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.
Takeaway No. 3 for the Golden State Warriors: Defense Wins Championships
The first thing that the Golden State Warriors can take away from their round one game against the Los Angeles Lakers is that they have the potential to be one of the best playoff defenses.
In the first half, the Warriors had the Lakers’ star players clamped up. Their top three scorers on the season, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Dennis Schröder were all held to single digits in the first half.
This is one of the most talented trios in the entire league. If the Warriors are able to put forth a defensive effort to that level for an entire game or series, it would be difficult to see anyone being able to beat them.
This is much easier said than done. It could be argued that it was less of the Warriors’ defense and more of the Lakers trio being rusty and unable to hit shots.
However, Draymond Green was back to playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level of defense against the Lakers.
While his style of play can often get him into foul trouble, it is a necessary evil for him to contribute to the team at his fullest capacity.
Along with Green, Andrew Wiggins really stepped up to the plate in the first half in guarding LeBron James.
He even notably blocked a fadeaway shot from James early in the first half.
James figured out how to work Wiggins and the Warriors as the game went on, however, if they are able to play defense at such an elite level for a full game, it will be difficult to defeat them.
Takeaway No. 2 for the Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry Is Not Human
The second takeaway that the Golden State Warriors can bring with them from the first round is that Stephen Curry is not human.
The Lakers went into the game with their number one goal on the defensive end being to take Stephen Curry out of the game.
While this worked at times, it was only for short stretches at most. Curry oftentimes found himself being double or even triple-teamed whenever he touched the ball.
The strategy forced the role players to beat the Lakers in which they could not do for a full game.
However, in their defense, they were doing more than keeping pace with the Lakers early in the game.
Despite the scheme that the Lakers set up, it appeared that Alex Caruso was the only player that could make any progress in slowing down Curry.
With the Lakers being one of the best defensive teams in the league, knowing that only one player on their entire roster had any success on your best player is a great thing to know going into the biggest game of the season.
It is unlikely that the Grizzlies will have anyone that they can put in a one-on-one situation with Curry and they will be forced to send at least two defenders his way if not more.
However, even with multiple people guarding him, Curry was still able to score 37 points while shooting over 52.2 percent from the field and 66.6 percent from three.
If he is able to go on a major tear during the next couple of months, the Warriors could be a sleeper team to make some major noise in the playoffs.
Takeaway No. 1 for the Golden State Warriors: The Dynasty May Not Be Done
The final takeaway that the Golden State Warriors can bring with them after their game against the Los Angeles Lakers is that their dynasty may not be over.
While by no means will the Warriors win the championship this season and they may not even make it through the first round, they are still major contenders in the future.
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Andrew Wiggins is someone who really proved himself tonight. Although it did not last for the entire game, he played incredible defense on LeBron James in the first half. Considering the physical beating that anyone guarding LeBron takes, even holding up for a half as well as he did was amazing.
Along with this, the Warriors may receive a very high pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves this season.
If they trade this pick, trade James Wiseman and the pick, or the rookies develop into talented players early, the Warriors could be a top-three seed in the West next season.
They would have arguably the best scorer in the league with Steph Curry, an amazing two-way defender in Klay Thompson returning, another player with elite two way potential in Andrew Wiggins, a former Defensive Player of the Year in Draymond Green, and young potential in James Wiseman and another high lottery level rookie at the very least.
If the Warriors can flip the pick or Wiseman into another star player, they could be a team to watch out for, especially when taking into account they almost knocked off the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the biggest game of the year for both teams.