Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Winning Without Draymond Green
2. Alt-Death Lineups
The Warriors’ Death Lineup — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green — won’t see a single minute in Game 5 after posting a plus/minus of +8 in 17 minutes together in Game 4. But that’s not the only small-ball lineup the Dubs have at their disposal.
Shaun Livingston will be key in Game 5, not only because he can get his unstoppable jump shot off over shorter defenders, but because he may be the default selection to replace Green in an alt-Death Lineup.
Warriors' "best 5" 4 Game 5 is prob. Curry, Thompson, Livingston, Iguodala, Barnes.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) June 12, 2016
That group has played < 3 min. together over 2 seasons.
The Dubs will need one more great game out of Harrison Barnes, who averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in the two road games. Not only will Harry B need to be just as active — if not more so — on the glass, but he may even need to play the 5 in an ultra-small lineup.
The ripple effects of Green’s absence will be felt the moment Golden State goes small. Will they be able to keep Love and Thompson off the boards long enough to exploit the advantages they’d have on the other end? Could Brandon Rush see his first meaningful minutes of the series? Can Leandro Barbosa be another alt-Death option?
Kerr’s rotations for Game 5 will be fascinating to watch unfold, but if the centers don’t come out with a vengeance, the advantage of going small be a crucial last resort. How the Warriors’ alt-Death Lineups shake out could determine the result of Game 5.
Next: No. 1