Anthony Davis’ inconsistencies on offense have been the source of much criticism throughout the playoffs. But one thing that can not be questioned is that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has been absolutely dominant on defense and he might have had his biggest moment down the stretch of Game 4 when guarding Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
With the Lakers holding on to a one-point lead with under a minute remaining, Davis switched onto Curry after a screen and was left 1-on-1 with one of the greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. But Davis would do an outstanding job of sticking with Curry and forcing a tough fadeaway that was missed. He would then get back out to contest a deep Curry 3-pointer after a Warriors offensive rebound and the Lakers would ultimately escape with a three-point victory to go ahead 3-1 in the series.
After the win, Davis was asked about that late possession by Lakers reporter Mike Trudell and while Davis had nothing but praise for Curry, he admitted that he took the challenge personally as the Warriors guard was hunting for a switch on him, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Man, I pride myself on defense. They wanted, obviously, the switch with me and I took that personally. I know what he gets to like his stepback 3 and I just wanted to move my puppies. As my man, coach would say, I just wanted to move them puppies and keep him in front and make him take a tough shot and that’s what I did.
“He’s a helluva player, there’s no shot that he can’t make. He takes all the tough shots and he makes them. I just wanted to make it tough on him and make him shoot over a contested hand and pray that he missed, cuz he’ll make those. And he missed, got it back, and I just wanted to defend again and make him miss again and we ended up getting the rebound. Big time defense from me, but big time rebounding from our guys.”
There may not be another big man in the league who could do what Davis did in sticking with Curry on that last possession. Not only is Curry the greatest shooter ever, but his ball-handling skills are outstanding as well and he excels at breaking down bigs and getting whatever shot he wants. But Davis is no ordinary big man.
Davis has shown throughout these playoffs that regardless of who wins the award every year, he is the best and most dominant defensive player in the NBA. And when it mattered the most, Davis took on and conquered the challenge to put the Lakers just one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Anthony Davis discusses Lakers’ mindset for Game 5 on the road vs. Warriors
While the Lakers need just one win to advance, taking out the defending champion Warriors will be far from an easy task and that is not lost on Davis.
He spoke about the mindset the Lakers need going into Game 5 on the road, noting that the Warriors’ crowd will be loud and the team will play with a lot of energy, being desperate to save their season. Davis added that the Warriors are dangerous and that this series is not over yet.
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