Lakers Take Game 1 and put Pressure on Warriors in Western Conference Semi-Final

After a first game won by the Lakers, the defending champions Warriors have already lost home court advantage in this Western Conference semi-final. The pressure is on the Dubs before tackling this Game 2 at the Chase Center (at 3am tonight).

What a nice shot made by the Angelinos on this Game 1! By taking this first game away, the Lakers placed themselves in good conditions to force Golden State to win at home: the kind of thing they have not been comfortable with this season (11 wins for 30 regular losses). During this first round, the Lakers knew how to be aggressive to get easy points on the line (25/29 on free throws) and thwart the anti-Davis defense of the Warriors, which the main concerned took the time to stomp all game (30 points and 23 rebounds).

With an interior defense that seems well concreted by AD, Golden State is even more dependent on its exterior address than usual. And what’s really scary for them is that they lose shooting to… 40% from three points on a huge volume of shots taken. Scary because only 11% of their shots are taken under circle: it’s not a lot and it brings little certainty. But hey, we’re used to double or quits with this team. Now, what’s even more worrisome for Golden State is how well the Lakers outplay their defense. What tactical adjustments to come for Steve Kerr and his gang? We get a little wet by offering an answer to 3 questions.

Offensive schemes to try to better free Stephen Curry?

We saw it after Game 1, the good defense on Curry – provided by Jarred Vanderbilt and Dennis Schröder in sequences – did a lot of talking and rightly so. Vando has the perfect profile to navigate between screens and the Lakers’ offensive success allows Darvin Ham to give him playing time for this role. We saw a Steph well marked in the pants but still able to do his numbers as soon as his bodyguard disappeared. Good defense on the Lakers side of course, but the urgency does not seem there on the Warriors side. To see what the offensive assistants can offer but the Warriors have other fish to fry: not sure that the puzzle is offensive…

What defense on Anthony Davis?

As we said in the Game 1 preview, Unibrow is a major problem for the Warriors. A problem they tried to solve with a defense in Drop very marked (= the screener’s defender deliberately stays low to protect access to the circle). In summary, they preferred to concede spaces in between and leave the most clumsy open to maximize the defense on Davis. The only problem was that he didn’t care. Stepping away from the circle, Davis put his shots in the perimeter by varying his offensive game. The Warriors therefore forced the other Lakers to return their shots as well. Challenge more than taken up apparently. So what to expect defensively for Golden State? Either you bet on a similar tactic hoping that D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schröder come down to earth; or you try something else. But hey, the room for maneuver seems small. It’s up to Steve Kerr to surprise us!

What shooting selection for Los Angeles?

The Lakers decided to trust the whole team to sanction the Warriors’ defensive choices and it worked pretty well! If the 3-point address is not necessarily there on the Angelinos side, we have a lot of players who can punish in the intermediate zone: space that the Warriors do not prioritize to focus on Davis. Which caused players like LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell, Dennis Schröder and Anthony Davis himself to burst out 4-5 yards. A breathtaking address: 57% at half distance for the whole team. So will the Lakers continue to give big responsibilities to the role players ? Everything suggests yes. To see the defensive adjustments of the Warriors but why change when it works?

We are therefore faced with a lot of issues that have surely prevented Steve Kerr from sleeping in recent hours. Should the Warriors review their defensive game plan? What is certain is that if the Lakers continue to shoot like Kevin Durant at mid-range, it will sweat in front of the bench. See you tonight at 3 a.m. for the second act of this thrilling series!