Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Rockets

1. Time to break the glass on Curry/KD pick-and-roll

Houston defended better in the fourth quarter of Game 4 than any team has against the Durant iteration of the Warriors. At Oracle Arena, however, high-level defense is not enough to limit Golden State to 12 points.

The aforementioned lack of focus was another factor, as were the suboptimal lineups Kerr deployed. None of those factors were as relevant as this one: The Warriors made it too easy on the Rockets.

With both defense and guts tightening up, a reduction in ball movement is to be expected. Devolving immediately into iso-ball, however, is not good enough. Not when you have the most dangerous pick-and-roll duo in NBA history.

If you don’t understand what makes the Curry-Durant pick-and-roll so unstoppable, here’s the simplest explanation: At best, it generates an open shot for one of either Stephen-freaking-Curry or Kevin-freaking-Durant. At worst, it generates a switch, and an isolation more favorable and less stagnant than the ones Golden State was getting.

It should be noted that the worst-case scenario is far more likely in this series than it was, say, in last year’s “break the glass” Game 5 against Cleveland. While the Cavs were forced to trap Curry, the Rockets are built to switch. Therefore, there are better ways to beat Houston. Still, if these games continue to become walk-it-up, hard-nosed defensive battles, a two-man game between the two best offensive players in the world is ultimately going to win out.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

It’s emergency time for Kerr.