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Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Winning Without Draymond Green

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forwards Draymond Green (23) and Andre Iguodala (9) talk to the official in the first half in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forwards Draymond Green (23) and Andre Iguodala (9) talk to the official in the first half in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Golden State Warriors
June 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts as Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) claps during the first half in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Bench Production

Despite the Splash Brothers starting the Finals with a combined 55 points on 22-of-51 shooting through the first two games, the Warriors were still able to build a 2-0 series lead. How? The strength of their bench.

In the two Finals games at Oracle Arena, the Dubs’ second unit outscored Cleveland’s reserves by a massive 85-40 margin. They got 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting out of Shaun Livingston in Game 1, Leandro Barbosa made 10 of his first 12 shots in the series and the Dubs’ bench posted .621/.385/.800 shooting splits en route to a +36.5 net rating.

No matter who is taking Draymond Green’s place in the starting rotation, the Warriors will need a similar level of dominance from the second unit to close out the series Monday night.

In the two games in Cleveland, Golden State’s bench prowess predictably faded. The Warriors’ second unit’s scoring fell to 27.5 points per game on .404/.417/.667 shooting splits, their defensive rating of 118.6 points per 100 possessions was atrocious, and their -11.5 net rating forced Steve Kerr to drastically shorten his rotation in Game 4.

Heading back to Oracle Arena, where the role players will be more comfortable, the Dubs may need to rely on their depth once again. In a potential closeout game at home, “Strength In Numbers” needs to be Golden State’s calling card once more.

Next: No. 4

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