Watch Warriors @ Raptors Game 2 in the early hours of Monday morning (1am) live on Sky Sports Arena
Monday 3 June 2019 06:45, UK
The Golden State Warriors lost Game 1 but have no reason to panic, say NBA TV analysts Steve Smith and Dennis Scott.
The Warriors were beaten Game 1 118-109 by the Toronto Raptors at ScotiaBank Arena on Thursday night, losing the opening game of a series for just the second time in 20 playoff series under head coach Steve Kerr.
Warriors defensive specialist Draymond Green bemoaned his team's "horrible transition defense" after the defeat, a criticism echoed by Kerr himself.
Kerr: Warriors must learn from Game 1 mistakes
NBA TV analysts Steve Smith and Dennis Scott agreed with those sentiments and identified several additional areas Golden State must address before Game 2 - which takes place in Toronto in the early hours of Monday morning (1am) live on Sky Sports Arena - but agreed the Warriors, appearing in their fifth successive NBA Finals series, have no reason to panic.
"I'm not going to say Game 2 is a must-win for the Warriors," said Scott, who played for six teams in his 11-year NBA career. "The Raptors took care of their business, they fought to protect their home court. The Warriors have been here before and they understand the task. I would never count out Stephen Curry at this moment. I know for a fact he isn't panicking."
Smith, a former All-Star who won the 2003 NBA title as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, agreed with his fellow pundit.
"The Finals start when a road team wins on the opposition's home court. That's when we'll start to see the tension and real adjustments. Some teams panic and some don't," he said. "The Warriors have won at least one game on someone else's floor for an NBA record 22 consecutive playoff series. No panic!"
Smith and Scott identified creating better shots for bench players limiting turnovers and controlling the pace of the game as the areas the Warriors will look to improve on Game 2.
"Aside from Curry, the Warriors don't have a lot of guys who can create their own offense, other than [the injured] Kevin Durant who can flat-out score. Their offense comes through movement and the Raptors are a team with size and length who can switch out. They don't give up easy buckets," said Smith.
"The way the Warriors beat you is by getting those slip passes and 'back doors' for easy buckets. We didn't see any of those in Game 1."
Scott concurred. "Zero slip passes. Zero alley-oops where we see Draymond Green finding Kevon Looney or Damian Jones. [Raptors coach] Nick Nurse has done an excellent job. When the Raptors get the ball out of Curry's hands, they are not giving up back door cuts and easy lay-ups. Can Toronto do that again in Game 2?
"The Warriors are playing against a defense that understands [the need to minimise] mistakes," Scott continued. "They aren't running two or three people at Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. So Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala aren't getting wide open shots. How does Steve Kerr get his role players more shots so they can be more effective off the bench?
"[The Warriors have to find a way to] get Steph [Curry] in better spots and get him doing more running around and be able to create more offense for others with his movement," added Smith.
Smith urged Golden State to assert greater influence over the pace of play in Game 2. "The Warriors have to pick up the pace [to get the best out of] Draymond Green. In the Western Conference Finals, him going 'downhill' created easier looks for everybody else," he said.
"I would also like to see, when Toronto play two small guards in Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry, Shaun Livingston getting on the block and getting a couple of plays where they can control the pace. [The Raptors] are the one team that can get out and run with the Warriors, and maybe run better than them, especially at home in Toronto."
Golden State were sloppy in possession in Game 1, giving up 17 turnovers and being torched in transition to the tune of 24 fast-break points.
"There were a couple of plays where Kyle Lowry smacked the ball out of the hands of Warriors players - those are plays that will have frustrated [Warriors coach] Steve Kerr. The Raptors took full advantage," said Scott.
"[Head coach Steve] Kerr was critical of the Warriors' transitional defense [after Game 1]. The commitment to getting back on defense [after a missed shot or a turnover], you've got to have that," said Smith.
"Usually the Warriors are making shots so they don't have to run back. In Game 1, they weren't making shots and that created a lot of transition points for the Raptors."
Game 2 takes place in Toronto in the early hours of Monday morning (1am) live on Sky Sports Arena
