"It's all about AD tomorrow"- Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley says if Anthony Davis is motivated, the Warriors have no chance
Anthony Davis took care of business for the LA Lakers on Tuesday night as they took the lead in their series against the Golden State Warriors. LA beat Golden State 117-112, which now gives them a 1-0 advantage. While the Lakers led the game for the majority of the time, the Warriors did their best to make it a neck-and-neck game.
During a post-game analysis on "Inside the NBA," Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley both agreed that the Lakers have a good chance of winning Game 2, with Davis being a key player. However, Shaq expressed concern about Davis' consistency in the playoffs, noting that he tends to have a mediocre game after a dominant one. Barkley echoed Shaq's sentiments, saying that the Warriors will need to shut Davis down if they want to have a chance at winning.
"It's all about AD tomorrow," O'Neal said. "He has to continue to be aggressive, he has to continue to be consistent."
Barkley then proceeded to point out what the Warriors need to do to win:
"They can do something. The Lakers are not a good three-point shooting team. [Shaq] got a point, if AD puts his mind to it, he got a huge advantage on size and quickness. But I think they gonna have to take the ball out of his hands."
Anthony Davis puts up a dominant Game 1 performance
Anthony Davis had a magnificent Tuesday night when he put up a monstrous double-double performance to annihilate the Golden State Warriors in Game 1. Davis had 30 points and 23 rebounds, making him the first LA Lakers player since Shaquille O'Neal to put up 30-20 in the playoffs. AD also successfully stopped the Warriors' offense by adding four blocks.
While Davis' most recent feat was nothing short of impressive, it shouldn't be a shocker considering the huge advantage he has over Golden State. Thoroughly looking at the matchup, "The Brow" is simply too big for Draymond Green and too fast for Kevon Looney. Unlike the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, the Warriors don't have a decent big man to match AD in the paint.
The Lakers now have the opportunity to capitalize on their advantage over the Warriors. Given that Anthony Davis can stay consistent throughout the series, then LA shouldn't have a problem winning their upcoming games. That's only if Golden State doesn't come up with a solution to stop AD.