Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Pelicans
2. Warriors send AD back to BC
Early on, the Warriors appeared to be getting the super-charged version of Davis that dominated them in their last meeting (34 points, 12 boards, four blocks in an April 7 win at Oracle).
Davis scored on the game’s first possession, sealing Thompson on a switch and getting an easy layup. The next time down, Davis knocked down a jumper over Durant.
Then things got scary. Guarded by Green, Davis faked like he was sprinting up to set a screen for Rajon Rondo. Green started towards the perimeter, and Davis immediately cut back, jumped up and threw down a lob that no other two players in the league could connect on.
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He sprinted the floor on the ensuing possession, receiving a pass from Rondo in stride and finishing at the rim. Two minutes later, he took Kevon Looney inside and scored with ease. Davis checked out of the game late in the first with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Apparently, that was nothing a couple quarter-break adjustments couldn’t fix. When Davis returned midway through the second, he faced a Warriors defense suddenly ignoring Rondo and Solomon Hill, using Green as a rover and disrupting all of Davis’ post touches. Replacing Green as Davis’ primary defender was Looney, who did a masterful job forcing Davis into difficult shots by matching his length, lateral mobility and strength.
Because of Rondo’s lack of a threatening jumper and Jrue Holiday’s lack of vision and timing on hitting the roll man, they were able to completely drop on Davis-Rondo actions, while switching on Davis-Holiday actions and bringing help if need be.
Davis, who some called the best player on the planet after four games against Portland, finished with 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, zero assists and was a game-low -27.