ClipperBloggers are all over the place during the playoffs. This time, it’s Seth Partnow, who broke down the Warriors’ strategy of keeping DeAndre Jordan away from the rim on defense. Click here to read the whole piece. Here is an excerpt:
In fact, of the 21 times the Warriors ran a traditional pick-and-roll or dribble handoff play with the screener being guarded by Griffin or Davis, Golden State only scored five baskets while committing five turnovers.
However, a subtle adjustment the Warriors made in the second half either by design or happenstance really opened up their pick-and-roll game. Whether he was paired defensively with Griffin or Davis, the Clippers defense suffered greatly when the Warriors used Jordan’s man to set the initial ball screen. Unsurprisingly, with Jordan out on the perimeter, there was little or no shot-blocking at the rim for the Clippers, as Klay Thompson exploits here:
