Warriors Control Paint, Rout Lakers 127-100 to Tie Series at 1--1
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 30 points on 11-18 field goal shooting--including 8-11 from three point range--as the Golden State Warriors led by as many as 32 points en route to a 127-100 win over the L.A. Lakers to tie their second round series at 1-1. Stephen Curry had a quiet scoring game by his standards with 20 points on 7-12 field goal shooting, but he had tremendous impact with his passing (game-high 12 assists) and his overall shot creation in terms of breaking down the Lakers' defense off the dribble to create open shots even on plays when he did not make the assist pass. JaMychal Green started in place of Kevon Looney, contributing 15 points on 6-9 field goal shooting in just 13 minutes. Looney, who was limited to 12 minutes by an undisclosed illness that affected him prior to the start of the game, had six points and eight rebounds.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points and tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds, but he had just two points on 1-5 field goal shooting in the third quarter as the Warriors outscored the Lakers 43-24. Three of James' five field goal attempts in that crucial period were three pointers. The Warriors led 110-80 at the end of the third quarter, and thus James and the other four Lakers' starters did not play in the fourth quarter. Rui Hachimura was the only Laker who played at or above expected standards, finishing with 21 points on 8-14 field goal shooting. Anthony Davis had 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots, and zero meaningful impact on the outcome of the game.
Thompson's three point shooting was important, but it must be noted that the Warriors outscored the Lakers 48-42 in the paint, flipping the script from game one when the Lakers dominated the paint scoring by a 54-28 margin. The Warriors also outrebounded the Lakers 55-40 after being outrebounded 53-49 in game one. As ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy put it, during the second quarter the Warriors were "living in the paint." Early in the third quarter, Van Gundy noted that James "does not love to play in the post" but that his team needs him to do so more often because "he is so overpowering."
The extent to which the Lakers are successful is not about "lasers" or Russell Westbrook or the role players who the Lakers acquired in exchange for Westbrook; it is much simpler than that: when Anthony Davis and LeBron James play effectively in the paint at both ends of the court the Lakers can be dangerous--but when Davis and James do not play effectively in the paint at both ends of the court the Lakers are the same mediocre team that they were for most of the regular season when Davis and James were missing in action in terms of attacking the paint (or just missing in action, period: Davis sat out 26 regular season games, and James sat out 27 regular season games).
The reason that I keep saying that the Lakers are not better now than they were before they traded future Hall of Famer Westbrook for three role players is that I am evaluating the team's capability to win a playoff series against a good team at full strength; I am not impressed by the Lakers winning a few regular season games against tanking teams, injury-depleted teams, and teams that had already secured their playoff position. When the Lakers had an opportunity to avoid the Play-In Tournament by beating their crosstown rival L.A. Clippers, the Lakers lost and James made excuses. The Lakers needed overtime to beat a mediocre Minnesota team in the Play-In Tournament, and it took them six games to dispatch a Memphis team missing two of its best big men, one of Ja Morant's hands, and half of Dillon Brooks' brain.
Davis lived up to his press clippings in game one versus Golden State, and the Lakers won by five points; unless you believe that Davis is going to consistently put up 30-23 stat lines, a close win in what may turn out to be his best game of the series is not a great sign for the Lakers. Davis disappeared in game two, and the Warriors obliterated the Lakers. Yes, the series is tied 1-1, and yes the Lakers have the mathematical advantage because they do not need to win another road game to advance--but the Warriors have the better, more consistent, and more disciplined team. The Lakers were unable or unwilling to figure out how to best utilize Westbrook's talents, and they are unable or unwilling to figure out how coax Davis into playing effectively in the paint on a consistent basis. When the going gets tough, James is content to jack up three pointers, put up decent boxscore numbers, and absolve himself of responsibility for the game's outcome. I have followed the Lakers closely this season, and until they prove otherwise they are who I said they are.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 1:00 AM
12 Comments:
AD can look like the best player in the league in one game then be totally MIA in the next. In-game load management? Come on, this is the playoffs, every game matters. Not sure what buttons Darvin needs to push to get them to try hard EVERY GAME
I hate to say it but this series is lookin' like it's gonna come down to the zebras.
