How the Warriors’ small-ball changed Game 2 and how the Lakers can answer

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One of the most interesting aspects of the NBA postseason is seeing coaching adjustments and watching how they unfold throughout a series, much like a game of chess.

Whether his hand was forced or not, Steve Kerr made the first move in the Lakers-Warriors Western Conference semifinals by starting JaMychal Green in place of Kevon Looney, who was dealing with an undisclosed illness. 

The move had a domino effect in the Warriors 127-100 win that the Lakers will have to counter as the series shifts to Game 3 in Los Angeles tonight.

Pace and space

We’ve seen the Warriors go to their small-ball lineups before. They made the death lineup famous during their first championship run and it was even lethal as the “Hampton’s Five” with Kevin Durant. Same book. Different chapter. 

Golden State’s small lineup with JaMychal Green in Game 2 allowed them to stretch the floor with more shooters while still maintaining enough size to hold off the Lakers. 

Draymond Green and Kevon Looney did not share the floor in Game 2 after Golden State was outscored by seven points in 16 minutes with them together in Game 1. 

The resulting pace and space were too much for the Lakers to handle. The Warriors outscored the Lakers 27-13 in transition in Game 2 after narrowly outpacing them 19-17 in that category in the series opener, per Synergy Sports. This helped unlock Klay Thompson, as he matched the entire Lakers team scoring 13 of his 30 points in transition on Thursday night.

“It’s using our strengths to our advantage,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “You have to give up something. So as long as we’re decisive and our floor is spaced properly, usually can find a good shot, and then you’ve just got to knock them down.”

The impact on Golden State’s shot selection was evident. They had an average of 6.4 feet of space from the closest defender on three-point attempts in Game 2, up from 5.4 in Game 1 according to Second Spectrum (via Jared Dubin). 

JaMychal Green’s direct impact was obvious as he knocked down several wide-open 3-pointers, which are…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/how-the-warriors-small-ball-changed-game-2-and-how-the-lakers-can-answer/

Author : Douglas Clawson

Publish date : 2023-05-06 18:04:33

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