Warriors set their defense free in Game 5 victory
OAKLAND, Calif. — When caught in a bind, the Golden State Warriors can usually rely on their creativity to see them through. This time, facing win-or-go-home games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they’re changing their defense by simplifying it, sanding off wrinkles they added at the beginning of the series.
It’s less an exercise in being “light-years ahead” — owner Joe Lacob’s description of the Warriors organization in a recent New York Times Magazine interview — than one in retracing recent steps, so as to be more sure-footed.
Maybe it’s the proper strategy or maybe it’s just what seems to fit this particular moment. When Stephen Curry is at peak form, the Warriors have leeway to experiment. Right now, in desperation mode, they must slow down the game and take stress off their MVP. They head into Oklahoma City for Saturday night’s Game 6 looking vulnerable after being throttled in their past two games at Chesapeake Arena.
Whatever the case, Golden State’s adjustments (really a removal of adjustments) worked in Game 5. To start the Western Conference finals, the Warriors had employed a tricky “rover” strategy, much like the one that turned last year’s Memphis series in their favor. It was a wacky tactic against Oklahoma City. Draymond Green operated as a free safety, largely ignoring shaky-shooting Andre Roberson. Klay Thompson guarded Serge Ibaka. Perhaps most significantly, Curry guarded Russell Westbrook, albeit with plenty of insurance in the paint.
Ultimately, this creative approach brought too many downsides. Namely, Roberson really hurt the Warriors by sneaking behind their defense for layups and offensive rebounds. This was an especially acute issue when Andrew Bogut sat (Roberson has snagged 18 offensive rebounds this series in the 72 minutes he has played with Bogut sitting).
So the Warriors ditched the rover and its attached gimmickry in Game 5.
“It was an adjustment we made,” Bogut said. “We wanted to just go back to our traditional matchups and see how it goes. The Roberson thing wasn’t horrible. I think once we went small and they went small it kind of hurt us, because he was doing a great job cutting behind us and getting offensive rebounds. I think just [being] traditional got guys locked in mentally with, ‘Hey, you’ve got to guard your position now.’”
In Game 5, Golden State played it straight and indeed locked in. Thompson, the Warriors’ best point-guard defender, started out on Westbrook. Green went from safety duty to guarding opposing power forward Ibaka. Finally Curry took the easier assignment, guarding Roberson as he has typically done in this matchup before these playoffs. Because Bogut avoided foul trouble and played brilliantly (15 points, 14 rebounds in 30 minutes), Golden State kept rolling with him. They used only two minutes of their small-ball “Death Lineup,” eschewing it in favor of size and rim protection.
Not only did the Warriors simplify their base defense, but they also employed more of their classic switching, even when Kevin Durant was handling the ball. Warriors defensive guru Ron Adams indicated that this also was meant to return the team to an instinctual state. Golden State had previously gone to some lengths to avoid switching certain players on Durant. This time, they favored simplicity over perfect strategy, even letting Curry get his cracks at Oklahoma City’s gargantuan scorer. And Curry held his own, forcing two late turnovers by Durant to help close the game.
The defense is paramount for Golden State right now, not just because the Warriors are on the brink of elimination but also because it now represents their team’s strength. When Curry is wholly himself, offense can carry the Dubs. This explains much of why the defense slipped a bit this season: The Warriors always knew they could outscore the opposition.
Now, they can’t be so reliant on their offensive bursts. The opponent scores in bunches, and Golden State has lost its offensive cheat code. Curry still has the movement and moxie to get in the paint, but gone are the lateral leaps that granted him high-percentage, unblockable 3-pointers. Curry must play with well-thought-out savvy on offense, and the Warriors must play with instinctual force on defense. The latter could carry the Warriors to an improbable, necessary victory. If the Warriors are to escape this current lurch, it’s their freed-up defense that will power them through.
