When Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets played their first game on Saturday in Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs, most expected a high-scoring game between two of the better offensive teams in the league.
The final score of the contest? 97-95. Not exactly what we had in mind.
[Related: Why the Warriors can beat the Nuggets in 6 games]
Both teams suffered from what appeared to be a case of the butterflies, and the Warriors actually did a better job of keeping the tempo of the game in their favor, given the circumstances (playing in Denver against the most potent offensive team in the league).
Still, a lot went wrong (if you are a Warriors fan), from Mark Jackson’s decision-making on the defensive end, Klay Thompson’s inability to finish layups (this has been an ongoing issue throughout the season for him) despite his solid overall play, Stephen Curry’s inability to be more aggressive to Jarrett Jack getting annihilated by the 37-year-old Andre Miller. And of course, the team lost David Lee for the season.
Coach Nick of Bballbreakdown explained the troubles of the Warriors expertly in this video:
Most wrote off the Warriors even before they lost Lee, so the coffin has already been laid out at this point. However, here are some things to consider before coming to the conclusion that this series is really over:
- There are certain qualities about Lee’s game that the team will certainly miss, as Zach Lowe of Grantland points out, but he was also struggling when he did play (shot an ineffective four-of-14 from the field with four turnovers), and has generally struggled against better competition through much of the season. The team’s defense should improve in his absence, and Andrew Bogut – who was a juggernaut in Game 1 – can take on more of a responsibility as the team’s primary rebounder. What Bogut did for the Warriors on the defensive end – blocking and changing an endless number of attempts at the rim – proved that they easily have themselves a top five defensive center in the league right now. He also prevented the usually-effective Kostos Koufos from doing anything useful on both ends, which forced George Karl to go to McGee – who played well but has a tendency to do crazy things in a bad way – down the stretch.
- Carl Landry will likely replace Lee as the power forward, and he is just as capable of a shooter and a better finisher around the rim than Lee. He doesn’t have the same court vision that Lee possesses, but this simply means more responsibilities will fall in the hands of Curry, which is generally a good thing. The key for Landry is not to mimic Lee, but to do what he does best – finish plays. Landry struggled against the longer and freakishly athletic JaVale McGee, but won’t have to deal with him as much while playing with the starting unit.
- Lee’s absence also opens up the door for rookie Harrison Barnes – who was mostly invisible in the first game – to make more of an impact on both ends while playing the three and a stretch four, which is a better matchup for the Warriors when the Nuggets go small. He has the athletic ability to make a difference, but he needs the opportunity to do so, which he will now have.
- As mentioned by Coach Nick, Curry is too good of a shooter to be as off as he was in the first half in Game 1. He was getting good shots for the most part, so it’s more of a matter of knocking them down than worrying about how the Nuggets played him.
- Miller scored 18 fourth-quarter points and couldn’t miss a shot if he tried. He’s good, but he’s not that good. Also, Thompson guarded Lawson – who had 12 points on 15 shots and four assists in 39 minutes – for much of the game and proved that his size and length can generally bother what the point guard needs to do, which is to drive and create. In other words, the point guard play of the Nuggets can be contained in this series as long as the Warriors have a better game plan against Miller.
In the long run, the absence of Lee’s offense may be too much to overcome in the playoffs. In the first round against the Nuggets, who prefer small-ball action? The Warriors are still very much alive.
Onto other news from around the league:
Deron Williams admits that his ankle issues made it tough for him to even walk, from Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today: “Williams had cortisone injections and platelet rich plasma therapy on his ankles just before the All-Star break. While he detests talking about injuries, he admitted his ankles were painful enough that walking around the house was difficult. “I was feeling badly for Deron having to play the way he was feeling with the medical situation,” interim Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo said. But the injections helped. Since the break, Williams has averaged 22.9 points and eight assists and shot 48.1% from the field and 42% on threes. Brooklyn has scored 107.4 points per 100 possessions. “It just feels good to play the way I know I’m capable of playing,” Williams said. “I am very surprised that he and our medical people were able to turn it around that dramatically, that quickly,” Carlesimo said. “Even if you watch tape of him prior to the All-Star break and post, it’s almost a different player.”
- Steve Nash will definitely play in Game 2, according to Mike Trudell of NBA.com:
Kobe Bryant didn’t love the idea of Mike D’Antoni calling him a “fan”, but did his best to brush it off as D’Antoni being nervous, from Ben Golliver of SI: “Bryant’s tweets — which provided thoughts and analysis on L.A.’s play on both sides of the ball — poured forth as San Antonio put together a convincing, if somewhat ugly, 91-79 home victory. In a televised postgame press conference, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni tried to brush off Bryant’s comments. “It’s great to have that commentary,” D’Antoni said, rolling his eyes. “He’s a fan right now. He’s a fan. You guys put a little bit more importance on that kind of fan. He’s a fan, he gets excited, I’m sure he wants to be part of it.” Bryant immediately responded to those comments, which some interpreted as a slight: “A fan?? lol”. He later added: “Nervous response. I’m sure he didn’t meant it that way. No big deal.” The Lakers’ 15-time All-Star guard referred to himself as “Coach Vino” on Friday.”
- Due to all the attention Kobe got from tweeting, he has decided not to tweet while the Lakers are playing:
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