Two priorities for the Warriors in Game 4 vs. Lakers
Golden State Warriors are down 2-1 against Los Angeles Lakers, but can
even series
>Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) watches a ball being thrown
while sitting dejected on the bench in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of
the NBA basketball Western Conference semifinal playoffs at Crypto.com
Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Jose Carlos
Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 8, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: May 8, 2023 at 7:22 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/05/08/two-things-the-warriors-can-do-against-lakers-in-game-4/

LOS ANGELES — This Warriors’ core has experienced just about every type
of playoff scenario over the last decade.

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have blown a 3-1 series
lead and lost in seven. They’ve also swept series, and have flipped
deficits into decisive victories. They’ve been both severely doubted and
heavily favored.

So, on the eve of Monday’s critical Game 4, it wasn’t surprising to see
Curry so calm and cool with the Warriors trailing their Western
Conference semifinal matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers two games to one.

Curry was serene Sunday as he answered questions from a sunlit room at
the Warriors’ hotel, offering some perspective on the Warriors’ 127-97
loss to the Lakers in Game 3 the night before when his team completely
lost its poise.

“You hate you have to keep learning that lesson at this stage of the
season. But we did, and it’s about how we respond,” Curry said. “That’s
been our MO for a very long time and there’s a lot of confidence in that
no matter how frustrated we are that we let it slip yesterday.”

The Warriors can make a pair of adjustments to even this series before
returning to San Francisco.

- Jordan Poole needs to get in on the scoring

The Warriors may not win last year’s championships without Jordan
Poole’s scoring. He averaged 17 points shooting 39 percent from 3 and
50.8 percent from the field in 22 games capped off with a Game 6 title
clincher in Boston.

He hasn’t been able to replicate that production these playoffs. In 10
games against the Sacramento Kings and Lakers, so far, Poole is
averaging 11.6 points on 28.8 percent shooting from 3 and 35.5 percent
from the field. His playoff minutes have cut down from 27.5 per game to
22 as the coaching staff has pulled him back for key defensive stretches
or when he’s struggled to score. Rushed possessions, in particular, have
held him back.

“I have great faith in Jordan,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s had good
playoff games for us this year, he had a great run last year. We know he
can do it. I thought last night the whole group had rushed possessions,
Jordan had a couple of them. So did Steph, and so did Klay. It’s a group
thing.”

Poole’s best game of these playoffs came in a Game 1 loss where he shot
6-for-11 from 3 that included a miss on a deep potential game-tying
3-pointer. He got going with a mix of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves,
and Dennis Schröder guarding him.

The Lakers’ defensive adjustment in Game 3 saw Reaves guard Curry and
Jarred Vanderbilt, who had been hounding Curry, guarding Green, with
Anthony Davis dropped back in the paint as the help defender, limiting
the Curry/Green pick-and-roll options. Curry may decide to work around
that by taking on Reaves himself.

But the adjustment could force other shooters to get in on the action.
Lineups with four shooters on the floor, which often include Poole,
space the floor to potentially punish the Davis drop coverage from
beyond the arc. If Poole can get back to his Game 1 self, the Warriors
could open the floodgates from 3.

- Draymond vs. Davis

The Lakers have a 2-1 series lead against the Warriors. That has a lot
to do with Davis’ 2-1 lead on Green.

The defensive matchup — Green guarding Davis — should be a key
determinant of this series outcome. So far, Davis has beaten Green in
the matchup twice by forcing him out of the game with foul trouble.
Green had three personal fouls before halftime in Games 1 and 3 — he had
three blocking fouls against Davis on Saturday — limiting his minutes
and impact. In Game 2, Green stayed out of foul trouble and limited
Davis to 11 points on 5-of-11 from the field with one free-throw attempt.

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Green is a few inches shorter than 7-footer Davis, but is one of the
most impactful defenders on the superstar because of his wingspan and
speed, Kerr noted.

“He’s strong enough to keep bigger guys away from the hoop and quick
enough to stay in front at the same time,” Kerr said. “That’s a pretty
unique combination, despite his lack of height he plays a lot bigger
than he is because of the speed and strength, and his length…He plays a
lot bigger than he is.”

The Warriors can win Game 4 in L.A. if Green can limit his fouls against
Davis. That’ll be a challenge if the whistle is as active as it was in
Game 3.

--
Shayna Rubin | General Assignment Sports Reporter
Shayna Rubin is a Bay Area News Group sports reporter for The Mercury
News and East Bay Times. She covered the Oakland A's from 2019 to 2021
and, most recently, the Golden State Warriors' championship run in 2022.
Shayna is a San Francisco native. She is a graduate of San Francisco
State University with a BA degree in journalism and a MA degree in
broadcasting and electronic communication arts.