The Golden State Warriors have been so good despite their best player being out, their lone loss this postseason has come by one point off a controversial no-call and an unfortunate turnover. They lead the Portland Trail Blazers two games to none and will hit the road for the next two games. With Stephen Curry highly unlikely to play in either game, the team has to continue their success through a series of different keys. Playing away is completely different from being inside Oracle Arena. Here are the five steps for another Warriors win in Game 3…
1. Get Klay Thompson Going Early
The best shooting guard in the league right now struggled in the first half of Tuesday night’s win in Oakland. Moe Harkless did a respectable job on Klay Thompson and even claimed he was inside the Splash Brother’s head. It’s hard to argue after seeing Thompson go 3-9 in the first two quarters and scoring just 7 points. Thompson did end the game with 27 though as the Warriors rallied in the second half, overcoming a double-digit deficit. For such a high scoring team, the Warriors lack players who can create their own shot consistently outside of Thompson and Stephen Curry. The team has to find ways to feed the scoring guard the ball, whether it’s by screens or setting him up with easy baskets near the rim. You need a player with that killer instinct in a hostile environment such as Portland and Thompson can be that guy. He needs a 30 point night on the road to give the Warriors a chance at winning.
2. Keep Damian Lillard in Check
The Oakland native is one of the streakiest players in the league but when he’s hot, he’s really hot. He torched the Warriors for 51 points in Portland’s blowout victory after the All-Star break and has a bigger chip on his shoulder than anyone in the league. He lost all his fellow starters through free agency, was left off the Olympic Basketball Team, and was snubbed of an All-Star spot. Add all that up plus he’s going up against his favorite team as a child while being down 0-2? He’s going to come out angry. Thompson has done the best job on him so far this series, but others will be expected to step up to stop Lillard as Klay will need to handle majority of the scoring.
3. Take Care of the Basketball
The Warriors had 20 turnovers to go along with their 25 assists in their 32 point loss in Portland earlier this season. Their 10 losses has been a result of sloppy play and careless turnovers. Golden State is one of the smartest teams of all-time and know what it takes to win, clearly. However, their one weakness is taking care of the ball. They tend to get sloppy with it on the road and without Curry in the lineup, they can be more prone to it. Look for the Trail Blazers to put extra pressure on the likes of Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and most importantly the turnover prone Draymond Green in Game 3. The Warriors have to play their game and not force anything or they could be in for a long night against a team that loves to run just as much as they do.
4. Have a Star Off the Bench
This is clearly easier said than done. Benches always do better on their home court as opposed to on the road. Rip City has been waiting for their Blazers and are ready to blow the roof off the Moda Center on Saturday night. The Warriors cannot afford for Mo Speights to lay another egg and go scoreless off the bench. Ian Clark has played much better than expected as the backup point guard since Curry’s injury and if he continues the impressive play, it might just give the Dubs enough of a spark to keep the train rolling. Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa are both veterans and have been here before. I expect them both to play well. Festus Ezeli was the Warriors unsung hero in Game 2 and if Steve Kerr quits messing around with his minutes, he too can be vital to another Warriors’ victory.
5. Activate Playoff Barnes
And if this becomes a reality, you might not even need key number four. Barnes, who is typically better in the playoffs than he is in the regular season has done the complete opposite so far this year. His numbers are down across the board and his jumper looks worse. He did hit a crucial three-pointer in Game 2 and hopefully that gives him some confidence going forward. The talk this week has been that Barnes would be a twenty-point scorer on most other teams, it’s now time for him to prove it. Without Curry, Barnes should realistically be the second highest scorer on the team. Draymond Green has become even more of a facilitator and none of the other players have the talent Barnes has to score. Portland will try to double Thompson more and force him to give it up, giving the 23-year-old more room to operate. He needs to get back into his infamous playoff mode and show why he turned down 64 million dollars in the offseason. If there’s anytime Golden State needs him to step up, it’s now. If he can get going, the team will be virtually unstoppable.