Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
It’s the type of relentless counterattack that can be implemented when you have an 11-man rotation, rather than the eight-man unit the Warriors have often trotted out this season.
It’s the type of more advanced counterattack that can’t be fully unleashed when three-fifths of your starting lineup are rookies still trying to adapt to the faster game.
It’s the type of effective counterattack that is becoming the blueprint of how to beat James Harden (and thus, how to beat the Rockets).
And as overly complicated as it sounds, Harden is mostly correct when he says, “It’s pretty simple.”
“That was their scheme and that was their game plan,” Harden said. “It looked like it worked. We had a lot of great opportunities that we just didn’t convert on.”
The plan: Get the ball the hell out of Harden’s hands.
Every time the Rockets’ best player touched the ball, especially in the second half, a second Warriors defender was sprinting at him. Typically, Harden would sensibly dish the ball, leaving a potential 4-on-3 for the remaining Rockets to exploit. Or, as was the case, fail to exploit.
The defensive game plan was the biggest difference in Golden State’s 116-104 victory over Houston on Christmas at Chase Center, holding one of the faces of the NBA to just five second-half points and — most stunningly — zero made foul shots on just one attempt. It was the first time since March 17 of last season Harden didn’t bump his point total at the foul line, so strangled he was by a defense for which Draymond Green credited assistant coach Jarron Collins.
“That game plan was fucking phenomenal today,” said Green, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. “It don’t get much better than that.”
Draymond Green was a big fan of Jarron Collins' defensive plan to double James Harden whenever he touched the ball.
"That game plan (long pause) was F—— phenomenal." 😂 pic.twitter.com/kH7DfCzFXI
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 26, 2019
“For us it was throwing something different at him,” said D’Angelo Russell (20 points, four assists). “Putting other guys in position to make plays. Something that they don’t do every night, that’s not their game plan.”
The Rockets knew how to respond, but knowing and executing are different arts. Steve Kerr referenced Toronto’s strategy earlier this month, in which the Raptors swarmed at Harden and played a zone behind him. Old pal Luke Walton had the Kings borrowing from sixth-grade ball and playing a box-and-one on Harden, who entered having averaged 38.6 points (and 12.8 free-throw tries) per game.
If Russell Westbrook, Danuel House Jr. and Ben McLemore hit the shots they’re supposed to hit, Kerr and Collins look like fools. If they miss, the Warriors’ staff is genius.
For this day, Westbrook led the charge due south, finishing with the hollowest 30 points imaginable (11-of-32 from the field, 0-for-8 from 3).
Kerr said the league has to adjust to Harden, who’s taken an even bigger step forward without Chris Paul by his side (and it’s probably a hobbled step forward as he tries to draw a foul). The Rockets know that, even if that doesn’t solve the problem.
“It’s nothing we ain’t used to,” said Westbrook, whose Rockets were up 68-64 at the break before the Warriors went all-out in limiting Harden’s touches. “We missed our shots, so it worked. Move on to the next one. Good luck, though, trying to do that.”
A lot of teams won’t be able to do it. Westbrook will hit shots. Harden will get frustrated and play a bit more selfishly as he seeks to split more double teams.
The Warriors wouldn’t have been able to even try it at the season’s onset, Kerr said. There have been so many things to teach, and the game plans have been on the basic side of the scale. That’s changing.
“I think we’re now at the point where we have more confidence defensively,” Kerr said, “so that allowed us to be a little more creative.”
