Warriors vs Clippers Game 3: Golden State Aiming For Physical Battle (Photo: Getty via Yahoo)
One of the pregame themes that’s going around is that the Golden State Warriors want and need to be more physical in the efforts to slow down the Los Angeles Clippers, namely their imposing athletic frontline of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Prior to the series, all the talk was about the chippiness between the teams, as evidenced by the Christmas game most recently before the series started, among others.
But the Warriors down-played said “chippiness” and were rather ho-hum about the impending physicality.
“I think any playoff series is gonna be physical,” guard Steve Blake said at one of the practices before the series started, “This one is no exception. Just go out there and do what we have to do to win.”
“It’s hard to say,” said Harrison Barnes, “It’s going to be different. It’s going to be physical. Both teams are gonna try to win. Honestly the biggest thing is just to play our game. I think that we have a style that is very unique. We get up and down. Great shooters, great floor spacing. Just try to continue to do that.”
“The playoffs is a different type of game,” backup center Hilton Armstrong said, “very aggressive, a lot more physical, and everyone trying to compete to get to the next level. So it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“In the regular season, there were some flare-ups, I guess you could call it,” said Stephen Curry, “but they’re not the only team that’s happened with, so it’s just the NBA. I mean, it’s high intensity, especially when you get to the playoffs, and you’ve got to just expect it to be a fun series and really competitive.
“You’ve got quote-unquote ‘tough guys’ on both teams,” Curry added “so nobody wants to give up any kind of ground. That’s how basketball is. You don’t expect technicals flying everywhere. You don’t expect that, you just expect a good physical brand of basketball that’s competitive and just hard-nosed playoff basketball.”
Yet, after two games in which the Warriors started out flat, one of the early-game strategies that has emerged after Game 2 is to be just that, more physical.
The team has mentioned “taking the first punch” on more than one occasion during media availability at practice the last two days.
Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:
This is, without doubt, a deliberate tactic, a message to his team. Jackson is something of a boxing aficionado who understands that savagery is part of the artistry. And, evidently, he has had enough watching his team take blows.
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It’s reasonable to assume that while Jackson is sparing no one, with the possible exception of Stephen Curry, who unveiled his testy side in the third quarter Monday, the coach would like these words to reach, above all, power forward David Lee.
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There is no question that if Lee doesn’t play with channeled rage, he will continue to be on the victim in the horror movie featuring Clippers forward Blake Griffin as the unrelenting, unforgiving monster.
Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports:
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“We are going to be physical. It’s about that competitive fire for Game 3 that we are going to get it done and protect our home court.”
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The Warriors and the Clippers are tied 1-1 in the best-of-seven series with Game 3 at Oracle Arena on Thursday. Curry thinks the key for the Warriors to regain momentum in the series is for him to play with a “banging-on-the-door-until-it-falls” mentality.
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“I don’t have an angry face or antics like some other guys. I definitely play with a force or will to win,” Curry said. “Whether I need to be more demonstrative, I don’t know. I got to be physical. I got to be forceful. I got to be any other adjective.”
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