Pelicans vs. Warriors: NOLA must stop the GSW from going on runs
By Joshua Lea
The New Orleans Pelicans Golden State Warriors game two is tonight. The Pelicans are going to have to keep the Warriors from going on their well-known runs.
In game one the Pelicans witnessed one of Golden State’s marquee runs to close the second. It was a 24-2 run that virtually ended the game for the Pelicans. The Warriors imposed their defensive will on Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday as well. Their plan of attack worked and left the Pelicans saying “well that didn’t go as planned.”
Nevertheless, game two of this Western Conference series is upon us. The Pelicans will now face the Warriors at full strength. Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been upgraded to “probable” after missing the first game between these two teams.
The biggest thing for the Pelicans is going to be identifying the Warriors run and stopping it. The Warriors capitalize off mistakes and turnovers. Once you make a mistake on offense, they’ll make you pay and in an instant, they’re up 20.
The Pelicans saw this first hand in game one. It will be up to Alvin Gentry to know when the run is about to happen and call a quick timeout for the Pelicans to regain composure. Also, I would expect to see Emeka Okafor in this game as well.
The Pelicans could benefit from Okafor and Crawford in game two
Okafor can add a second low-post player that can help give Anthony Davis some space. The Warriors closed the lane extremely well on defense. They limited Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday from getting into the lane and passing to Davis.
It’s clear the Warriors are focusing on Davis and Holiday. They’re begging the Pelicans to beat them through their role players. However, Nikola Mirotic has to score more than nine points against this Warriors team.
The Warriors have a great defensive mind on their sidelines. Their defensive coordinator Ron Adams makes that team switch and double-team without sacrificing open shooters.
For New Orleans, not all is bad going into game two. Jordan Crawford provided a nice spark off the bench scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. I would expect for Gentry to use him for more than eight minutes tonight if he’s got it going early.
The thing about the Warriors is they have so many ways to beat you. It’s like being faced with a double in checkers. Regardless of which way you move your piece is going to be taken. You can shut down Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will go off. Now that Curry is to play tonight, the Pelicans will have to gameplan for him as well.
However, if the Pelicans can just keep the Warriors contained, they’ll have a chance to win. Stopping the run is the most important aspect of the game tonight. The game was well in reach until the second quarter of game one.
Next: This series is going to be a war
Tonight’s game two will tip at 9:30 CT on TNT. Look for New Orleans to come out with a defensive mindset and go shot-for-shot with the Warriors. If they can limit their mistakes and watch for the run, they will be in a position to win this game.