Following the Los Angeles Clippers’ shocking 115-110 Game 1 win over the Phoenix Suns, Clips head coach Ty Lue was…giddy. When asked about starting big man Ivica Zubac’s performance guarding Torrey Craig–who went for a playoff career high 22 points–he couldn’t hide his smile.
“We want him taking more shots,” the seven-year head coach said, donning a devilish grin, “just trying to take the ball out of [Kevin Durant] and [Devin Booker]’s hands.”
The Suns corrected this in Game 2, winning 123-109 with a healthy dose of KD and Book. The Suns’ dynamic duo combined for 34 points on 20 shots in the second half, a noteworthy increase from the 20 points on 12 shots in the second half of Game 1. Suns’ head coach Monty Williams diagnosed the problem as a lack of touches for their best players and corrected it to even up the series.
And so, the precedent for the series is set. With Lue having the edge on the clipboard and demonstrating he has the players to execute his strategy, Williams’ ability to make effective and timely adjustments that maximize the shotmaking ability of his best players will determine the outcome of the series.
In Game 1, the strategy was clear: stay home on Durant and Booker when they’re off the ball, bring early nail help on drives, and defend the PnR with a soft drop. Push Monty Williams to use KD and Book as spacers off the ball and incentivize his two star scorers to pass out of the PnR.
And they happily obliged. Though their typically efficient selves, the duo combined for just 34 shot attempts (19 for Booker and a mere 15 for Durant). And Durant didn’t touch the ball for the first five possessions of “clutch time” (the last five minutes of a game separated by five points or less).
In Game 2, the onus was on Monty Williams to design a counter. Like the cowbell in Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper, the answer was, simply but undeniably, more. More KD, more Book: a concerted effort to allocate more shots for the Suns’ best players.
At the 7:13 mark of the first quarter, the Suns ran Horns Out for Durant with Ayton as the screener. Kawhi Leonard (who Lue occasionally set as Ayton’s primary defender) switched on to Durant, who read the switch and tried to feed Ayton on the roll. Result: turnover, points in transition for the Clippers, timeout Suns.
Shortly after the timeout, the Suns went back to Horns Out for Durant. And though the defense sniffed it out rather early, it didn’t matter. Williams runs that play for the distinct purpose of leaning into what makes Durant so special, shotmaking at an elite level.
Same goes for Booker, who is as shifty and dynamic a scorer as the NBA has to offer, albeit still mediocre as a passer. Lue setting up the Clipper’s defense to place Booker in the playmaker role worked, for a time. The strategy forced Booker to make decisions typically reserved for Paul, and while Book’s improved drastically as a decision maker, the intensity of the Clippers still bothered him.
Until he went unconscious. Booker took 14 of his 22 shots in the second half and broke the Clippers defensive strategy of icing ball screens by attacking any available space with his shot. He finished with a game high 38 points, 25 of which came after the break.
Through two games, this series has been a classic “Jimmy’s-and-Joe’s vs. X’s and O’s”, with both head coaches embodying these ideas. Lue’s defensive principles ushered the Clippers to a Game 1 win, while Williams simplifying the decision making process for his two best scorers busted Lue’s principles in Game 2.
Now, it’s Ty Lue’s turn to counter what will likely be a barrage from Booker and Durant in Game 3. A contest in which they will be without superstar Kawhi Leonard. While Eric Gordon provides important shooting, trading his minutes for Terance Mann and Norman Powell adds physicality to the Clippers’ point of attack defense without losing too much shooting. The added aggression up top (especially without Leonard’s pressure) complements how the Clipper’s’ bigs have been playing the PnR, with soft drops incentivizing navigation into the midrange. Although the Sun’s’ duo is famously excellent in that department, it also means less space for passing angles, easier contests from multiple defenders, and (lest we forget) two is still a smaller number than three.
Over the past decade, teams that win Game 3 of a series tied 1-1 going into the game win that series 75.9 percent of the time. Anything less than the best possible performance from either side will be a major roadblock to their ultimate goal. Williams’ Game 2 coaching set a new precedent in the series, and it will be up to Lue to determine a strategy that could save the Clippers’ season.
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