May 3, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) attempts to drive past Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) during the third quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors have one of the best defenses in the league and also one of the most flexible. The versatility of Draymond Green at power forward means that the Warriors can continually stack the defensive matchups to break in their favor. They certainly pulled that lever in Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies’ frontcourt is physical and imposing but a simple switch took away a big part of what makes them special. The Warriors elected to guard Zach Randolph—power forward and low-post beast—mostly with their centers—Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. Green was then cross-matched with Gasol, who is the Grizzlies’ center but typically plays farther from the basket than Randolph does. Although Gasol and Randolph both had strong games—a combined 41 points and 18 rebounds on 14-of-25 shooting—the Warriors defensive matchups forced/goaded Gasol into moving away from the elbow, where he’s had tremendous success this season.
The numbers below, provided by STATS and their SportVU camera system, show Gasol’s elbow touches in the regular season, in the first round against the Portland Trail Blazers and then against the Warriors in Game 1. The points per possession numbers reflect the points the Grizzlies scored on any possession where Gasol registered an elbow touch.
Gasol has been first in the league in elbow touches per game in both the regular season and playoffs. Against the Blazers, Gasol touched the ball far more often at the elbow while continuing to produce offense at the high level of efficiency. Both the number of touches and the level of efficiency tumbled against the Warriors. What’s interesting is that the New Orleans Pelicans gave Anthony Davis tons of touches at the elbow in the first round—14.8 per game. He was extremely effective in those opportunities and it was often the only way they could generate any respectable offense.
Obviously, Gasol does different sorts of things at the elbow than Davis does, but he has often served as the team’s offensive fulcrum from that spot on the floor. With Mike Conley out, one would assume Gasol would have even more opportunities to work there. However, by switching Green onto Gasol, the Warriors changed the context. Green’s mobility and activity level decrease some of Gasol’s advantage at the elbow. It also encourages him to try and post up more, a generally effective option but one that works to disrupt the rhythm of an already struggling offense.
The Grizzlies are playing the best team in the league and face all sorts of disadvantages. Getting Gasol back to the elbow, consistently, gives them the chance to at least set the terms in their favor in one area.
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