https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Warriors-need-strong-efforts-from-Thompson-Poole-17226252.php

BOSTON — Here are three story lines to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.

Will Klay Thompson show up? Game 2 was another rough outing for Thompson, who shot 4-for-19 from the field and 1-for-8 from deep. According to advanced statistics, he went 1-for-13 on contested shots.

“When I watched the film, I probably seemed a little rushed,” Thompson said. “I wasn’t underneath my shot.”

As the series shifts to Boston and with all the pressure that comes with winning on the road, the Warriors will need Thompson to awaken offensively to make sure they head back to San Francisco for Game 5 in good shape.

Thompson was 2-for-6 from the field during the Warriors’ 35-14 third-quarter run Sunday, but his buckets helped spark the outburst. Though Thompson’s efficiency isn’t there right now (he’s shooting 30.3% from the field), he has remained aggressive. He has attempted 33 shots in the two games, second on the team behind Stephen Curry (46). Given Thompson’s history, though, he might be due for a big game.

Thompson shot 28.9% from the field combined (11-for-38) in Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against Memphis, only to score 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting in Game 3. He then averaged 24.5 points per game on 52.9% shooting in Games 5 and 6. And don’t forget, he scored 32 points on 12-for-25 shooting in the closeout Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Mavericks.

Thompson is no stranger to peaks and valleys of shooting, one reason Warriors head coach Steve Kerr isn’t concerned.

“Klay has a way of responding to mini-slumps or whatever you want to call them,” he said. “The point of emphasis will be, ‘Let’s make sure we get good rhythm shots early.’ If we do that individually and as a team, then it puts everybody in a better position.”

Thompson told reporters on Tuesday he plans on playing with better pace, utilizing pump-fakes more and taking higher-percentage shots in Game 3.

“When I tend to do that, I tend to have a big night,” he said.

Can Jordan Poole build off his strong finish to Game 2? Speaking of slumps, Poole showed signs of breaking out of his. After averaging 12.3 points in his previous four games, he had 17 in 22 minutes off the bench in Game 2. His heave from just inside halfcourt put an exclamation point on what was a tremendous third-quarter push for the Warriors.

“I think the biggest thing with Jordan is he just has great confidence and belief in himself, which allows him to respond to a bad game or a tough shooting stretch, whatever it is,” Kerr said. “We’ve seen him have monster games in the playoffs. We’ve seen him have some tough ones.”

Through the first six quarters of the Finals, Poole was pretty much unplayable. It appeared as if he was struggling to overcome Boston’s physicality. He couldn’t create driving lanes to the rim, and when he did, his shot was getting blocked.

The Celtics were forcing Poole to take outside shots, but they weren’t falling. He made both of his shots from distance in the third quarter — including the buzzer-beating heave — which seemed to reignite him. He played the entire fourth quarter, during which he scored eight points.

“Just continuing to stay even-keeled throughout the entire process,” Poole said. “Stick to my routine. As much as we would love to have great games every game, it’s just not the nature of the beast.”

It’s important to note that although Poole was effective in the fourth quarter of Game 2, he was able to find success playing mostly against reserves in garbage time. Because of that, questions still remain.

Has he turned the corner? Can he be relied on to contribute in meaningful minutes? Or, when matched against Boston’s better defenders in Game 3, will he regress?

Poole’s offense is a major X-factor for the Warriors. When he’s on, and Curry and Thompson are feeling it, too, Golden State is almost impossible to beat.

For Poole, a major key is patience. Not forcing the issue. Letting the game come to him naturally. In the first two games, Poole too often was doing too much with the ball in his hands. It led to inefficiency and unnecessary turnovers. The 22-year-old simply has to settle down.

Have the Warriors found a winning defensive formula? After its fourth-quarter collapse in Game 1, Golden State adjusted its matchups by moving Draymond Green onto Jaylen Brown, and Thompson onto Al Horford in Game 2. Andrew Wiggins continued to serve as Jayson Tatum’s primary defender, with Gary Payton II as the second man with the role.

Green wants to roam around in the half court defensively and be involved in actions. Because of this, he tends to wander away from his man at times. That’s why Horford, a stretch-big, was able to get so many open looks on the perimeter in Game 1 (he went 6-of-8 from 3-point range). But with Thompson, a more committed defender, guarding him in Game 2, Horford didn’t even attempt a 3-pointer (and finished with two points). And Brown struggled against Green’s physicality, going 5-for-17 from the field.

The Celtics had 18 turnovers in Game 2, tied for their second most of the postseason, and shot 37.5% from the field. But as the Warriors made adjustments entering Game 2, bet on Boston doing the same for Game 3.

“Draymond’s way better when he’s in the fray, guarding the ball, guarding the toughest assignments,” Kerr said. “He loves that. He embraces it. So I think it worked out better with him on Jaylen and sliding Klay over to Horford. It worked (in Game 2), but you never know how this goes in Game 3.”