Steve Kerr's gamble in Game 6 failed to yield positive results, with the Golden State Warriors head coach starting Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield as part of a lineup that hadn't been utilized throughout the regular season.
The decision to go away from a starting lineup that had worked so well for the Warriors over recent months has been a contentious one. Putting Moses Moody back to the bench was controversial in itself, let alone replacing Brandin Podziemski with Payton despite going for 26 points in the Game 4 victory.
The Warriors should revert to the lineup that got them to this position
Payton had a huge fourth-quarter in Game 3 which helped Golden State over the line, but the veteran guard has otherwise struggled to make an impact over the course of the series. Payton's offensive limitations have been a problem for a Warrior team that's struggled to score, while Fred VanVleet's explosion over the last three games proves the 32-year-old isn't having the requisite defensive impact either.
Payton is a -47 in his 96 minutes which is 18 points worse than any other player in the series. Perhaps Kerr continues to show faith in an experienced player, but those numbers suggest he certainly shouldn't be part of the starting lineup.
The same can be said for Hield who had strong performances in Games 3 and 4, yet predictably fell of a cliff production wise in Games 5 and 6 which really just sums up his season as a whole. Hield has been a combined 2-of-10 from the field and 0-of-6 from 3-point range over the past two outings, and has been a cumulative -25 in the process.
While Kerr will argue that the Hield and Payton moves were an attempt to get Rockets center Alperun Sengun more involved defensively, at some point you've got to trust in your best players and those that got you to this position.
The Stephen Curry, Podziemski, Moody, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green lineup was one of the league's best over the final quarter of the season, having completely flipped Golden State's season largely on the back of possessing the NBA's best defense from February 7 onwards.
If the Warriors are going to go down in Game 7, they should go down fighting with their best possible unit. The starting lineup featuring Podziemski and Moody was a 16.4 net rating in 211 regular season minutes, and deserves the opportunity to try and set the tone for a memorable Warrior win at Toyota Center on Sunday.