Rewatch: 2015 Round 1, Game 2. NOP at GSW. Pels blitz Steph, Klay and Dray step up
Re-live the stress, optimism and confusion.
Given the NBA season suspension, what better time to look back at the 2015 NBA Playoffs run, which ended the 40-year title drought. I’ll post a game every day, which should last us 21 games. Come watch along with me! These articles will be written as if the events were unfolding in real-time. The full series index is here.
Game Highlights
You can rewatch along with me here:
Box Score and Explain One Play
GSW 97, NOP 87 Box Score
Explain One Play: Inside the coaching chess match between the Warriors and Pelicans: Slowing (and freeing) Anthony Davis
Live Game Notes
First play is a curl for Klay for a midrange J. Kerr consistently calls the first plays of the game for non-Stephs and tonight is no exception.
You know what I said about NOP getting AD in motion to the basket at the end of Game 1? They went back to Davis popping to the elbow for jumpers and it has been working.
Q1.9.44. What the. Loose ball, Steph — of course, it’s always Steph — delicately collects it with his left hand and in one motion turns it into a fade-away one-leg baseline jumper. Swish. Gorgeous play.
Q1.8.56. ANOTHER elbow J for NOP. Can this last all game??
Q1.5.05. Where would GSW be without transition buckets? I think their last four scores have come on the break.
Q1.2.31. Ah, there’s the AD drive in space from the elbow that I was expecting more of. Goes by Bogut, easy finish.
End of Q1 is all NOP attacking inside with size and GSW nipping back with fast break points. NOP was up by 13 at one point.
Leandro Barbosa, who I have dubbed the God of Chaos, chaos-ed his way to six unnerving layup points. He’s helping GSW cut into the lead. And now an Andre three gets GSW back within 4.
Q2.8.25. I tell you, something weird and chaotic always happens on Barbosa plays. Andre threads a pass to his cut, LB tosses up a bank shot and seems to defy the laws of physics with a lightning fast second jump to grab the rebound and get an And-1.
5.27. Now it’s a competition to see which team can bring the quickest double-team help on AD and Steph without warping the defense.
Q2.3.50. Interesting NOP defense. Davis shows to meet Steph, the small trails Steph, then Asik rotates to get the rolling Green. This might have been improv because Bogut was still trailing the play by a lot. Steph not only scores a layup on the double team, but gets an and-1 with a great shot fake.
2.11. Klay was 1-4 in Q1 but hits two important contested threes in Q2 to tie the game.
0.09.3. Steph with a pull-up 3. Draymond with the celebration arms raised with the ball halfway there.
Q3.9.52. Steph runs by AD again,
8.30. Steph tries to meet Gordon on the other side of a screen and EG shakes him. Good rotations, but couldn’t keep Asik off the boards.
5.41. NOP actually claws back to tie the game, but then Asik thinks he’s hedging and recovering, Evans thinks it’s a switch. Steph sneaks to the rim, Bogut with the good find.
2.36. More of that action that I expected more of. Pass the ball to AD moving towards the basket. Force, height, score.
1.35. Have I mentioned Barbosa is the God of Chaos? But he’s been the good scoring kind today. 12 points. But also -5 in plus-minus.
Q4.9.41. The bench led by Shaun Livingston and Mo Speights are absolutely carrying this game. They turned a 2 pt deficit into a 6 point lead. Then an fast-break alley-oop from Dray to Andre. 8 point lead.
Q4.6.38. NOP gets it back to down 2, and Klay muscles in a layup. (2020 Eric: Let me tell you, Klay has never looked more like Fake Klay Thompson than this game.)
6.00. NOP gets it to down 1. Klay curls off a screen, Dray passes to him. Steph flares hammer-style to the weak corner. Klay hits the jumper. NOP’s vigorous doubling seems to have thrown off Steph and the gang and the others need to step up now.
Q4.4.00. Dray goes YOLO and drives right into Asik under the basket and wills in a layup. GSW clinging to a 4 point lead.
3.36. Klay, another curl, another catch and shoot, another basket. Klay definitely stepping up.
Q4.1.34. Up six, GSW needs to use up time and get a decent shot. They run the Warriors Weave play, which should end in a Klay-Bogut high pick and roll, but Klay rejects the screen early, drives and gets an and-1. Not sure about that process, but can’t argue with the results. More on the Weave:
1.08. No matter if Steph is having a great shooting game or a crap one, he has to be the closer. Up 9, the game needs one more score to wrap up. Wing pick and roll with Dray, Steph keeps the ball, loses the ball, grabs the loose ball (did I mention he has a knack?), throws a stupendous pass to Bogut for the score. He then poses and goggles the bench.
It’s funny, but this game was anyone’s game, and Game 1 was really all Warriors, but the score difference won’t tell you that. And this series could easily be 1-1 going back to New Orleans. Let’s see if GSW can adjust to NOP’s trapping Steph, and if NOP can keep attacking GSW on the inside in Game 3.
See you tomorrow for Game 3!
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Thanks for doing these. I'd forgotten how good they were :D. Nice to see some basketball even if it's old!