SAN FRANCISCO -- When the Warriors go small, they cook. They sizzle. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins practically leave opposing defenses in charred ruins.
Those spectacular scoring bursts in the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets have touched off a movement to create a nickname for the group.
Meanwhile, Golden State’s defense is looting the infrastructure of Denver’s offense. And doing it rather surreptitiously.
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SIGN UP HERE “No general fan likes to talk about defense,” Thompson explained Wednesday, shortly before the team boarded its flight to Denver. “It’s just not as pretty.”
Golden State’s defense, however, is at the foundation of its 2-0 lead in the series. The Nuggets are shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from deep. The best of the Warriors’ defense has come with the small lineup, which along with a preposterous 204.3 offensive rating has a 75.4 defensive rating.
When deployed over the pivotal final 4:23 of the first half of Game 1, it held the Nuggets to 3-of-9 shooting while forcing two turnovers. The result? An 18-6 run.
It got better in Game 2, when coach Steve Kerr unleashed the squad with 6:02 left in the half. The Warriors limited Denver to 3-of-13 shooting (23.1 percent) while forcing three turnovers. The result: A 22-8 run.
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“There's been two games in a row where there have been big, big runs for them,” Denver coach Michael Malone said after Game 2. “So, what is the DNA of a run? The DNA for us is turnovers, poor shot selection. That fuels another team's break, they’re going in transition.”
This is the opposing coach acknowledging that his team is being punished by the defense of Golden State’s small lineup. Not one word about Golden State’s scoring.
“We swarmed,” Green said after Game 2. “There were a couple loose balls that we could have come up with and we didn't come up with, and that's one of the things we spoke about with that lineup. We should be able to get deflections and when we get deflections, we have to push the ball and try to make them keep up with that pace.”
The ability to disrupt offenses and generate turnovers is another similarity to Golden State’s previous small lineups, the first of which often was referred to as The Death Lineup and the second as the Hamptons 5 and Death Lineup 2.0.
The formula, however, is the same: Rely on defense to annoy, frustrate and speed up the opponent, and then sprint into transition at every opportunity.
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This group does not yet have a nickname. Whatever it is should, in all fairness, apply to both offense and defense. Its effect thus far is devastating.
“It’s only been like 11 minutes,” Kerr said Wednesday. “Both stints have been successful, obviously, so we’ll keep going to that.”
Come for the offense. Become enamored with the offense. Fall in love with the offense. But know that it wouldn’t be nearly as marvelous without the defense.
