Because the Warriors were able to rotate so well and because the Spurs don’t have a single player on their team (well, save for maybe one) who has a quick trigger on their shot, there was no punishment for the attention on LMA. Watching the Spurs’ performance in Game 1, I doubt that the tactic will backfire.Īldridge, who has posted an MVP-vote-caliber season, wasn’t able to post up often on Saturday because whether it was McGee or a smaller player on him, because the Warriors constantly brought a help defender (usually Draymond Green) to force the ball out of his hands. The Warriors have decided that they’re going to let anyone but LaMarcus Aldridge beat them.
Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) fouls San Antonio Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge (12) in the second quarter of Game 1 of their NBA first-round playoff series at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had no tactical retort to the Warriors’ big man, and Golden State never looked back from the early lead.
The contrast in styles for the two big men was apparent early, and with Aldridge being the only big man on the floor to start the game, Golden State, with two other “bigs” - Draymond Green and Kevin Durant - were able to dictate the terms of engagement early in the game.