Blue Man Hoop
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next

Start Death Lineup

Warriors
May 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) reacts after making a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in game two of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

The Warriors should rely on their best lineup more.

The biggest advantage the Warriors have on the entire NBA is their ability to go small.

Their lineup of Curry/Thompson/Andre Iguodala/Harrison Barnes/Green was the best one in basketball. They work like a finely tuned machine, entering the game and immediately eating souls. Offensively, they open up the whole floor and create mismatches everywhere.

Defensively, they can generally hold their own, switching screens and swarming elite players forcing the ball to go to lesser ones. Andre Roberson has countered that by actually hitting shots, but the percentages say he shouldn’t continue to do so.

The Death Lineup is the Warriors’ safety net. It fixes everything almost instantly. Kerr uses it to close out halves and to get back into games. It didn’t work in Game 3, but it’s worth a shot to just try it from the beginning. It’s an adjustment the Warriors made in the NBA Finals last season when they had their backs against the wall.

The Warriors aren’t playing their brand of basketball. The Death Lineup should have something to say about that. If they don’t want to waste their time with a slow big, they should go to their bread-and-butter.

Home/Stephen Curry