Time for the Death Lineup to live again
NEW ORLEANS >> The Warriors are waiting for death to show up.
The Death Lineup, that is.
The five-man unit of Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry — colloquially known as the Death Lineup or the Hamptons’ Five (after the location of the Warriors’ free-agent pitch to Durant) — was the best lineup in the NBA last year because, well, it’s composed of four All-Stars and a former NBA Finals MVP.
This year, though, the Death Lineup simply hasn’t made the same impact.
“It’s a combination of the injuries and the way we went through the regular season anyway,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Saturday. “We were resting guys periodically, we were pacing ourselves, to be quite frank — we weren’t bringing the full 110 percent, old college try every night with that group.”
But the Warriors simply can’t afford to not have an “old college try” with that lineup in Game 4 of their series with the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday. The time for pacing is over — Pelicans center Anthony Davis dominated in New Orleans’ Game 3 win and the Warriors’ top (and perhaps only) chance to stop the superstar big man and his energized teammates is by playing Green at center with the Warriors’ best players around him.
In Game 3, Kerr tried to “buy minutes” at the center position by starting JaVale McGee for both the first and second halves. It backfired. There were plenty of reasons the Warriors lost to the Pelicans Friday, but McGee’s ineffectiveness in nearly 10 minutes of action was included on that list.
Add in the uninspiring play of Kevon Looney (who was stellar in Games 1 and 2) on Friday and you could make the case that the Warriors’ already-truncated center rotation is down to one reliable player against Davis: Green.
“This series is pretty unique,” Kerr said. “They play so small and our bench is filled with centers, so it’s the first series that I can remember when we re-
ally haven’t been able to go 10, 11 deep since I’ve been here.”
Green said after Game 3 that he’s ready to go as long as Kerr needs him in Game 4 and beyond. When asked if he expects to play major minutes at center on Sunday, Green was emphatic in his response:
“I do expect that. We’ve been successful with that, so I 100 percent expect it.”
Green repeated the sentiment after practice Saturday — while he had ice bags wrapped to both of his knees and his right shoulder.
“I’m trying to win a championship,” Green said. “Gotta do what you gotta do. I don’t mind being a little banged up — you’re never 100 percent anyway. After winning a championship, it’s all worth it and I’ll have the rest of the summer to recover.”
If only it was as simple as plugging Green into center and reaping huge benefits anymore. It used to be that way in 2015 and 2016, but this year, in 350 regular-season minutes with Green at center, the Warriors have posted a negative net rating. (Feel free to check my work.)
And the year-over-year drop-off — if you’re so inclined to call it that — for the so-called Death Lineup is stark.
In the 2016-17 regular season, in 224 total minutes (45 games), the lineup posted an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 122.4 and a defensive rating of 98.4 — the best net rating of any oftused lineup in the NBA that year. In last year’s playoffs, the Death Lineup found an even higher level, posting an incredible offensive rating of 133 and a defensive rating of 100 in 65 total minutes (13 games).
This year, though, for the reasons Kerr mentioned, the lineup is yet to find its groove. In 127 regular-season minutes (28 games), the lineup has scored (124.7 offensive rating) but has allowed others to score at an elite rate as well (116 defensive rating).
In all, the Death Lineup was the Warriors’ thirdbest lineup, as judged by net rating, this season.
Again, the Warriors jogging through the regular season is the likely culprit behind this, but injuries to Curry, Thompson, and Durant limited the already limited amount of time Kerr likes to use the lineup, as it is extremely taxing on Green, who typically has to guard a player five or six inches taller than him while also pushing the pace.
And that lack of time for the Warriors’ top lineup jell can’t be understated. Even for uber-talented players who have played together a bunch, there’s a rhythm and comfortability that needs to be established on the court. This group hasn’t gotten enough serious, consistent run in big-time situations to establish that positive flow.
“We haven’t seen that much of it this year. We had guys out, guys banged up all year,” Green said. “I still think it’s scary, though.”
But the Warriors need it to be scary now.
Complicating the issue is the fact that Curry has only been back from his knee injury for two games and, simply put, isn’t in game shape yet. The Pelicans play at a blistering pace and the Warriors, who are usually the faster of the two teams on the court, are keen to match it, but that exacerbates an already tricky scenario for Curry, who wants to play a full game, and Kerr, who
has to manage his minutes for maximum effectiveness. Even with that management in Game 3, it seemed as if there wasn’t a break in the action Friday where Curry didn’t have his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He looked gassed.
The Death Lineup is the Warriors’ chaos lineup — usually, Kerr throws it out there in an effort to speed the game up on an unwilling opponent — but in this series, it needs to be used to keep up with former Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry’s squad. Curry’s conditioning has no doubt limited Kerr’s willingness to use the lineup over the two games the two-time MVP has played this postseason.
In those two games, the Death Lineup has played 18 total minutes and is shooting 54 percent from the field and 53 percent from behind the arc, but it’s only plus-five in points and it has a net rating of 15, which is really good, except when you compare it to previous iterations of the lineup.
But now the Warriors might not have a choice but to go to the Death Lineup early and often.
The Warriors have been saving themselves — and their best and most explosive lineup, spearheaded by Green — for a time when it mattered.
A 2-1 second-round playoff series? This is that time.
The Warriors now need the Death Lineup to live up its nickname once again.