Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Pelicans

3. Proactive Kerr is here to stay

Steve Kerr opened this postseason by starting Andre Iguodala in place of Quinn Cook. Creative lineup changes were nothing new for Kerr, but doing so at the beginning of a series was. Following that first game, I questioned whether this out-of-character move signified a more proactive Kerr, or exemplified how concerned he was about his team’s defense.

Now that Kerr has opened two consecutive series with new lineups, I am leaning towards the proactive explanation. Rather than starting JaVale McGee at center as he did against the San Antonio Spurs, Kerr slid Green to the 5, Durant to the 4 and started Nick Young alongside Thompson and Iguodala.

Young was fine, but the move was not about Young. It was about Kerr finding a way to get the matchups he wanted on both ends.

Green opened on Anthony Davis, while Durant took Nikola Mirotic. It was unclear who between Thompson, Iguodala and Young was on Rajon Rondo, Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore (the Warriors switched about five times on the very first possession), but it didn’t matter all that much given their interchangeability.

On the other end, playing five out forced Davis to defend in space and stick to shooters, pulling him away from his rim-protecting and rebounding duties. He could sag back some when guarding Green, but this left Durant free to go at Mirotic. Kerr pressed this advantage not by calling isos, but by putting the ball in Green’s hands and having Durant and Thompson move off ball, forcing switches and even bigger (or smaller) mismatches.

The Warriors have more talent than the Pelicans, even without Stephen Curry. In Game 1, they also had far better coaching.