Warriors plan to keep playing David Lee after surprise performance in Game 3
The emergence of David Lee could be the series-changer that Golden State needs right now.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn't waste words after the team's Game 3 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. "Yeah, you'll see more of David Lee," Kerr said from the podium after the game. "He played really well."
The Warriors entered this series with Lee as a luxury, a sort of "in case of emergency, break glass" option who would only be used if the team was against the ropes. Few thought it would happen against LeBron James and the Cavaliers, who are playing with an almost comically shorthanded roster, yet the Warriors found themselves turning to their secret weapon in Game 3.
Lee couldn’t lead Golden State to victory, but his performance was a potential revelation for the team. The veteran forward barely played during the postseason run, taking on the role of $15 million benchwarmer until his 11-point, four-rebound effort Tuesday. Lee doing that while playing just 13 minutes was a sign that Cleveland not only didn’t plan for his appearance, but that the Cavaliers also didn’t seem to have any answers for his shrewd interior game. Lee, to his credit, looked ready for the moment despite not hearing his name called by Kerr prior to Game 3.
“We’ve talked all season about this -- my job as a pro is to be ready,” Lee said after the game. “I have confidence in myself. My teammates have confidence in me, and my job is to be ready when my number’s called.”
There’s never been any doubt about Lee’s talent, the only question was whether he could fit on this Golden State roster. The Warriors’ schemes rely heavily on ball movement and versatility. Traditional power forwards who can’t step out and hit three-pointers don’t fit. But Cleveland’s relentless defense has taken away a lot of the shots that Golden State depends on, which led to Lee taking the court Tuesday.
It became clear that the Cavaliers had not expected Kerr to make that adjustment. In a matter of minutes Lee made several big plays, including a big dunk off an offensive rebound, and breathed life into a team that previously looked lost and overwhelmed by the moment. Lee, meanwhile, looked like a guy who had spent the last nine months on the bench and wanted to show why he didn’t belong there.
Lee's final line -- 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, four rebounds, two assists -- isn't the stuff of legend, but it shows how effective he was against Cleveland. With both Draymond Green (2-of-10 in Game 3) and Harrison Barnes (0-of-8) struggling badly -- and the former dealing with back issues -- this series may now be one of the few times where Golden State would be better of playing its expensive veteran big man. That certainly was the case Tuesday, with Lee posting a plus-17 while both Green and Barnes were at minus-14. If Kerr had gone to Lee earlier, maybe right now we're talking about the Warriors miraculous win instead of another Cavaliers win.
But now the Warriors know they have another option in Lee, and as Kerr said, Lee will continue to see the floor. Game 3 wasn’t some fluke performance in hopes of catching the Cavaliers off guard. Golden State seems to have found some mismatches by putting Lee on the floor, and in a tight series where Cleveland will do whatever it takes to win, these kinds of adjustments could make all the difference.
"It was great to see him out there, playing the minutes that he did, and giving us a big spark, especially in that fourth quarter," said Stephen Curry, who struggled for the first three quarters of Game 3. "So I assume he'll have a huge role in our play going forward."
This wasn’t how the Warriors planned things a week ago, but having Lee was always part of what separated them from other teams. Golden State not only had one of the best regular-season runs we’ve ever seen, but it did so while relegating a one time All-Star to the bench. There was always a chance the team would turn to him if it ran into hardship.
Nobody ever expected that Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov would be the ones leaving the Warriors searching for answers, but now it appears the team might have one. The emergency happened and the glass has been broken. Lee is the X-factor for the rest of this series, the guy ignored in all the Finals previews but who could wind up changing everything.
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