NBA Playoffs – Insights into Game 5: The Lakers have no chance against the Warriors without Anthony Davis

Also: What do the Lakers do without their beloved free throws? And: The superstars of the dubs still have a lot in their tanks after this season.

NBA Playoffs: The Los Angeles Lakers need their free throws

Darvin Ham was fed up. After a no-call with a lot of contact with Dennis Schröder at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers coach had to clarify something. “We don’t practice flopping here,” Ham growled into the mic TNT. Sure, it was annoying that Schröder didn’t get a foul whistle.

It was much more annoying, however, that the referees generally let the whistle rest (except that rare 5-second whistle against LeBron James). It’s not good for the Lakers’ physical game. Anthony Davis in particular likes to attack and find his way to the line. But this time the thanks for his aggressive play were more offensive fouls than simple points on the line. So the important anchor in the Los Angeles game had an extremely difficult time.

The Lakers were only allowed to the line 15 times in Game 5 – the same number of free throws that the more jump shot-heavy Warriors got. There have been 103 total free throws for LA in the series so far – only 51 for Golden State. The Lakers are the team that was allowed to line the line most often in the regular season and the Warriors with the fewest freebies.

Another aspect of the no-calls are the resulting ball losses – actually a parade weakness of the Warriors. But this time the Lakers threw the ball away just as often as Golden State. Ham wanted to make the game fast. “We’re 12 points behind. We have to play even faster,” he instructed his team. But the strong defender, but weak shooter Jarred Vanderbilt sat a lot on the bench. But a shootout with the chef is rarely crowned with success. The dubs were simply more accurate with the same turnover number (14).

The Lakers rely on whistles to play. The Davis from the bubble who jump shot the Lakers to the championship is history. Now the Lakers have to find their way back to the line, otherwise the series can still tip over. Because Purple and Gold don’t want to change anything about their own aggressiveness. “We’re not afraid of physical contact,” James told reporters after the game. “We even like him. We have to keep being aggressive.”

NBA Playoffs: Warriors coach Steve Kerr may have found the series’ starting five

Physical play also suits Draymond Green, who had some good moves against AD. A steal here, an offensive foul there and also a bit of trash talk. The matchup was a key for the Warriors, at least this time. Kevon Looney still doesn’t seem to be at 100 percent and so Draymond just moves into the center position. “We want to keep AD away from the basket. I think Dray and we managed that quite well,” Curry blurted out the obvious game plan.

As in the last game, Gary Payton Jr. moved into the starting five. His 13 points and 6 rebounds read well. But especially the hit three should have pleased Coach Kerr. After experimenting with JaMychal Green in Game 2 and Game 3, the master trainer may have finally found his top five for the rest of the series.

Although it certainly feels good to have a rebound monster option like Looney on the bench. Maybe Kerr will change his lineup again. Trust in the coach is definitely there. “Our coach is one of the biggest winners in NBA history and you rely on him in situations like this,” said Draymond.

NBA Playoffs – Injuries: Lakers have no chance without Anthony Davis

As good as Green’s defense is, Davis is hard to stop for the Warriors this series. In almost every LA victory, Davis has been the towering man. The Lakers are still 3-2 for a reason. Ham’s heart must have dropped in his pants when he learned that Davis had to be wheeled away after being hit in the temple. The relief should have been all the greater when the medical staff were given the all-clear. There seems to be no risk of a concussion.

There is still a residual risk. After all, the next game is already on Friday. That’s 48 hours to get fit again. The NBA’s in-house concussion protocol stipulates that a player must be physically fit after a head-on collision. If a concussion is diagnosed, any sign of impairment, no matter how small, must result in disqualification from the game.

One look at the brow’s lengthy medical record, in particular, is a horror story even for die-hard Lakers fans. His only 56 games this season were probably one of the reasons why Davis was not selected to an All-NBA team. In the meantime he looked like the most dominant player in the league.

Another failure would be a major setback for the Lakers. Without AD, the necessary penetrating power is missing. 21.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game would be missing at every turn. The Lakers need Anthony Davis to even stand a chance against the Warriors.

NBA Playoffs: The Warriors’ superstars aren’t finished yet

Because the dubs have shown that they are still to be reckoned with. “Whenever things aren’t going well, you remember your basics, what you’ve already achieved,” Green said confidently. However, Steve Kerr firmly rejected a comparison with the Chicago Bulls documentary “The Last Dance” from 97/98. “Back then the whole Bulls team was empty. Emotionally, mentally. We were exhausted. I don’t see that here at all. I think these guys – Steph, Klay, Draymond – still have a lot in the tank for the coming years.”

After Thursday’s performance in Game 5, you might believe him. Curry decided the game with an irresistible scoring run and scored 7 points in a row during a pressure phase by the Lakers. Green was as keen on points as rarely: 20 points were on the statistics sheet as a reward.

Only the shooting of Klay Thompson caused concern. 3/12 FG and only 2/6 Dreier is a meager yield for the Splash Brother. But Green knows about the qualities of Thompson. “He’s also dangerous when he misses and always ties a man to him,” Green explained. “Hopefully they’re sinking off him now,” Dray wished with a wink. Because Thompson could overheat at any time. After all, he was one of the best shooters that ever existed. Together with the mixed performance of Jordan Poole (11 points, 5/14 FG, 1/6 three points) there is definitely still a lot of room for improvement for the dubs.

Otherwise Andrew Wiggins pulls the cart out of the dirt again. The Canadian does his job quietly. Wiggins had a super efficient 25 points (10/18 FG) on the account. There was a special praise from the coach. “I think that was the best Wiggins we’ve seen since his break,” Kerr said.