Any night we shoot 20+ extra free throws, we're gonna win.
Any time it's within 5 or 6, we're not.
Any time it's somewhere in between, those'll be the games where the other stuff matters.
Some nights we're gonna get early fouls on Draymond and have an easy time. Other nights he's gonna get away with all his cheap little pulling and prodding and get in AD's head from jump. Some nights we're gonna get get away with running over Curry trying to contest his threes. Other nights we'll get whistled for breathing on him. Is what it is what is what it always has been.
But we can't score efficiently enough to keep up with their gunners without getting to the line and we can't guard them for crap if AD or Vando get in foul trouble.
Hate to see it, but it is what it is. This one's coming down to the whistles.
David,
AD's inconsistency reminds me Lamar Odom's up and downs, except AD has obviously far more talent and more injury-prone tendencies. It's really inexcusable that someone with a NBA 75th Team accolade can be this bipolar game to game.
The Warriors adjusted accordingly and dominated in aspects you mentioned in this recap. It was interesting to note in this game that James did not stat-pad in the third quarter when the game was well out of reach. His aggression and tone that was set in the first half (21 points) was impressive, but Davis did not follow his lead.
I'm looking forward to see how this Warriors team that struggled all season on the road handle playing at LA, where the Lakers so far haven't lost in the postseason. Winning Games 5 and 7 on the road in Sacramento series should give Golden State enough confidence to perform accordingly.
Last Stand:
Those are lame excuses offered by losing teams and by fans of losing teams.
When Davis and James attack the paint they draw fouls and get to the free throw line; when they don't attack the paint, they draw fewer fouls and get fewer free throw attempts.
I don't know for sure who will win the series--no one does--but I know how the series will be won, and I explained that in my series preview. It seems likely to me that the Warriors will consistently do the things that they do well, while the Lakers will less consistently do the things that they do well. That is why I picked the Warriors to win the series.
In game one, Davis played about as well as he can play, and the Lakers barely won. In game two, Davis disappeared--which he often does--and the Warriors blew the Lakers out.
The good news for the Lakers is that the three role players that they acquired in exchange for Westbrook are very prepared to step up and make a big difference in a playoff series while facing the defending champion Warriors. I mean, McMenamin, Wilbon, Windhorst, and all of the other "experts" (including many on Sirius XM NBA Radio, CBS Sports, etc.) told us (1) that the Lakers' biggest problem was Westbrook and (2) trading Westbrook was a brilliant move that completely transformed the Lakers. Therefore, not only will the Lakers win the rest of the games, but those three players will all play crucial roles in those victories. We have to trust the "experts."
It ain't an excuse, it's a flaw in our team. We need FTs to win, been true all season. FTs are harder to come by in the playoffs sometimes, just ask James Harden. We don't really have a plan B.
Maybe garbage time mucks this stat up a little, but the Lakers took 17 shots in the paint last night and 14 in game 1. It's not just taking shots in the paint, it's making them. We had 22 paint touches last night to 20 the night before.
Now, AD specifically? Yeah, he could stand to shoot more in the paint, but it's not like this is the first time he's been flummoxed by Draymond Green. He can beat Looney but Draymond's got a history of slowing him down that goes way back. One of the only guys that can credibly single cover him. He's gotta make him pay for trying by either drawing fouls or killing him on the glass, but if GSW keeps going with Steph as their playmaker to draw him out of the paint, he's not having any more 20 rebound games.
We're not a deep team or a versatile team. We're a team that relies on beating folks up with size and FTs. Austin Reaves looked like a future All-Star late in the regular season while he was living at the line, but he's shot zero FTs so far this series and looks like an undrafted white guy again.
Last Stand:
The entire fourth quarter was garbage time, and you could argue that garbage time started in the third quarter.
I'm not sure where you get your paint touches stat, but if you watched both games then you noticed that Davis was not nearly as aggressive in game two. The NBA's box score paint scoring totals reflect that difference. If a player "touched" the ball in the paint and then shot a fadeaway, that is not an effective paint "touch."
