Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors shot just six free throws compared to the 29 that the Los Angeles Lakers did in Tuesday’s Game 1 defeat at Chase Center. In a contest as tightly contested as the 117-112 loss, 23 extra free throws can be a big difference.
Warriors star Stephen Curry was asked about the discrepancy, during his postgame media availability. Curry pinned the blame on Golden State’s game-plan, rather than on the officials.
“AD [Anthony Davis] is going to put pressure on you all game, so you’d like to not let him get eight off, that might not kill you,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “It’s more the other guys, the ball handlers. [Dennis] Schroder gets 10 free throws. That can’t happen. Whether we think its a foul or not we can’t put ourselves in that situation. That’s how he makes an impact because he is super quick, you know, in his first step.
“We do have a certain strategy around him, but you can’t let him get to the line 10 times, that’s a killer. We’ll make those adjustments. Understand again, it was a quick turnaround from Game 7 against Sac [Sacramento Kings]. We’ll be locking in on what the Lakers do well and our confidence is high that we can bounce back.”
Though a gap of 23 attempts from the line seems pretty egregious, it’s on par with the averages of both teams. Throughout the regular season, Golden State shot the least amount of free throws in the league, while L.A. shot the most.
The lack of attempts for the Dubs correlates with their 3-point heavy offense. They led the league in attempts from distance this year, meaning they aren’t creating much contact, resulting in a low amount of foul calls.
Dennis Schroder Discusses Guarding Warriors’ Stephen Curry
Schroder, who Curry singled out in his answer, was responsible for chasing the 3-point King around all night.
He did a solid job, allowing Golden State’s No. 30 to shoot just 10-of-24 from the field for 27 points.
The German guard discussed the tough task, following L.A.’s 117-112 win over the Dubs.
“I mean, whatever it takes to win. But it’s really, really, really hard,” Schroder said of guarding Curry. “I mean, Steph is probably one of the best, conditioning-wise, in sports because he’s running around for 23 seconds and still taking a shot. So, just to be by him when he catches it makes it really, really tough. So, I might have to get an IV tonight.”
LeBron James Says Lakers Need to Improve Defense vs. Warriors
Much like Curry, LeBron James is hoping for his squad to tighten things up defensively.
The King told reporters that the Lakers “have to do a better job” of defending the Warriors’ shooters as the series continues.
“We got to do a better job,” James said post-game. “I think, even though late, they made a run, and I think throughout the second half, just only giving up 48 points, that’s really good. But we had a couple of lulls where we allowed those guys—Steph, Klay [Thompson], and Jordan [Poole]—to get some looks. And if we’re really tuned in, it won’t happen.”