What Needs to happen tonight for both teams.
By Jafar Gibbons.
It will take a gargantuan effort to win this particular NBA matchup, and the reason is simple – a lot is at stake.
Teams that win game 3 of a 1-1 tie best-of-seven series in the NBA go on to win the series 72% of the time.
With both Lebron and Curry heading for their fifth ring (Klay, Iguodala, and Draymond too), victory in this series may be the toughest task throughout these playoffs for either of the embattled teams.
This series is now heating up, brace yourselves. Can the Warriors win on the road at the Crypto Arena? Can the Lakers match the Warrior’s pace? Does Golden State have the ability to match the Lakers’ physicality consistently enough? Just how important are the role players in this particular series? Whom will it be at the end of it all?
While the Warriors have been the best offensive team in these playoffs, the Lakers, quite contrastingly, have been the best defensive team. The Lakers are bigger, stronger, and more athletic than the Warriors, so for them, there should be an emphasis on running the Warriors off the 3-point line, forcing them to take and make perimeter shots (which would give you an advantage to defend them, being the bigger team). As we have seen when executed in game 1, the Lakers had a total of 10 blocks compared to the Warriors’ 3.
Additionally, Anthony Davis cannot go for 11 points and 7 rebounds in 32 minutes. For the Lakers to consistently win, they need Anthony Davis, to be the standout performer every night. And against a Warriors team where your best would still on some nights not be enough, the Lakers cannot afford to have Anthony take a night’s rest. To give context, in game 1, Davis went off for 30 points and 23 rebounds and the game really went all the way down to the wire.
On the flip side, the Warriors leave much begging. Throughout the course of the regular season, 3 things have clicked right for them; their offense (top 3), their pace (top 3), and their home record (top 3). In the playoffs, the best teams prove they can win on the road. Four times these teams have met this season and the Warriors haven’t won any games at the Crypto Arena (Lakers home). But if anything, these playoffs have taught us that we should forget what happened in the regular season for a moment. The Warriors have just knocked off the best offensive team in Sacramento Kings and recorded two wins away from home, which means they are more than capable of producing wins away from home.
Going small in game 2 allowed the Warriors to play with more space on offense, allowing them to create more scoring opportunities. They already play at a faster pace than the Lakers are accustomed to, who are much bigger than them and would definitely rather play slower. The Warriors’ decision to not only go small but play Curry on the ball all night created a defensive nightmare for the Lakers. Curry’s handles and on-ball wizardry attracted a double-team all night, allowing himself and others to find the open teammate who seldomly miss. By the end of the game, the Warriors had shot 50% from beyond the arc, making 21/42 shots. Curry finished with a total of 12 of the Warriors’ 38 assists. You are just not going to win many playoff games/series allowing the opponent to be that good.
We are in for a treat tonight. Each team will need to do what they do best in order to put to rest this series. While the Warriors need to play fast and shoot the ball well, the Lakers will need to be aggressive on the glass and defend well to win the game as well, but we can only have one winner at the end of the night.