Reaves is a solid role player. DLo and Vanderbilt are solid role players. Beasley is not a rotation player.
It looks like the Lakers could use a player who rebounds, who pushed the ball in transition to create easy scoring opportunities before the opposing team's halfcourt defense is set, who plays hard all the time, and who attacks the hoop. Oh, wait--the Lakers had a player like that, but they brilliantly traded Russell Westbrook to acquire a three point "laser" with a history of misfiring in the playoffs, a 3 and D guy who can't shoot threes, and another "laser" who does not set foot on the court unless one team is up by double digits.
One thing that we know for sure is that I don't understand basketball the way that the Lakers' brain trust does, or the way that the "experts" do. They see so many things that I just don't see.
Marcel
Ad is inconsistent I expected him not to show up in back to back games.
Lakers simply got to win game 3 and 4 and I think they will
They not shooting 45 percent from 3 the whole series
I think
Dlo
Reaves
Rui
Schroeder
Play well both games in la
And Bron and ad Will also deliver
The warriors are a terrible road team
And I can't see them winning unless Lakers play terrible
Marcel:
In the first round, the Warriors won two road games against a team that is better and more consistent than the Lakers.
You admit that Davis is inconsistent, but predict that he will play well in games three and four? That is interesting.
In any given game, two of the role players you listed will play well--maybe three of them will play well in one of the home games. None of that will matter unless Davis and James attack the paint.
James may score 20 points in a half. He may also disappear in a close game that is up for grabs. He did both in the same game last night!
Marcel
David anyone who watched ad over his la career
Knows he inconsistent
I expect he have a monster game 3
And solid game 4
Russel
Reaves
Rui
Schroeder
I expect to get 15-20
Idk who the 3rd best player on Lakers is
Sometimes it's reaves, sometimes it's Russell, sometimes rui.
But if they give a solid game in game 3 and 4, Lakers will win
Kings was better road team than home team
Lakers are a better home team than road.
3-3 on road
3-0 at home
I'm not impressed with this gsw warriors team
And other years they benefitted greatly from injuries all teams is healthy
And they are not the best.
Marcel:
We agree that Davis is inconsistent.
I am mystified that you believe that Davis will play well in both of the next two games.
You are expecting 15-20 from each of the "Fantastic Four"? That's 60-80 points. Good luck with that.
Why would you be impressed with the Warriors, right? It's not like they have any kind of playoff resume or track record. It's not like they just won game seven on the road against the number two seed. Of course the Lakers are much more impressive than the Warriors, right? That's obvious. After all, the Lakers traded a future HoFer for an inconsistent three pointer shooter who plays no defense, a 3 and D guy who can't make 3s, and a "laser" who only plays in garbage time. Very, very impressive. LeBron's third quarter was impressive, too. With the game in reach, he jacked up three pointers and watched his team get blown out. Can't help but be impressed by that. At least he has not had multiple playoff series in his career in which he quit, right? No way that happens here.
Marcel
D'Angelo Russell made a all star team
And averaged 23 ppg and 21 ppg back to back years
Mike Bobby
Rod Strickland
Mike Conley
Never made a all star team
Stop with the Russell slander David
He been a top 24 player in NBA for a season before
Marcel:
When we talked about Westbrook this season you said don't bring up the past, but now you are talking about Russell's one All-Star selection--in an eight season career--that took place four years ago! The same season that Russell earned his only All-Star selection, Westbrook led the league in assists while averaging a triple double (23-11-11) for the third straight season.
Do you consider Russell an All-Star now? You just said in another thread that you are not sure who the Lakers' third best player is. So, you don't know if Russell is better than Rui or Reaves, but it is "slander" for me to call Russell a role player?
Russell has been to the playoffs three times in eight years, and this is the first time he reached the second round, now that he is playing with not one but two Top 75 players.
You listed some players who have never been All-Stars.
Here are some other one-time All-Stars besides Russell:
Kyle Korver
Chris Gatling
Jamaal Magliore
Jim Price
All due respect to those players, but were they at any time "top 24 players"?
D'Angelo Russell is not a bad player, but he is not a great player and he has yet to prove that he can consistently be a key contributor to a winning program.
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