NBA Playoffs 2022: Looking at aspects Golden State Warriors need to mend in their clash against Dallas Mavericks
The Golden State Warriors are up 1-0 over the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
Dallas took a 123-90 blowout victory in Game 7 of their semifinal series against the Phoenix Suns. The Warriors overcame the Memphis Grizzlies 4-2 in their semifinal matchup and are trying to advance to their sixth NBA Finals in the last eight seasons.
The Warriors might have overcome a young Grizzlies team missing their star player, but the series was characterized by the Warriors' wildly inconsistent play. Glaring issues were exposed in the Warriors' setup. If they are to overcome Luka Doncic and the Mavs, big improvements need to take place.
The Warriors defense largely held up against the Grizzlies, except for a subpar showing in a 134-95 Game 5 defeat. The majority of the issues for them lie on offense, where erratic and inconsistent play prevents them from finding a rhythm.
The Warriors have a talent advantage against the Mavs, but they will need to get back to the basics if they are to progress to the NBA Finals.
The Warriors need to clean up their turnovers
Turnovers were perhaps the biggest issue for the Warriors against the Grizzlies. They averaged 17.8 turnovers over six games. Their propensity to turn the ball over allowed the series to remain closer than it should have been once Ja Morant went out with a knee injury.
The Warriors' game plan is built around constant ball movement, cuts to the rim and high-paced play. For a pass-first offense like this, turnovers are bound to be an issue. However, the turnovers seen in the series against Memphis were largely due to careless play.
Players tried to unnecessarily thread the needle with their passes or fling cross-court passes that were easily read by the defense. Ball handlers would sometimes get caught up in their dribbles and eventually turn the ball over instead of finding the open man. Dallas may not be as good a team in transition as Memphis, but they possess spot-up shooters who can be lethal if given open looks in transition.
Tyus Jones three ball after the warriors turnover. https://t.co/mKCun7FD4f
Apart from the opportunities turnovers provide for the opposition in the open court, they can also sabotage a team's offensive rhythm.
At various points against Memphis when the Warriors were about to catch fire, careless turnovers kept them from capitalizing on the momentum. This, in turn, led to the Warriors trying to force things on future possessions and taking poor shots to avoid the possibility of a turnover.
Game 5 in Memphis was a perfect example of how bad things can get for the Warriors if they rack up turnovers. The Warriors turned the ball over 22 times as opposed to just nine for the Grizzlies and gave up 18 offensive rebounds. They trailed by 52 points at the end of the third quarter and were staring at the biggest NBA postseason defeat ever before a slight recovery in garbage time.
The Warriors' closeout Game 6 win was also in the balance for a long time owing to constant turnovers. But late in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors finally locked in and eliminated turnovers, they showed just how dangerous they can be. They ended up going on a game-clinching 21-3 run to finally put the Grizzlies away.
The Warriors are a team with a championship pedigree and know how to win titles. They are well aware of their turnover problem but will need to make a concerted effort to eliminate it if they are to advance.
Be more consistent while shooting
In curry" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors possess two of the greatest shooters of all time. Add an emerging Jordan Poole to the mix, and the Warriors should be able to blow teams away with their 3-point shooting.
Curry and Thompson, however, are having the worst shooting season of their careers and Poole has been wildly inconsistent. It is only fair to wonder how far the Warriors' erratic shooting can take them.
Thompson is still only five months into his return after missing 941 days due to injuries. He has been searching for his rhythm, and it's anyone's guess which version of Thompson will turn up for games. He has shown flashes of his old brilliance, epitomized by his 30-point explosion in Game 6 against Memphis. But he needed that 11-for-22 shooting night just to finish above 40% for the series.
GAME 6 KLAY IS DIFFERENT
https://t.co/qxPBQO1pme
Curry has not fared much better. He might be averaging 26.9 points per game in the playoffs. But his 3-point percentage is down at 36% which would easily be a career-low. At one point in Game 6 against Memphis, Curry was shooting 4 of 17 before he hit some late clutch shots to finish 10 of 27. Most NBA players would take such numbers, but they seem pedestrian by Curry's standards.
Poole's breakout in the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets meant that teams sat up and took notice of the Warriors' newest star. Poole has struggled to contribute consistently in every game, with teams now devising gameplans to slow him down. This, in turn, has affected the Warriors offense in the minutes when Curry is on the bench.
Part of the Warriors' shooting struggles can be attributed to poor shot selection.
Thompson has taken too many bad shots while trying to shoot his way out of a slump, and that has affected the flow of the Warriors offense. Curry receives more defensive attention than perhaps any other NBA player. So, he rarely gets good looks. If his shot falls, that is not an issue, but this season is proving to be different.
Dallas was able to defeat Phoenix largely because its stifling defense nullified the threat of Phoenix's star guards. Expect more of the same when Dallas faces Golden State. The Warriors need to find consistency in their shooting if they are to keep the Dallas defense honest.