Playoff series are all about adjustments and counters, so it was no surprise to see the Golden State Warriors fight back to take Game 2 over the Los Angeles Lakers.
After losing Game 1, the Warriors came out with a different starting lineup that Rui Hachimura later credited for their success. Now the pressure shifts back to Los Angeles who heads home to try and defend their home court.
Like LeBron James, Tristan Thompson is also familiar with Golden State and knew that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would come out with added urgency.
“I knew coming into this game that we were gonna get a heavy dose of Klay and Steph. At the end of the day, their approach for being down 0-1 with Game 2 at their house the last thing they want to do is go down 0-2 from the crib. So we knew they were going to play like how they played against Sacramento Game 7. Leave it all out there, if it means they have to play 48 minutes they’ll do it.
“We weathered the first quarter storm, the second quarter the first six minutes…he (Steve Kerr) pulled Steph out with two minutes left in the first and put him back in the beginning of the second to play with that second unit. And Klay and him kept shooting, made shots in the second quarter and put themselves in position. And then the third quarter we weren’t able to weather that storm and kind of that was the game right there.”
Thompson has seen up close how teams like the Warriors are able to adjust game to game which is why he compared this series to a fight in the ring.
“This series is going to be a boxing match,” Thompson said. “We won the first round, they won the second. You just got to stay with it. This is a very unique team. They shoot…think about it, Game 1 we tried to limit their 3s and they still got off 50 attempts. So that just shows you right there they’d rather take 3s than 2s. Even if you chase them off the line, they’re going to try to find a way to get 3-point shots up and that’s what makes their team different than the rest of the league.
“Even though a lot of teams in the league try to copy them, nobody can copy the two best shooters to ever play the game. We gotta make our adjustments. This is part of the playoffs, it’s a great learning experience. And now we go back home and protect home court.”
Kerr is one of the best tacticians in the NBA right now, so Darvin Ham and his coaching staff have their work cut out for them ahead of an important two-game home stand that will swing the momentum of the series.
Darvin Ham says Lakers need to move Anthony Davis around to get him ball
One of the problems Ham has to figure out is how to get Anthony Davis more involved offensively. After a stellar Game 1, Davis struggled to get the ball in advantageous spots in Game 2 and Ham has already admitted that that’s an area they need to be better in.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!