Golden State Warriors: 5 Reasons For Confidence In Game 3

5. Bench Came To Life In Game 2

After Game 1’s dismal bench performance, it was pretty clear the Warriors reserves needed to be better in Game 2. Golden State’s subs were outscored 25-12, they were out-rebounded 16-8 and head coach Steve Kerr had to ride Stephen Curry (40 minutes) and Draymond Green (42) in the series opener, a trend that can’t continue for the entire postseason.

Luckily, Golden State’s bench came to life in Game 2, outscoring New Orlean’s reserves 25-17, out-rebounding them 14-5 and giving Curry (37 minutes) a bit more of a breather. Green still played 42 minutes again, but the Warriors reserves were able to shave a few precious minutes off of Curry and Thompson’s legs while also making a few big-time plays.

Andre Iguodala continued to log big minutes as a backup point forward off the bench, finishing with five points, six rebounds and two assists. Marreese Speights didn’t shoot the ball well (2-for-7) but he recorded a two blocks(!!) and played well enough to earn 13 minutes…as opposed to the one minute of action he got in Game 1.

Shaun Livingston wasn’t a disaster like he was in the series opener, but no Golden State reserve was better than Leandro Barbosa, who turned back the clocks to his Brazilian Blur days with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Simply put, he was the difference maker off the pine:

In Game 1, Barbosa was missing layups and and finished with zero points on 0-of-3 shooting. In Game 2, he was making those bunnies, using his speed to get past defenders and to the rim. Norris Cole actually did a decent job on Stephen Curry last night, but he was no match for a throwback Brazilian Blur performance.

This bodes well for the Warriors moving forward. The bench may need one game to adjust to playing on the road in a playoff environment, but then again, perhaps Game 2 was all they needed to find their comfort zone following that underwhelming debut.

Next: No. 4