The Warriors embark on the 2015 postseason and will host the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. While the Warriors are the favorite in this series, Anthony Davis will put up a fight and these games could be closer than people imagine.
We know Steph Curry and Anthony Davis will fill the stat sheet, but as far one-on-one matchups, which one will be the most interesting in this series. All our writers here at Warriors World have submitted their predictions, tell us what you think and comment at the bottom of the page:
Jordan Ramirez:
Anthony Davis vs. everyone. Whether it’s Green, Bogut, Speights or Festus Ezeli, all eyes and hands will be on Davis in his first of many postseason appearances. It probably won’t matter who is guarding him just given his incredible, size, length and his ability to hit the jumper. The Pelicans actually should run their offense through Davis more (his usage rate was 26th in the NBA), but given that he’s a big man those decreased numbers are slightly more understandable. Seeing if Kerr doubles Davis every time down, leaves Green on an island or some mix of both will be fun to watch.
Daniel Leroux:
The entire Warriors team vs. Anthony Davis. Stopping elite players typically necessitates a team effort and The Brow will be no exception. The Dubs benefit from New Orleans starting an offensive non-factor in Omer Asik, which should allow them to more easily double and help on the budding superstar. Coach Kerr will have some notable tactical decisions concerning Davis that could illuminate how the team handles other interior players they could face later in the playoffs.
Sheed Malek:
Draymond Green v Anthony Davis. The potential DPOY Green gets put the test early in the battle vs Davis. Davis is a walking double-double machine and will look to punish the smaller Green throughout the game. Green should be up for the challenge- if Green can limit Davis and keep him under check, the more zero’s he’ll be adding to his upcoming contract this offseason.
Saam Esfandiari:
Anthony Davis v. Draymond Green. A lot has been made of Davis’ size advantage, however this could work to Green’s advantage. Unlike most PF’s Green is capable of staying in front of Davis and checking his dribble. For the Warriors to make quick work of the Pelicans, they’ll want to force Davis to shoot mid-range jumpers as opposed to attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line. Adding fuel to the fire, many national writers have left Draymond Green off of their all-NBA defensive team ballots. In typical Draymond Green fashion he’ll relish this challenge to prove the doubters wrong.
Yama Hazheer:
Anthony Davis matching up against Draymond Green will be highly entertaining. Davis is the best young big man in the game while Green is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Davis is an elite defender in his own right. Davis is one of the more difficult players in the league to go up against, especially now that he has a consistent jumper. The Warriors were able to contain him in the first half of their last match-up, however Green got into foul trouble resulting in Davis being free to do what he wants. Davis might be nearly unstoppable, but if anyone has a chance to limit him, it’s Green. The heartbeat of the Warriors only allowed opponents to shoot 39.1% on him this season. It’s unlikely that Davis will be shut down for the whole length of the series, but Green should be able to hold his own for the most part.
Jared Williams:
Anthony Davis vs Ron Adams.
For all you CPO (Christmas & Playoffs only) fans out there, Ron Adams is the Warriors’ defensive coordinator. Adams’ league best scheme is based on ceaselessly switching perimeter screens with Andrew Bogut ready to cover up any mistakes. Anthony Davis is the ultimate foil for this. Put simply, he’s too tall for Draymond, and too agile for Bogut to cover. Expect Warriors guards to consistently double Davis post-ups, especially since the Pelicans were in the bottom half in the league in threes made. Davis might be the toughest cover the Warriors have in any series during these playoffs, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In Ron Adams we trust.