Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Playoff Structure, David Lee, Championship
Jan 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) goes up for a score during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Oracle Arena. Bulls won 113 to 111. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Kerr, unlike most NBA coaches, has the pleasure of having talent and legitimate weapons up and down the entire lineup. Because of this, Kerr has the ability to truly change his rotation game to game depending on who the Warriors are facing on a given night, player-to-player matchups, who’s been playing well recently, etc. This is why Lee has played less minutes in the past few games than he has during the rest of the season.
For example, Kerr has decided to employ the small ball lineup of Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston or Harrison Barnes. Since the lineup is small, the Warriors are able to get out and run in transition more, which is when they’re at their best. Defensively though, the Warriors are still effective, even though they don’t have a lot of size on the floor, because it’s a long, athletic lineup that allows them to switch more easily without losing a defensive edge.
Lee sometimes plays center in a not-as-small lineup, but that smaller lineup with Green at the center position has really paid off for the Warriors recently, especially against teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns.
In the game against the Mavericks recently, Kerr went the opposite approach and decided to use a bigger lineup throughout the game with more minutes being given to starter Andrew Bogut and backup center Festus Ezeli. Marreese Speights also saw some minutes in that game, in order to space the floor with the bigger centers in the game.
Speights’ minutes have also decreased in recent months, and this is mostly because of similar reasons to why Lee isn’t playing as much. Both Speights and Lee provide boosts on offense, but they are not nearly as defensively skilled (one-on-one or on switches or help defense) as Green is. In addition, when the Warriors go big, Kerr is more likely to use Bogut and Ezeli more than Lee and Speights.
The small ball lineup that Kerr is utilizing more in recent games has been extremely effective. Depending on the remaining schedule and who the Warriors face in the playoffs, Lee could see more time on the court. It just depends on what rotation Kerr believes will be most effective each night and if that lineup can partially hide Lee’s defensive deficiencies.
Next: Will the Warriors Have an Easy Run to the Title?