Watch this.
In case you needed any reminding, Draymond Green is one of the greatest defenders we’ve ever seen. Tuesday night proved he can still dial it up to generational levels when called upon.
Yes, Jimmy Butler scored 24, including 16 in the second half, and Brandin Podziemski returned from a five-game absence to chip in 17 important points, but Green deserves the Warriors game ball after their 11-point win over the Milwaukee Bucks without Steph Curry (given the night off for a back injury, or fatigue, or whatever).
Let’s go back to that clip and break it down. It’s just more than two minutes into the game and Green is locked all the way in. Green was assigned to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ran a high screen and roll with Damian Lillard — pretty close to an unstoppable play. Green shades over to Lillard, who hits Giannis on the roll with a head full of steam. Everything, at this point, is coming up Milwaukee. Only Green mucks everything up. His body is perfectly angles, he begins sliding over at the perfect time. Not a step is wasted. He hones into Giannis, gets in front of him and goes vertical to block his shot. It’s a defensive masterclass.
Green’s masterclass lasted all night. Giannis, who is averaging 30 points on 60 percent shooting this season, was held to 20 points on 31.3 percent (5 of 16) shooting on Tuesday night. He went 0-for-7 with Green defending him.
The Warriors deployed a defensive scheme worth chatting about here.
Green on Giannis isn’t surprising, but they also had 7-footer Quinten Post slotted on Kyle Kuzma and Butler on Brook Lopez.
With Butler on Lopez, the Warriors were able to switch every pick-and-roll involving Milwaukee’s center. It was also a bet that Lopez would not punish Butler in the post. That bet predictably hit. Lopez is a 7-footer, but his days of low-post play are mostly behind him. He averages only 5.3 points in the paint per game.
Meanwhile, Post was slotted onto Kuzma, who got the Tony Allen treatment in this one. Post helped off Kuzma to rotate over when players like Giannis touched the paint.
Kuzma is a 30 percent 3-point shooter but not a shy one. He went 2-of-6 in the first half from distance and took eight shots overall. Only Giannis took more on the Bucks. The Warriors successfully baited him and remained committed to the strategy even when Kuzma made three 3-pointers in the third quarter to help fuel Milwaukee’s brief comeback.
A defender like Green makes this strategy possible. There’s a reason why he anchored four championship defenses in Golden State, even when the Warriors were at a size disadvantage in many a series.
On Tuesday, we saw how the Warriors might approach playoff matchups against bigger teams. The problem is that this wasn’t a total proof of concept. The Bucks are big, but they don’t play big. They average the third-fewest points in the paint in the league this season. The Charlotte Hornets score in the paint more.
What does this look like when a team like the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies or Houston Rockets really pushes the issue? Will the Warriors defense merely bend, or will it break?
The Warriors, with their star power, IQ and connectivity, have to be considered a contender. They are a matchup nightmare, but no playoff team’s path might be more dependent on matchups. Draw the wrong one, and the Warriors could get bounced in the first round. A friendlier path could pave the way to the Western Conference finals.
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NBA news roundup
- With their loss to the Clippers on Tuesday night, the Cavaliers have dropped consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 25 and for just the third time all season. You can thank Kawhi Leonard, who uncorked a vintage 33-point performance, complete with four steals.
- Kings center Domantas Sabonis will miss at least 10 days with a right ankle sprain, the team announced Tuesday night. He must play in seven more games to be eligible for All-NBA..
- March is officially the month of rest: After Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were all given Tuesday night off, MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is getting a break Wednesday night.
- Gregg Popovich has made significant progress since suffering a stroke in November and is "ahead of schedule" in his recovery, according to a new ESPN story. But the Spurs are unsure if Popovich, 76, will return to the sidelines next season
Make time for these 5 games remaining on the NBA schedule
- Nuggets at Lakers, 10 pm ET, Wednesday, March 19: Could be a first-round playoff preview.
- Grizzlies at Clippers, 10:30 pm ET, Friday, March 21: Two teams playing well with a lot of snot factor. Pay attention to Ivica Zubac, who is averaging 20 and 12 over his last 10 games and might be the least-talked-about important player in the West bracket.
- Nuggets at Rockets, 7 pm ET, Sunday, March 23: A battle with major standings implications.
- Warriors at Heat, 7:30 pm ET, Tuesday, March 25: Jimmy Butler, now a III and wearing No. 10, returns to Miami for the first time since the trade.
- Thunder vs Lakers, 3:30 pm ET, Sunday, April 6: A possible Western Conference finals preview. Remember, the Lakers employ the man who bounced the Thunder in last year’s playoffs: Luka Doncic.