Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from first play-in game
By Zane Harris
The Golden State Warriors lost in heartbreaking fashion against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the play-in tournament.
It appeared that the Warriors would be able to pull off the upset against the Lakers early in the game.
Their defensive scheme had the Lakers star players playing some of their worst basketball of the season, however, the Warriors lost the stranglehold they had during the third quarter.
If it were not for the sloppiness of the second half from the Warriors, it is almost certain that they would be the team moving on to the playoffs to face off against the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
While the Golden State Warriors fell short, a lot was learned that the team can bring with them to the second game of the play-in.
Now, as a result of a clutch three from LeBron James as the shot clock expired, the Warriors will face off against the Memphis Grizzlies in what will be a battle to continue their season.
In the second round of the play-in tournament, the Warriors will have the benefits of home-court advantage.
Along with this, they will not be facing off against a defense anywhere near the level of the Lakers or a coach that can think up a scheme to neutralize Stephen Curry for stretches.
Coming into the game as underdogs against the Lakers, it is likely that the Warriors will be favored in their game against the Grizzlies.
If they are able to come anywhere close to the level of play that they put on display in the first round of the tournament, there should be no issues for the Warriors to prevail in the second round of the play-in and facing off against the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the first round.
Even though the Warriors did lose the game against the Lakers, there are still a handful of positive takeaways that the Warriors can bring with them into their matchup against the Grizzlies.