Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 comeback vs. Blazers

2. Portland’s 3-point shooting a dangerous weapon

The strategy for taking down the Blazers is quite simple: trap the dynamic duo of Lillard and McCollum, thereby getting the ball out of their hands and daring their teammates to beat you from the outside.

Portland doesn’t have many reliable 3-point snipers, which is why this defensive game plan has proven successful for many teams in the past. In Game 2, that unfortunately wasn’t the case, as Golden State found out exactly what would happen should the supporting cast find its touch from beyond the arc.

The Trail Blazers shot 18-for-36 from downtown, coming out to 46.2 percent. That number is a little over a 10 percent increase from their postseason average. Seth Curry stepped up by hitting four of his seven looks from the great beyond, while the combo of Maurice Harkless and Rodney Hood shot 4-of-9 as well. Those contributions are what helped Portland build up a lead as high as 17 and also helped it remain afloat as its two leading scorers struggled to get it going all night long.

This efficient display of shooting could be no more than an outlier for the Blazers. Or, it could possibly be the start of a new trend. After all, players do shoot better on their home floor, and the next two games of this series are set to take place up in Portland.

The options available defensively for the Warriors are limited. The last thing they want to do is allow two of the best scoring guards to rediscover a rhythm they’ve yet to find so far in this series. Yet if the Blazers continue their hot shooting in front of a rabid fanbase, Golden State’s deficit could be much greater than 17.

It’s likely that head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t overreact and instead sticks to a game plan that’s worked more often than not. It’ll be interesting to see, though, if and when adjustments are made, and what they may do to Golden State’s chances of winning Games 3 and 4.