Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 1 loss vs. Warriors

2. Atrocious perimeter defense

The Golden State Warriors continue to be the preeminent 3-point shooting team in the NBA. Yet the Blazers didn’t seem to plan accordingly, failing to chase the Dubs off the perimeter. Instead, it almost felt like Rip City gave them free rein on the arc in Game 1.

Portland gave up 17 3-pointers to Golden State, the most they’ve allowed all playoffs. Stephen Curry went 9-of-15 from beyond, Klay Thompson went 3-of-9 and Quinn Cook went 2-of-3. Draymond Green, Alfonzo McKinnie and Jonas Jerebko each contributed a make as well.

How did the Warriors get so open? Well, “drop coverage” was the phrase of the night. The Trail Blazers made the schematic choice of letting their big stay back in the paint in pick-and-roll situations. This left multiple opportunities for Curry and Thompson to get going.

When asked about the decision postgame, Stotts bristled at the suggestion that his team could’ve been more aggressive. He noted that the Houston Rockets were unable to contain Curry with that plan of attack. However, that doesn’t mean the game plan should be to yield the floor to two of the best 3-point shooters of all-time.

Yes, it is incredibly difficult to contain the Splash Brothers and their teammates. However, the Blazers need to figure out something for Game 2 that makes it harder for them to get in rhythm. Otherwise, the Blazers will be out of the playoffs very, very soon.