Anthony Davis was the biggest factor in Game 1. He led the Los Angeles Lakers with a monster 30-point performance, and the Golden State Warriors simply had no answer for him on either side of the court.
But as usually happens with him, the former New Orleans Pelicans star couldn’t keep that intensity and effort up for two straight games. As good as he was in the first matchup, he struggled vastly in the following.
Draymond Green did an outstanding job on him and held him to just 11 points. When asked about the adjustment, Lakers coach Darvin Ham explained how the Warriors star managed to dominate Davis.
Darvin Ham Explains How Draymond Green Dominated Anthony Davis
“You know Dray, he’s gonna do his work early,” Coach Ham said. “There’s a reason why he’s a perennial All-Defensive player. He’s gonna force tough catches, his on-ball activity is second to none and he’s a good communicator.”
“If A’s not trying to go at him, we’re going into a secondary action after getting the ball to A;he’s great at that when he has to switch, talk his guy through the scenario,” Ham explained.“He’s been top-shelf his entire career in that regard.”
“We gotta go back and look at ways we can move A around, put him in different spacing, different actions, and diversify his attack,” the coach concluded.
Ham has made some thorough adjustments throughout the playoffs, so he’s most definitely going to find a way to get his star PF some better looks. That’s the only way they could have an edge over the reigning champions.
This coaching battle will be an interesting chess match. Steve Kerr always seems to have an ace up his sleeve, and Green has been a consistent defender throughout his entire career. Davis, on the other hand, can’t seem to string good games together.