Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 1 vs. Thunder
2. Time For More Death Lineup?
The Warriors’ Death Lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green was a +166 in 172 minutes together during the regular season with a +47.0 net rating. In a game where the Thunder stuck to their (big) guns, the Warriors probably didn’t utilize their small-ball cheat code enough.
In 13 minutes together in Game 1, that Lineup of Death posted a +8, per NBA.com. Only four other five-man lineups had a positive plus/minus for the Warriors, and none of them had Andrew Bogut. Of those four positive lineups, two had Ezeli and the other two played one minute combined.
Bogut, Ezeli and Speights have to be more effective when they see the floor, but suffice it to say that Kerr may have to resort to small-ball more often in this series than he would prefer.
Warriors most-used lineup tonight was the death lineup (13 mins). Also, that lineup is only a +5.4 net rtg in the last 2 games (18 mins)
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) May 17, 2016
Golden State playing small-ball is deadly in small doses for their opposition. They have the shooting, passing, defensive length and speed to really make teams pay when the Warriors unleash these all-versatile groupings with Draymond Green at center.
The problem is it’s a tiring way to play for more than short bursts at a time, especially against a team that hits the offensive boards as hard as the Thunder do. Even 13 minutes represented a lot more time than Kerr normally allocates to the Death Lineup.
With a must-win Game 2 coming up and the Thunder having a clear advantage on the glass, however, the Warriors may have no other choice than to make OKC pay on the other end of the floor with more small-ball that forces Adams and Kanter to defend on the perimeter.
Love that Billy Donovan didn't try to match down to GSW. Adams/Ibaka/Kanter a big reason why the Thunder are here. Got to ride with them.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) May 17, 2016
Kerr may even have to consider doing what he did in the Finals last year and yanking Bogut from the starting rotation so the Death Lineup can set the tone from the get-go.
Perhaps rotating in guys like Brandon Rush (zero minutes in Game 1), Leandro Barbosa (four minutes), Shaun Livingston (21 minutes) more would help ease the burden of minutes in that regard, especially on the offensive end where spacing the floor with shooters would pay off against guys like Kanter and Adams who can’t defend out there for longer spells.
Next: No. 1