Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 victory vs. Rockets

3. Advantage on the offensive glass

Steve Kerr once again went with a downsized lineup in Game 2. Golden State trotted out 6’7” Draymond Green at the center spot to oppose and battle with Houston’s taller and lankier Clint Capela in the paint.

The Warriors lost the edge on the defensive glass, 31-27. Surprisingly though, they managed to make up for that defeat with a victory at the other end, registering 18 offensive rebounds to the Rockets’ 10.

Houston may have simply assumed that with a small-ball lineup, none of Golden State’s five perimeter threats would expend unnecessary energy attack the glass. Instead, the Warriors did the opposite, flying in from the 3-point line to leap over unsuspecting Houston players in order to give themselves extra shot attempts.

Their +8 advantage is nothing to look past in terms of importance. That’s eight extra possessions for Golden State with the opportunity to translate to a maximum of 24 points. No team is ever that efficient in capitalizing on extra looks, but in playoff battles where the outcome may come down to just a few points, every possession makes a difference.

The Dubs were not a good offensive rebounding team during the regular season, ranking 21st with only 9.8 a game. They don’t have an intimidating inside presence to do that work for them. Instead, there have been times where the energy’s flowing and they just go for it independent from logic and common sense.

That effort is what created the rebounding advantage in Game 2. It’s also one that can certainly be used moving forward in a similar fashion for a team that really doesn’t need more advantages offensively.