Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Wrapping Up The Series

5. David Lee Filling In

When it was announced Marreese Speights might not return for this series because of a calf injury, the Dubs had just lost Game 3 in Memphis and their backs were against the wall trailing 2-1. Speights’ minutes had been trending downward since the start of the playoffs, but it felt like another blow to Golden State’s depth.

Fortunately for the Warriors, they have a former All-Star power forward just waiting to be utilized off the bench.

To be clear, Lee will never be as effective as he once was as a 20-10 double-double machine. But he’s not useless either, and with Speights sidelined, the Dubs will need him to be ready to step up off the bench if Draymond Green or Andrew Bogut get in foul trouble.

In Game 4, Lee played 15 minutes, finished with five points and played a pretty pedestrian game. Every possession he was on the floor seemed like a field day for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol on the offensive glass. But in Game 5 last night, he seemed to be extra motivated by being treated like a boy among men in the paint in Game 4.

Lee played 17 minutes, chipped in six points and played a phenomenal game off the bench. He only scored one more point than he did in Game 4, but he finished with seven rebounds, kept Z-Bo off the glass and shot 3-for-7 from the floor. If Lee can continue to step up, control the defensive glass and finish easy looks at the basket in limited minutes, the Dubs have a good chance of closing this thing out.

Next: No. 4