Golden State Warriors: 5 Lessons From Game 4
4. Klay Thompson Is Effective On Mike Conley
Switching Steph Curry off of Mike Conley and sticking Klay Thompson on him is just one of many brilliant defensive tweaks Kerr has made in this series, though technically speaking, he made that adjustment in Game 3 and it was effective then as well.
In any case, Conley was instrumental to the Grizzlies’ offense in the first two games of the series, averaging 16.5 points on 50 percent shooting. In Game 2, he was the main reason the Warriors suffered only their third home loss of the season, leading Memphis with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Mike Conley expects Klay Thompson to continue defending him. "That can cause us to end up getting mismatched on both ends."
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) May 11, 2015
In Game 4, Thompson was once again all over Conley — much like Tony Allen had been all over Thompson the last few games. Thompson’s size and physicality clearly bothered Memphis’ star point guard, limiting him to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Curry is a vastly improved defender this year, but Conley has been on a mission since returning from facial surgery. Putting Thompson on him is the best way to stifle what little offensive potency the Grizzlies have — right from the point of attack.
Next: No. 3