Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers did not look like a team that finished as the 7th seed. With Anthony Davis leading at the center, the Lakers absolutely dominated their hosts, the Golden State Warriors. Riding on a night where AD put up numbers like Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers took away the Warriors’ home-court advantage. Despite the terrific win, AD isn’t getting too excited about it, because he knows what Stephen Curry is capable of.
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Game 1 last night was a true show of strength by the Lakers. They took on the defending champions and made sure to let them know that this series wouldn’t be easy for them at all. Anthony Davis led the charge for the same. He scored 30 points, grabbed 23 rebounds, had 5 assists, and 4 blocks! In fact, his performance was the first of it’s kind for the Lakers since Shaquille O’Neal.
After all that as well, AD isn’t letting the victory get to his head, as he is well aware of what Stephen Curry can do.
Anthony Davis talks about his playoff battles with Stephen Curry
When Anthony Davis was with the Pelicans, they made the playoffs only twice. The first time was in 2015, when Stephen Curry and the Warriors swept them in the first round. The second time was in 2018, when they swept the Trailblazers in the first round, only to get eliminated in five games by Stephen Curry and the Warriors. Both times when AD got eliminated by Steph, the Warriors went on to win the championship.
Having played 10 playoff games against Steph, AD holds a 2-8 record against him. Keeping all of this in mind, AD spoke to the press ahead of Game 2 tomorrow. He was asked what did he learn from playing those two previous series against Curry. AD said(via Warriors on NBCS),
“As long as he’s on the other side, it’s never over… He’s the head of the snake. When he’s playing unbelievable basketball, which he’s more than capable of doing every night, their team never goes away!”
“As long as Steph’s on the other side, on the other team, you always give that team a chance to win.”
It’s great to see that the Lakers aren’t letting the success of Game 1 get to their heads. Heading into Game 2 tomorrow, they know the Warriors will be bringing a fight, and they’re expecting a tough battle. We’ll have to see which team can make the better adjustments.
What changes do the Warriors need to make?
After Game 1, every Warriors fan should realize that there is nothing that can be done to match Anthony Davis for now. He’s bigger than everyone on the Dubs roster, and he let it be known. What they can do is make sure the drop coverages are better, and that they don’t let AD get easy pick-and-rolls like he had last night.
The 29-6 Free Throw disparity came to haunt the Warriors at the end of the game. Everyone knows that the Lakers drew the most fouls in the regular season as well, and the same has been true in the Playoffs. The Warriors need to get a little smarter and be more aware of their actions, in order to stop giving excessive fouls and getting beaten on the charity stripe.
We’ll have to see the changes Steve Kerr and his team make. As AD said, we can expect a strong battle in Game 2.
