Golden State Warriors: 3 keys for Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals

2. Frontcourt production

The Golden State Warriors are a perimeter-oriented team. That being said, their frontcourt played flat out awful on both ends of the court in Game 1.

The Golden State Warriors came out with a gameplan: Play with pace in order to push lumbering Raptor big man Marc Gasol to the bench. With the inclusion of Jordan Bell into the lineup, the Warriors were hoping to play at a speed that would force the Raptors to make a hard rotational decision.

Spoiler alert: It failed, miserably.

When the Golden State Warriors decided to push the pace, they gave up too many easy buckets, leading to Raptors power forward Pascal Siakam’s career night, scoring 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting. Siakam was able to get into a rhythm due to easy transition baskets, scoring 11 consecutive field goals during his time on the court.

Siakam was also able to distribute and get center Marc Gasol involved, keeping a struggling Raptors offense alive in the first half, scoring 14 of his 20 points during the first two quarters.

Kevon Looney, DeMarcus Cousins and Draymond Green must play better if the Warriors want to make the battle in the frontcourt a compelling battle, as they were outscored 75-18 by the Raptors frontcourt.

If Game 1’s numbers are an indication for what’s to come, the Warriors may be in deep water sooner rather than later.