THE Warriors of the Golden State suffered a humiliating loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. A big talking point after the game was their decision to drop Jaylen Brown at the three-point line.
When he spoke to the media in his post-match press conference, Green Draymond revealed that the Warriors implemented this plan 15 minutes before taking the court.
“I don’t think we really took a completely defensive strategy,” Green said. “We implemented our strategy about 15 minutes before leaving the locker room. So I don’t necessarily think we have a complete defensive strategy in place to debate what they’re doing with their offense and how to stop it. …Actually, I was all for it, let’s try it and see if it works. If not, great. If so, we’ve found something.
Golden State’s game against the Celtics was the last of a four-game road trip. They won three of these competitions. However, Steve Kerr knew the Celtics were on his agenda.
And he knew their disc projects them as the best team in the NBA. There is no excuse for not having a legitimate game plan in place.
In the world of professional sports, everything is fluid. Plans must change. Strategies are refined. However, coming up with an entire game plan to shut down the best team in the league, just minutes before the game, is professional misconduct.
Boston is too good and too talented for this type of planning to bear fruit. There is a difference between adding a wrinkle to the game plan and creating a game plan on the fly.
During the first half, it seemed like the entire defense was focused on daring Brown to shoot. He went 5 of 10 from deep.
The Warriors were once the gold standard in the NBA. This season, their age and decline are evident for all to see. However, the lack of preparation is a new low for the franchise.
If they want to become a competitive team again, this loss may be the wake-up call they needed.
