He may be a rookie head coach but the Los Angeles Lakers’ Darvin Ham not only outcoached the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr but also forced them into a ‘must win’ Game 4 on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
If the Lakers win Game 4 Monday night, it would be the equivalent of a stake in the heart of the Warriors’ dynasty as they know as well as any team in the NBA just how difficult it is to come back from down 1–3 in a series. Since coming back from 1–3 is near impossible, the Warriors will come out even more desperate and determined to win than they did in Game 2. Win Game 4 and they would be at home for 2 of the 3 games left in the series.
There was some concern during the regular season about the age and lack of experience of Ham’s staff, which did not include a proven former NBA head coach and included multiple development oriented assistant coaches. While Darvin was resistant to making changes in the regular season, he and his staff have not hesitated to make major adjustments in the playoffs. His moves to put Vando on Steph and have Davis high drop won Game 1.
While the Warriors prevailed as expected in Game 2 as they iced the Lakers pick-and-roll game and shot lights out from deep, Darvin Ham and his staff made five genius adjustments that led to the Lakers 127–97 Game 3 victory.
1. Davis Guarding Jamychal Green
The move by Darvin Ham to have Anthony Davis guard JaMychal Green rather than Draymond Green was a key factor in freeing up AD to dominate the Warriors’ offense from the rim to the 3-point line as L.A. won Game 3.
Guarding JaMychal instead of Draymond allowed Anthony to extend his defensive range from the rim to the 3-point line without having to deal with guarding Draymond and stopping his elite playmaking and rebounding. Davis is unique among NBA centers in that he has the size, length, and athleticism to challenge shooters at the 3-point line and still recover quick enough to challenge shooter at the rim and block or alter their shots.
Taking Anthony Davis off of Draymond Green and putting him on JaMychal Green was a genius move by Darvin Ham that unleashed AD to defend the entire Warriors team and led to the Lakers taking a commanding 3–1 lead.
2. Vanderbilt Guarding Draymond Green
The other change in defensive assignments that ignited the Lakers’ defense was Darvin Ham’s decision to take Vanderbilt off Curry and instead put him on Draymond Green in an effort to stifle the Curry/Green pick-and-roll.
Vanderbilt not only has the defensive chops to guard Draymond but he can then simply switch whenever Green tries to set a pick for Steph Curry. By the end of the game, the Dubs had stopped running that play entirely. Having Vando guard Draymond killed the Curry/Green pick-and-roll. Steph finished Game 3 with 23 points on 9–21 shooting, 4 rebounds, and just 3 assists in 32 minutes. Draymond had just 2 point, 2 boards, and 4 assists.
Darvin Ham’s adjustment to have Jarred Vanderbilt guard Draymond Green not only resulted in shutting down Green offensively but also eliminating the Curry/Green pick-and-roll from the Warriors’ offensive repertoire.
3. Davis Returning to High-Drop
The Warriors made 21 threes and shot 40% from deep in Game 1, forcing the Lakers to abandon their high-drop pick-and-roll coverage for low drop traps, which was a disaster as Golden State made 21 threes and shot 50%.
After continuing to play low drop coverage in the first quarter and falling behind by 7 points, the Lakers suddenly returned to the high drop coverage where AD would extend enough to challenge 3-point shooters but not trap. Unlike in Game 1 where the Warriors demolished the Lakers’ high drop, this time Davis and the Lakers figured it out and were able not only to stifle the Warriors pick-and-roll attacks but also their lethal 3-point shooting.
Anthony Davis is the perfect defensive center to play high drop coverage against opposing pick-and-rolls. Golden State may have to go back to playing big because th Warriors’ small ball is not going to beat the Lakers.
4. Walker Replacing Brown, Jr.
Darvin Ham’s move to give Lonnie Walker IV an opportunity to replace Troy Brown, Jr. in the rotation for Game 3 paid off big as as Lonnie scored 12 points on 2–4 from deep and 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 24 minutes.
Walker had been starting early in the year before losing his role to injuries and then finding a completely remade roster when he was ready to return. He stayed ready, played well in Game 2, and answered when the bell rang. Walker gave the Lakers a 3-point scoring to keep up with the Dubs. Unlike Games 1 and 2 when they were outscored from deep, the Lakers hit 15 of 31 from deep for 48.4% against the Warriors’ 13 for 44 for 29.5% in Game 3.
Walker’s addition to the rotation was a genius move by Ham and a tribute to Lonnie’s hard work and staying ready for opportunity. He adds needed 3-point gravity to the Lakers’ backcourt for the rest of the playoffs.
5. Getting James Ball At Elbow
The last genius move by Darvin Ham in Game 3 was moving LeBron James to the post to close the game and make sure the Lakers’ offense didn’t stall like Game 2. Moving James to the elbow freed his scoring and playmaking.
Getting the ball to James at the elbow rather than outside the 3-point line changes the nature of the Lakers offensive game. At the elbow, LeBron is just one quick dribble or pass from an easy dunk or wide-open three. Strategically, it was as if Darvin Ham wanted Steve Kerr to know before Game 4 that if the Warriors continue to play small, they can expect the Lakers to play LeBron more and more at the elbow and in the low post.
Like all of the Game 3 adjustments the Lakers made, getting LeBron the ball below the free throw line could be the weapon that forces the Warriors to go back to two bigs for Monday night’s big showdown at Crypto.com.
Darvin. He’s a good coach but he did not discover evolution lol.
Agree 100%. Darvin has been making some great adjustments in both series and he hasn’t over-adjusted once, which is another common error. The Grizz never figured out Vando on Ja, not really. We stuck with it. The Warriors figured out Curry on Steph after one game. We changed it up. Sounds simple but it’s anything but.
Having the right players has helped him a lot. I love how he went to the mat for Russell Westbrook, it’s what a coach needs and should do. Once it was obvious it wasn’t working or gonna work, off the bench or starting, a trade was (finally) made. Still had praise for the dude.
Solid job so far, curious to see what wrinkles Steve comes up with, though.
https://twitter.com/LakerTom/status/1655628086640246784
Coach Ham has done great job in the playoffs. This will be the 8th time we have played the Warriors this year. I doubt if either coach has an adjustment left that would surprise the other. Moving forward it will about execution and playing with force. Considering the Warriors have played together for years and we are still learning each other, the Warriors may have a leg up on execution. But they can’t play with the same force that we can. I think that is where we will win the game.
It will be interesting seeing what adjustments the Warriors make and whether Ham changes anything from Game 3. My guess is Ham will stand pat with same defensive assignments and wait to see what Kerr does, which is the big question.
I think Michael is correct that the two teams have seen what each other have and who wins will come down to execution. The Warriors know this is a ‘must win’ game for them and the Lakers know the last thing they want is to lose home court and be stuck in a 2-2 series with 2 of the 3 remaining games in SF. Both teams should come out equally desperate and determined.
Revert back to Looney or go all-in on small ball with Poole. Those seem to be the two adjustments analysts are predicting Kerr might turn to. For the Lakers, I think we will see the Lakers move LeBron into the high and low post and look to pound the Warriors like they did in Game 3. It will be Bully Ball vs. Small Ball.