How will Steve Kerr adjust Warriors’ defensive strategy?
The Golden State Warriors’ defense collapsed in game one of the NBA Finals, conceding 40 points as a red-hot Boston Celtics overcame a double-digit deficit in the last period.
The Celtics may have shot 9-for-12 from deep in the fourth quarter, but there’s little doubt the Warriors’ defensive question marks were evident throughout the entirety of the 120-108 loss.
The Warriors had a clear defensive strategy in Game 1, one that mirrored what they employed for large periods against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Golden State made a clear statement to Luka Doncic in the Western Conference Finals, and they made the same one to Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum in game one – we’ll make it extremely difficult for you to go one-on-one and get ‘easy baskets.’
Doncic may have had his big scoring outputs, but coach Steve Kerr would have been comfortable with the way in which his players made life as difficult as possible. The same could be said for Tatum who went just 3-for-17 from the floor for 12 points in game one.
But in credit to Tatum, his evolution as a playmaker is one of the keys that’s unlocked the Celtics’ explosion to the NBA Finals. Against both him and Doncic, the Warriors’ help defense opened up the floor and gave both players an opportunity to find the open shooter.
Kerr’s philosophy seems very simple – make the role players beat us from the perimeter.
Boston had 23 wide open (closest defender 6+ feet) and 15 open (4-6 feet) threes in game one, with those 38 accounting for most of the team’s total of 41. This circulated social media like wildfire in the aftermath, given the Celtics made 21 (50.6%) which ultimately led to their stirring win.
What people forget, or didn’t know, is that this is exactly how the Warriors defended the Mavericks in the Conference Finals. Dallas averaged 23.8 wide-open three-point attempts (making 39.5%), and 17.8 open attempts (making 33.7%). Even against the Grizzlies, 19.2 wide-open attempts and 17.8 open.
So, the Warriors’ defensive strategy wasn’t a surprise in game one.
The next question is, do they blink and adjust from what worked in a 4-1 win over the Mavericks? According to their defensive leader Draymond Green, we’ll likely see Golden State daring the likes of Al Horford, Derrick White and Marcus Smart to beat them again.
Of course, there are alternate methods they could employ.
Should they put more trust in Andrew Wiggins (or any other primary defender) to simply guard Tatum one-on-one with less collapsing help? They can, but what do you do once an undersized guard like Stephen Curry or Jordan Poole is switched onto him?
It’s why it was surprising not to see Gary Payton II on the floor in game one, and why we’ll definitely see him in game two. Firstly, despite the height difference, he offers another point-of-attack defender on Tatum or Jaylen Brown.
He’s strong enough to battle them in the post, quick enough to stay in from of them off the dribble, and springy enough to contest shots either at the rim or on the perimeter.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, that athleticism will be crucial in achieving what the Warriors’ main defensive aims are. Don’t expect them to go away from what they did in game one, but they do need to make quicker rotations to cut down the amount of wide-open three-point opportunities.
The term ‘it’s a make or miss league’ has never been truer than in this NBA Finals. Golden State actually took more three-pointers in game one, connecting at a good rate themselves as they went 19-for-45 (42.2%).
Only one team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaged more than 41 three-point attempts during the regular season. Game two takes place on Sunday back at Chase Center, with the Warriors in a must-win situation as they look to avoid a 0-2 deficit.