NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 keys to Warriors vs. Trail Blazers matchup
By Dre Elder
1. Golden State on the fastbreak
Golden State scores 22.6 fast break points per game to lead the NBA. This was on full display as they outscored Portland 83-53 in that category over their four regular season meetings. It’s Golden State’s elite defense that leads to the easy transition buckets.
The Warriors rank second in the league in defensive rating. Their versatility and length fuels their defense and allows them to get deflections, steals, and blocks. They also lead the league in each of those three categories. The Warriors defense creates run-outs. Subsequently, the run-outs ignite their offense in a way that’s nearly impossible to defend.
The Blazers surrender just 12.7 fast break points per game, but largely struggled to slow the Warriors’ transition attack during the regular season. The Blazers did manage to outscore the Warriors 18-17 in fast break points on Jan. 29. The bad news is they still lost the game by 2 points. The worse news is Steph Curry did not play in that game.
Portland will have to control the pace of the game and limit their turnovers to force Golden State to play a half-court game. We’ve seen Golden State’s offensive chemistry appear questionable in half-court, end-of-clock, and end-of-quarter scenarios.
They have no such trouble in the open court. The party starts for the Warriors when they pull-up and drill threes on the break. In doing so, they can blow the doors off their opponents in a matter of minutes.
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In the end, offense will not be scarce between these two teams which should make for an entertaining series.