Wednesday night, the Warriors were not surprised by the Boston defense. ” We knew before arriving at the room that they were going to be aggressive, sighed Jordan Poole after the game. And yet, Golden State could not do anything against the tentacles of the Celtics, at least in the first half. ” It’s not for nothing that they have the best defense in the league, ”launched Steve Kerr after the meeting. Knowing is one thing, experiencing it is another.
In slow motion during the first 24 minutes, unable to develop their game against the “switches” of the Celtics, the Warriors returned to the locker room with only 32 points scored at less than 30% success, having to settle for taking long distance shots often strengths.
This kind of defense has always hampered Steve Kerr’s offensive system. We remember the playoff duels against Memphis and obviously against Houston between 2015 and 2019. During these series, the movements of the ball and the players were much more limited, making Golden State’s game much less fluid than usual. . The teammates of Stephen Curry had however always ended up adapting.
Wednesday, after playing against the strainer defense of the Wizards two nights earlier, the Dubs quickly realized that the evening was going to be long. ” We announced the color from the start, we were physical,” explained Ime Udoka. ” We wanted to keep the pressure on Green and their interiors to not let them distribute the game and not get beaten one on one.. »
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The Celtics have the squad to defend that way. Their interiors are imposing but mobile, and are able to “switch”. So the advantages the Warriors are used to creating with screens and cuts weren’t available.
“We rushed because of their defense,” remarquait Draymond Green. “And when you don’t show patience, it’s hard to impose your game. We rushed the whole first half. »
Before his exit on injury, Stephen Curry had for example lost four balls while looking for passes that were too complicated and often “rushed”, to use the term of Draymond Greento try to outrun the Boston defense.
« They are athletic, physical, and they communicate. We missed a few open shots but when you play against such a physical defense and with such a size, you don’t necessarily feel comfortable, even on open shots because you still feel the defense, added Steve Kerr.
Klay Thompson in particular, but also Otto Porter Jr, missed a lot of open shots because of this lack of pace and the pressure created by the Boston defense.
How to deal with such a defense?
In the third quarter, the Warriors scored five points more than in the first half, thanks in particular to an aggressive Jordan Poole who was able to rush into the belly of the Celtics defense. The full-back was thus able to create favorable situations for himself and his teammates. After the meeting, Steve Kerr also put forward this higher tempo as the main solution against the type of defense played by Boston.
« Against such a large, physical defense, you need to play with a faster tempo and use their aggression to your advantage. In the first half, we were walking the ball up,” he lamented. ” In the third quarter, thanks to Jordan, our tempo was much better and that allowed us to find the rhythm. And this rhythm allowed us to find the address and put the shots that did not come in the first half. »
The Warriors’ lack of collective experience with the recent return of Draymond Green, Klay Thompson’s 22 games, Stephen Curry’s injury and the inexperience of their young players therefore played tricks on them on Wednesday evening, but this experience will be beneficial to them. here a month for the start of the playoffs.
« It’s always a boon to be able to calibrate against this type of defense, » disait Draymond Green. « When the playoffs start, you can make adjustments and you get used to playing against such intensity. I have no doubt that we can adapt when the challenge comes our way again. »
Interview in San Francisco.
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