Golden State Warriors: 3 Keys to defeating Denver Nuggets
By Tony Pesta
Neutralize Nikola Jokic
The biggest challenge of all, the Golden State Warriors have to stop Nikola Jokic from leaving his mark on this series. While the Dubs might be undersized, they are not undermanned.
Draymond Green will be key here. A former Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most impactful defenders in NBA history, Green will make up for his lack of size by being a mastermind on defense.
The Dubs can trust Draymond to orchestrate the Warriors’ defense each possession. Even when he isn’t directly guarding Jokic (that will probably be Kevon Looney), Green will be ready to pounce and double-team at precisely the right time.
Trapping Jokic isn’t easy and many teams actually avoid it altogether. Why? Well, he’s arguably the best passer in the NBA. He averaged 7.9 assists per game this season and isn’t the type of player you can fluster into bad decisions.
However, with key names like Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. likely out for the series, the Warriors will want to force other players to beat them. This means forcing Jokic to be a playmaker and trusting that the Nuggets’ role players will not be able to match the Dubs’ firepower for seven games.