New Orleans Pelicans: What To Expect Against The Warriors
By Owen Sanborn
Coming off of an impressive win over the rejuvenated Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pelicans will be facing a stiff road test against the incredibly impressive Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors pose an assortment of lineup combinations that have been frustrating the rest of the NBA, and quite frankly, it has been a thing of beauty to watch. Choir boy coach Steve Kerr has been the perfect maestro for a roster that was constructed to create a sweet symphony of basketball music.
Take this fancy pick and roll between Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut for example:
I don’t blame you if you choose to watch that video 10 times on a loop. I know I sure did. No shame.
First of all, the flow of the offense during this sequence is almost Spurs-like. Klay Thompson knew exactly what to do with the ball once he saw that Curry’s man was preventing him from receiving the pass. Bogut flashed towards Thompson to act as the safety valve and allow the motion to continue.
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Curry then shifts from the right corner over towards Bogut to receive — my personal favorite — the handoff/pass. All this was made possible thanks to a well-executed screen by Thompson.
As Curry receives the ball, Bogut is already rumbling his way towards the rim, leaving poor Derrick Favors as the monkey in Curry and Bogut’s game of monkey in the middle. Gordon Hayward (Klay Thompson‘s man) has no opportunity to help on the Bogut roll because that would leave Thompson wide open for the three.
The whole play is simply a beautiful thing and it is only fitting that Curry makes one of his patented one-handed, left-handed dime passes to Bogut for the flush.
Along with creating basketball poetry, Golden State often looks to attack the defense early in the shot clock with an array of three-point jumpers and quick cuts. Curry and Thompson especially are not shy about hoisting up any open look from beyond the arc they get.
New Orleans will have to be ready for this and be sure to stick close to Curry and Thompson in transition situations.
The Warriors are extremely lethal because of their bench depth and ability to create high percentage shots without their starters on the floor.
Their notable summer acquisition, Shaun Livingston, has been a big part of their newfound second unit and he presents a significant mismatch for backup point guards due to his 6’7″ stature.
Because of his sound decision making, he is the prototypical guy to run a second unit offense. Jimmer Fredette and Austin Rivers are going to have their hands full to say the least.
Be sure to take notice of the way Livingston makes Marreese Speights open by looking Andre Drummond off his man in this next play:
Again, the synchronization of the Warriors offense is a thing of beauty that leaves the opposing defense in precarious situations. Andre Drummond is the unlucky defender is this sequence, as he is left to defend both the Harrison Barnes roll and Speights, who is patrolling the short corner on the left side.
Livingston looks off Drummond as if he is Peyton Manning looking off a deep safety and creates the easy lay in for Speights.
Kudos to both the play designer (Kerr, I assume) and the execution of the Warriors for bringing out the basketball nerd in me.
Any New Orleans big man that happens to find themselves in a similar situation as Drummond may be best served to take their chances with a Livingston drive. Anthony Davis, Omer Asik, Alexis Ajinca and Jeff Withey all have the shot blocking capabilities to alter any dribble drive towards the basket.
Allowing Livingston to become a distributor is exactly what both he and the Warriors want.
The scary thing about Golden State this season is that they have a flurry of different players capable of scoring at any moment, making them a real pain to play against. Oh, and they rank first in defensive efficiency as well. They are currently the swiss army knife of the NBA and their 15-2 record is no fluke.
The Pelicans will without a doubt have their hands full on Thursday night and may need one of those super human games from The Brow to bring a win back to New Orleans.