Warriors win Game 2
Golden State Warriors win Game 2 (109–104) and tie series at 1–1
Game 2 was a war of attrition for both sides and has somewhat exemplified each team’s run to the NBA Finals. Golden State throughout the play-offs have struggled with injuries with Durant, Iguodala and Boogie Cousins all missing significant amounts of time. Even the Warriors ‘healthy players’ are carrying significant knocks, Klay Thompson had been playing on a sprained ankle since the Clippers series and Draymond Green has been beaten up physically by the taller, bigger players that he faced in the Houston and Portland series. For Toronto, they have been managing injuries throughout the play-offs as well. Kawhi Leonard has an undisclosed injury in his leg which clearly affects his mobility and has meant that his current workload could be unsustainable.
Game 2 was defined by the injuries and the ability to overcome the injuries for Golden State. The Warriors lost Klay Thompson midway through the game due to a pulled hamstring which has meant that he is doubtful for Game 3/4. Thompson has been a boon for the Warriors after losing Durant in terms of stepping up his offensive workload and providing another weapon that teams have to defend. Thompson is such a lights-out shooter that leaving him open on jump shots is free points for the Warriors, Thompson being injured presents some serious issues.
The Warriors do not have a strong secondary scoring options who can pick up the offensive load when it matters for Golden State. Stephen Curry can occasionally have a poor shooting game in which he is not a net-positive for the Warriors for stretches of a game. The cold shooting can be detrimental during a play-off situation where each possession matters more. In the regular season, losses can be stomached by a team due to the season being so long and games being not as significant. In the play-off, one win is the next step on the road to being NBA champions. Curry going cold for quarters at a time can mean that important games are left on the table. Klay being a second option who can just pour in will prevent cold shooting from becoming too much of an issue.
Moreover, the way that the Raptors’ choose to defend Golden State changed completely and they had some success with this type of defence. Nick Nurse changed his defensive coverage on Stephen Curry completely and forced him to pass the ball by running a Box and One scheme. The Box and One scheme involves having four defenders focus on playing within a defensive zone while having one defender running around like a blue-arsed fly playing man defence. For the Raptors, they were effective in using the physicality of both Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry to slow down Curry and prevent him from getting to his spot easily. The defensive zone created by Leonard, Gasol, Siakam and Danny Green walled off the rest of the court for Curry in terms of taking away the drive and easy skip pass to the corner for a cut or a drive. The Warriors’ constant motion offensive scheme relies heavily on having wings cut to the rim or get open three-point shots. The Raptors took this away by having hounding man defence not allowing Curry to find a rhythm in which he can play.
The other aspect of the Raptors’ Box and One defence that was impressive was how Nick Nurse schemed the bigs sitting down low. Nick Nurse chose to have Kawhi and Gasol as the rim protectors who could rotate out towards the wings and contest shots, this was a great decision in terms of having two lengthy, intelligent defenders who can cover a lot of ground. The Raptors cut off Curry’s offensive game and forced the other Warriors to beat them, the zero-sum game being that Curry is neutralised while the rest of the team gets convertible looks. The Raptors’ often operated in a 4–3 disadvantage due to there being two defenders constantly watching Curry but the defensive instincts of Siakam, Gasol and Leonard negated this deficiency as they made the right rotation more often than not and forced the Warriors into low shot-clock situations.
The effect of the defence was incredible, on nine possessions the Warriors only scored once. The junk defence made the game close and gave Toronto a chance to pressure Golden State into issues down the stretch of the game. The Raptors’ took away Golden State’s scoring for five minutes and made shot-making incredibly difficult, the only bucket being an Andre Iguodala three that iced the game for the Warriors. It is possible that the Warriors’ can scheme for these adjustments but it will likely require a different way of playing basketball. The Warriors can break the Box and One by using DeMarcus Cousins more within the offence.
