The Warriors' last-ditch game plan shows how far they've fallen
The Golden State Warriors suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics on Sunday. A significant talking point following the game was their decision to sag off Jaylen Brown at the three-point line.
When speaking to media as part of his post game news conference, Draymond Green revealed the Warriors had implemented that plan 15 minutes before taking to the floor.
“I don’t think we really played a full defensive strategy,” Green said. “We implemented our strategy like 15 minutes before we left the locker room. So, I don’t necessarily think we put together a full defensive strategy to debate what they’re doing with their offense and how to stop it. … I was actually all for it, like, let’s try it and see if it works. If it don’t oh well. If it does, we found something.”
Golden State's game against the Celtics was the last of a four-game road trip. They won three of those contests. However, Steve Kerr knew the Celtics were coming up on his schedule.
And he knew their record projects them as the best team in the NBA. There's no excuse for not having a legitimate game plan in place.
In the world of professional sports, everything is fluid. Plans have to change. Strategies get tweaked. However, piecing together an entire gameplan to stop the best team in the league, just minutes before the game, is malpractice.
Boston is too good and talented for that type of planning to pay dividends. There's a difference between adding a wrinkle into the gameplan and creating a gameplan on the fly.
During the first half, it felt like the entire defense was aiming to dare Brown to shoot. He went 5-of-10 from deep.
The Warriors were once the golden standard of the NBA. This season, their age and decline have been clear for everyone to see. However, a lack of preparation is a new low for the franchise.
If they want to get back to being a contending team, maybe this loss will be the wake up call they needed.
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