"They’ve seen Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook Western Conference Finals... James Harden with Chris Paul" - Patrick Beverley outlines Golden State Warriors potential strategy against 3x All Star
After a rough two-year stretch that found them at the bottom of the standings, the Golden State Warriors are knocking on the door of the NBA title. Following a grueling series with the Memphis Grizzlies, they are once again in the Western Conference finals. Their last roadblock before competeing for the championship is Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Since entering the league, Luka Doncic has been one of the best playoff performers we've ever seen. Despite still being in his early twenties, he's proven to be capable of elevating his game on the big stage. So far these playoffs, Doncic is averaging 31.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists.
While no team has been successful in slowing the Mavs star down, Patrick Beverly thinks the Golden State Warriors are capable of doing so. He was recently a guest on ESPN's "Get Up," and gave his thoughts on the matchup.
"From a basketball standpoint, I think they're gonna wear him down."
Part of why Beverly feels the Warriors will be able to defend Doncic is because of their previous history. During their championship-winning seasons, they had to go through a plethora of top talent in the Western Conference.
"They’ve seen this movie before. They’ve seen Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook Western Conference Finals. They’ve seen James Harden without anybody, James Harden with Chris Paul.”
@patbev21"[The Warriors] are gonna wear [Luka] down!"
👀 @patbev21 https://t.co/VAGTGIBUha
Do the Golden State Warriors have the personnel to defend Luka Doncic?
Slowing down a player like Luka Doncic is not an easy task, but a case can be made that the Warriors have the players to do so. Part of what might make this a tough series for Doncic is all the different looks they can throw at him.
One reason why the Golden State Warriors look like title favorites again is the play of Draymond Green. Similar to when they were at their peak, he took on the challenge of doing all the little things. Primarily, defending at a high level.
Draymond seals the Game 3 win for the @warriors with some lock down DEFENSE🔒
Game 4: GSW vs. DEN
Sun. 3:30pm/et on ABC https://t.co/9y8CZU9kFa
In the playoffs, we've seen Green look like the guy that won Defensive Player of the Year not too long ago. His mix of physicality and IQ will make him a good primary defender for Doncic in this series. Green might not be able to lock him up completely, but is not going to make things easy and will wear him down over the course of seven games.
Behind Green, Golden State has multiple atheltes they can call on to defend Doncic. Whether it be Andrew Wiggins or Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors have an abundance of length and speed to disrupt him when he's not being guarded by Green.
If Golden State is able to stall Doncic in any capacity, the end result will likely be them getting back to the NBA Finals.