DeMarcus Cousins has had a hellish season where he has gone through two major injuries and huge uncertainty. The Warriors managed a recovery for Cousins that was designed to bring him back for the play-offs so that he could be an effective scorer off the bench. The quadriceps injury in the Clippers series put that plan to bed but now Cousins could be a serious weapon for the Warriors in terms of providing secondary scoring. DeMarcus is not fully healthy by any means but he is still a devastating scorer who can work from anywhere on the floor, the Warriors should explore running offence through Cousins’ in the post. A big down low will stress a Box and One defence due to the fact that a defender is needed to stop easy low-post scoring. A talented big man scorer will kill the Box and One defence and force the Raptors to adjust again.
The other pertinent injury stemming from the game is that Kevon Looney has been ruled out for the rest of the NBA Finals due to a collarbone injury. Kevon Looney has been one of the best players for the Warriors during this play-off run, that is not even an exaggeration. Looney has been one of the most important players for the Warriors because of his defensive versatility and ability to defend 1–5 as a centre. Looney has become so competent in terms of defending in space that he has become a crucial piece of the Warriors’ rotation. The issue with losing Kevon Looney is that the Warriors lose that versatility and reliability that Kevon Looney has brought as a player. The Warriors have to stretch deeper into their rotation for what seems like the fifth time this play-offs. The loss of Looney presents an interesting problem for Steve Kerr.
The Warriors can fill those back-up centre minutes using Andrew Bogut or they could potentially go small with Jordan Bell operating as a back-up centre. Bogut is an experienced and talented centre who can be a defensive force. Moreover, Andrew Bogut knows the Warriors so well due to the fact he was a key component of building the Warriors dynasty that started with a title in 2015. A lot has been made of Bogut being a Warriors’ throwback and a likable figure in the locker-room who has been parachuted into the Warriors’ rotation to provide some perspective on the history that is being made. The basic sentiment behind the decision made is that Bogut would be a third string centre who could impart words of wisdom to Looney when things got tough while also be able to step in for six/seven minutes and soak up some minutes. Steve Kerr has to consider whether Andrew Bogut is ready to potentially play twenty minutes as a back-up to DeMarcus Cousins who is not fully healthy. There is a possibility that Steve Kerr could burn Bogut out and push him beyond usefulness which will have a tangible impact for the rest of the Finals.
The Jordan Bell option will be interesting for Steve Kerr in terms of changing the style of the second unit. Jordan Bell will insert a lot more energy and hustle into the bench unit for the Warriors while also being a wrecking ball defensively. Bell’s activity on the defensive end results in blocks and steals which eventually lead to transition opportunities. In addition to this, Jordan Bell’s ability to run can be a useful weapon for the Warriors. The Raptors often operate as a slower-paced lineup that is deliberate in its offence and defence, Toronto has two bigs in the form of Gasol and Ibaka who are not particularly fast. Jordan Bell could run these bigs off the floor and force Toronto to go smaller if Steve Kerr fully leans into using pace more in his Warriors’ assault.
Toronto have also been struggling with serious injuries. Leonard’s leg injuries has sapped some of his athleticism in terms of his ability to easily bull-doze his way through defenders. Kyle Lowry had ligament damage in his fingers which is incredibly painful and makes it incredibly difficult to pass the ball comfortably and in rhythm. Those split seconds caused by the discomfort can be crucial in transition opportunities in which the Raptors will get plenty of. Nick Nurse has been incredible in exploiting the Warriors’ tendency to turnover the ball and the Raptors have benefitted from this despite these injuries. Toronto needs to continue to pursue this strategy in terms of making the Warriors’ miss and continuing to score out of their half-court sets.
For the Raptors, they take a lot of positives from this game despite the Game 2 loss. The most notable positive from Game 2 is Fred VanVleet’s performance on both sides of the ball. FVV had a torrid start to the play-offs, he could not shoot the ball at all and struggled to create shots for his team-mates. Since the birth of his child, Fred VanVleet has been a different player off the Raptors’ bench. FVV has been efficient offensively but it has been his defence in this series which has been noteworthy. VanVleet has been a pest on Curry and has been relentless defensively, he has not let Curry get comfortable on offence. In Game 2, his ability to frustrate Curry meant that Curry went 6–17 from the field while he picked up three steals.
