3 Keys for the Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals
Down 2-1 in the 2022 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics is not at all what the Golden State Warriors had in mind. Major adjustments are needed to be made, specifically tailored towards Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jordan Poole.
1) Steph Curry needs to play 40+ minutes.
“I’m going to play,” Curry declared to the media on Thursday. “It's just a pain tolerance thing that you've got to deal with. Obviously, at this point in the series, if you are good enough to play, play.”
No amount of tenderness in Curry’s left foot (after Al Horford rolled over onto it during the final minutes of Game 3) will stop the 3x NBA champion from competing in the NBA Finals. He’s ready to go. Steve Kerr needs to make the change in the rotation and keep Curry on the floor as much as possible. 40 minutes and that’s only the minimum. He has yet to hit that mark in this NBA Finals so far. It’s the biggest adjustment that has to be made in order for the Warriors to come back and win this series. Great things happen when Curry’s on the floor so don’t take him off of it.
2) Forgot all the other nonsense when the ball is tipped. Just go and produce, Draymond Green.
Fans shouldn’t care about Green podcasting and tweeting. There are far worse things for an NBA player to be doing after a game. With that being said, you better be producing on the court to back up all that talking. Green didn’t in Game 1 and he didn’t again in Game 3. He lacked the defensive intensity and offensive impact fans saw in Game 2. The winning energy and consistency just hasn’t been there for Green in this series against the Celtics.
"I have to be more aggressive on both sides of the ball, not just defense or offense," Green said after the loss in Game 3. "I think the game ties together, all goes hand-in-hand. When you're flowing on one side, you can flow on the other.”
Sure hope all this hatred coming from the Boston faithful has lit a fire under him and he shows it through his play on the court. That’s all that matters, not all the other nonsense happening behind the scenes. 15 points and 15 fouls through the first 3 games will just not get it done.
3) Jordan Poole’s need to show more confidence with the ball in his hands.
Similar to Green, Poole needs to have a more consistent play. From here on out in this series, he can’t go without contributing at least 15 points and needs to limit the turnovers. No way the Warriors can come out with the Larry O’Brien Trophy without Poole's impact off the bench.
The national spotlight on basketball’s biggest stage, so far, has been a bit too bright for the young guard. He shows hesitation in most of his shots and is continuing to make questionable decisions when he has control of the offense. Trying to push passes into tight spots that turn into points for the Celtics on the other end. Dancing with the ball and losing his handle when the ball should have been skipping around in the halfcourt offense.
Poole just needs to relax. Play under control and the smart offensive looks will naturally come to you. The Warriors can’t come out on top without his influence in the 2nd unit.
Follow Arden Cravalho on Twitter @a_cravalho.
(Photo credit: NBAE / Getty Images)