LA Clippers vs. Warriors, Game 2: What did we learn from Game 1?

After the loss in Game 1, the LA Clippers have found some bright spots vs. the Warriors. What can they do to find success in this series?

All right. Let’s just get into it. Game 1 was a tough battle throughout the first 40 minutes, give or take, and it became clear to Doc Rivers by that point that this wasn’t going to go the LA Clippers’ way. It’s the Golden State Warriors, at home, in the playoffs. What can you do?

Garrett’s already gone over it in the post-game for Game 1, so we’re going to stick with looking ahead.

As Golden State starts shaking off their regular season ennui and back into their playoff selves — their true form, if we’re being honest — the Clippers are going to have to do something to throw them off their axis. A Game 2 steal here is very unlikely, but as we’ve learned this season, telling these LA Clippers that something is impossible is… typically a bad idea.

Let’s get into it.

Shamet needs to get in a position to shoot

That’s all there is to it. If Landry Shamet is only scoring 3 points per game, it’s a wrap for the series, no matter what else is to be done. Shamwow’s ability to catch-and-shoot makes him incredibly dangerous and opens the floor up for his teammates to get into their games.

And we know that, because multiple Warriors players in the post-game press conference directly said that they were trying to prevent exactly that.

I can’t believe we’re here, when you consider what this team looked like when it started but a good portion of this game and series will hinge on if the LA Clippers can put the ball in rookie NBA player, 26th overall pick Shamet’s hands and get him good looks in catch-and-shoot situations.

Don’t walk away from the Draymond plan

Even when Draymond Green was making the shots, Doc seemed perfectly content to just let it happen. Look, this is a team with multiple All-Stars playing against a team with zero. These are the armies we have on the court. The Clippers are The 300 and the Warriors are the Persian horde. You make do with your limited resources.

Baiting DeMarcus Cousins and Green into shooting by just disrespecting them and sloughing off them at the perimeter is not a stupid idea. In fact, for a good amount of the game, you could see it bear fruit a little. Green shot 58.3 percent, which is significantly above his average. And he rightfully gloated a little about it.

The thing about Doc’s thinking is that he’s not hiding the plan. He really isn’t hiding anything, or doing any trickery whatsoever to try and pull a fast one on the Warriors. He is planting a flag and saying, if you’re gonna beat us, Dray’s gonna have to do that every game.

Doc’s thinking is that it’s unsustainable. He may be right, and if he’s wrong, then there’s nothing in the armory for this LA Clippers team to really put a stop to the Warriors this series, anyway. So ride it out and see if opportunities open up.

Gallo needs to step up

Danilo Gallinari‘s passivity reared up a bit in Game 1, scoring 15 points on 28.6 percent shooting. The question I want to ask him: You got the snot beaten out of you this season. What was that for if not to get physical and scrap now?

I don’t want to spend too much time on Gallo, because he doesn’t really deserve too much criticism, but when you shoot above 46 percent on the season and shoot below 30 in Game 1, something has to change.

And if Shamet can get his shooting going, Gallo has to follow that with driving to the rim and either getting buckets or getting to the charity stripe (or preferably, AND-1s). . Whether you’re laying up or shooting from the elbow, the points score the same.

Temple needs to wake up

Garrett Temple was almost a non-factor in Game 1, scoring zero points, with one assist and one block in 12 minutes of play. There really isn’t anything else you can say about it. The LA Clippers need more out of Temple.

MORE. THREES.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 50 percent from deep. Gallo shot 50 percent from deep. Lou Williams shot 50 percent from deep. Add Shamet in there, and this is a team that can knock down capital-b Bingos. And they need to. It’s obvious that they do.

This is a team that’s good from beyond the arc, and while I agree with Doc that forcing it just because that’s the trend is silly, what’s not silly is that Stephen Curry is on the other team. The LA Clippers have weapons, and they should fire every cannon they’ve got.

Maintain the intensity

The Warriors are a team that will kill you in transition and being even a little on your heels is a death sentence. They like to do a thing where if the opposing team lands a big 3-PT, or a team-charging dunk, they’ll speed to the other end and give it to Curry to knock down a 3 in ten seconds flat that deflates the balloon before it has time to even completely fill.

The Clippers will have to play with emotion — and with Patrick Beverley, there will be no shortage of that, but the rest of the team has to match him. It’s become cliche now that Beverley is the heart and soul of this team, and it’s cliche for a reason.

Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are going to do Lou and Trezz things. Their pick-and-roll game has been excellent this season and was excellent in Game 1. It will be excellent in Game 2. Their contributions are necessary for the success of this team.

And finally…

Now is the time to learn

Let’s be completely honest: Unless something dramatically changes in Game 2, this is probably the Warriors’ series. It’s the nature of the playoffs in the West. But this postseason is important for the development of this team, especially its younger players.

The Game 1 jitters are pretty much done for these rookies (and Ivica Zubac, who just isn’t ready as a player for this series, regardless of jitters). Now is the time to really understand what it takes to win in the playoffs, and finding those new gears in your own personal play.

The only person who knows exactly what it takes to win a championship on this LA Clippers team is your head coach, who brought a ring home for Boston. Now, above all, is the time to soak in everything.

The reality is that the Clippers weren’t supposed to be in the playoffs, or even be a winning team. Yet they have 48 wins on the regular season and are in the postseason. This is the sort of on-the-job training you cannot pay for, and to get it in your rookie season, with two rooks (Shai and Shamet) starting? It’s not completely unheard of, but it’s not normal.

The Clippers are playing with house money, and the best thing they can do is to let it ride again and again, leave it all on the court, and take that experience into the offseason, now knowing what you need to up your game.

This is the series where you figure out just what it is you need to work on over the summer. And then cross your fingers for a big free agent.