Los Angeles Lakers: The key to beating the Warriors in the play-in

Why Golden State’s defense is much tougher than we think:

This season, the Golden State Warriors have the NBA’s fifth most efficient defense. While Golden State has long been known for their offense, it is their defense that has always anchored their past championship runs.

Draymond Green has long quarterbacked Golden State’s defense. Green’s humongous ego and past championship glory makes him think he is the greatest defender of all time.

This Twitter beef was lost in the shuffle of a long NBA season. Yet it’s relevance has never been greater on the heels of an epic showdown.

https://twitter.com/aa000G9/status/1374417927269535750

Yes, that’s absurd! Tony Allen was right to call out Green’s utter blasphemy! Green will want to prove he is the defensive GOAT against Anthony Davis!

Here’s why Green’s ego will only help the Lakers’ offense!

How the Los Angeles Lakers offense should attack Green and Golden State’s defense

The Lakers have individual matchups that they must exploit early and often. If they try to run a beautiful, motion-heavy offense, then Golden State will quickly snuff it out.

Green is a big part of that. He has long been one of the NBA’s best help defenders. He anchors a switch-heavy scheme designed to snuff out any ball screens or misdirection.

As strong as Golden State is on defense as a team, individually they are not that good.

Green is one of the NBA’s best help defenders when he’s locked in. Individually, he’s not on Tony Allen’s level. Nor is he (literally) on AD’s level.

Yes, Green gives up four inches to AD. This is an obvious mismatch in the post that the Lakers need to relentlessly exploit.

What Anthony Davis needs to do against Draymond Green:

Anthony Davis needs to attack Draymond Green like he did against the New Orleans Pelicans’ third-string journeymen.

AD needs to be this aggressive every single time!

The more AD dribbles or is indecisive, the more of a disadvantage he is against Green. Green has quick hands and is stout enough to withstand AD at the point of attack.

RELATED: The Los Angeles Lakers need to pound the ball inside more often

Green is statistically the best rim protector in the NBA. Even so, he doesn’t stand a chance contesting AD at the rim (nor does anyone else!).

Best case scenario for the Lakers: Green gets so mad because AD bodies him in the paint, then he gets ejected whenever he yells at the refs every single time down the court.

Green getting tossed will probably happen by halftime. The Lakers have a knack for frustrating opposing players into rage-quitting (think Lakers vs Rockets inside the bubble).

Who else on Golden State can be exploited on defense?

Draymond Green is not the only Golden State defender the Lakers can exploit. They have some weak spots in the starting lineup that can be mercilessly attacked in the post.

But not who you might suspect.

Stephen Curry:
Attacking Stephen Curry is fool’s gold. Curry is much, much stronger than he looks (he has deadlifted 400 pounds in the past) and knows how to defend LeBron James on ball screens, given his experience guarding him in the NBA Finals.

Whenever the Lakers use Dennis Schroder (Curry’s likely matchup) as a screener to hunt the classic LeBron vs Curry mismatch, that action should be intended primarily to set up Schroder to attack the basket against a distracted help defense, not necessarily for LeBron to attack Curry with multiple defenders ready to stop him before he enters the paint.

Kevon Looney:

For a traditional center, Looney is a solid on-ball defender against opposing guards (James Harden can attest to this in the 2017 playoffs), but he is not quick enough to stay in front of Dennis Schroder nor can he reliably guard LeBron James or Anthony Davis for an extended stretch.

If Looney switches off Lakers centers Andre Drummond, Montrezl Harrell, or Marc Gasol for any reason, Schroder needs to take Looney off the dribble every single time.

LeBron James vs Andrew Wiggins and Kent Bazemore:

None of Golden State’s wings stand a chance against LeBron James in the low post. As Lake Show Life writer Ron Agers pointed out, NOBODY can stop LeBron when he posts up.

This is simple basketball. LeBron draws multiple defenders then finds the open man. That was Cleveland’s entire offense when he was there.

Except he was going 1 on 5 against a set defense off the dribble. The Miami Heat developed LeBron’s low post game when he joined the team in 2010. For some reason, he went away from that when he returned to Cleveland, even though he was highly effective in the post.

If the Lakers follow my advice and run the offense through LeBron and AD in the post, Golden State will eventually have to double-team them off the catch, which will give the other Lakers players a chance to make plays.

This is where the Lakers’ snazzy interior passing comes into play. Andre Drummond and Montrezl Harrell will get lots of dunks whenever their man comes over to double the ball.

If Golden State sends an extra defender to protect the paint, then the Lakers will get wide-open three-pointers and/or driving lanes.

And if the Lakers guards don’t hit these wide-open shots, the Lakers will most likely be playing either the Memphis Grizzlies or the San Antonio Spurs in a do-or-die game in the Staples Center.

Otherwise, the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Phoenix Suns in a compelling series.