spends more time on the floor than on his feet and it feels like he hasn’t made a layup in years. It doesn’t seem as if Varejao can really help the Warriors in their quest for a title.

Furthermore, Ian Clark should not really see the floor either. I enjoy giving end-of-bench guys opportunities. Look at Kent Bazemore in Atlanta. He was the last guy on the bench for the Warriors who would get irregular minutes and now he’s become a legitimate NBA starter on a playoff team. I like experimenting, but the Western Conference Finals are not the time to do so.

Kerr needs to shorten the rotation, as everyone does in the playoffs. He rested his key guys throughout the year for the postseason. Well, we’re in the postseason and it still feels like he’s monitoring their minutes. Donovan has Durant and Westbrook carrying a heavy load so Kerr should rely on Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson just as much.

It’s the playoffs and stars win.

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