Unfortunately, the Warriors are going to have a tough time winning this series if Barnes is their highest scorer from here on out. That's where Curry and Thompson come in. They must find their rhythm and, more importantly, find each other. Curry's ankle health could be the X-factor. In Game 5, the Spurs held the Dubs to six threes. Golden State needs to almost double that for a Game 6 win. Tony Parker's 6th career pt, ast playoff game leads Spurs to a win in Game 5. SA takes series lead.
With No guard in the NBA can get into the paint and cause mayhem like he can. Parker's most recent masterpiece in Game 5 systematically broke Golden State down and sparked a San Antonio offensive barrage. When he's roaming freely, making sound decisions and knocking down jumpers, the Spurs are difficult to defend for four quarters. His effectiveness and accuracy on the road will heavily influence Game 6's outcome.
However, all is not lost, Spurs fans. The Spurs are most equipped to deal with injuries at the wings. Gary Neal has been cleared to play and was recalled from the Toros a day after being assigned. For a second straight year, opportunity is knocking for the Spurs youth. Last year, Spurs lost James Anderson just 6 games into the season, which gave Gary Neal the chance to show the maturity of his game. As I'm sure you remember, he made quite a splash. Now, Anderson will get a chance to start, playing an even bigger role than he already has.
Additionally, Neal will have more time to play catch up. The end result might be more beneficial going into the post-season, but only time will tell. Last season, Golden State didn't play much defense, spending the majority of their energy on the offensive end.
Although Mark Jackson might have them thinking about defense, they still are pretty much the same team. This will be a good game to break in newer rotations and schemes that the Spurs will have to use to account for the costly loss of Manu.
Curry is the key generator of points for this Warriors team, and they need him to account for at least 40 points between his passing and scoring. That number preferably would be closer to 50 in Game 6 to give the Oracle crowd something to scream about and give his teammates a force to play off during key stretches. Key Adjustment: Get Curry attacking the defense side-to-side in order to screw with their rotations and help him find open players.
This is problematic if his ankle isn't cooperating. Based on how few side-step moves that we've seen from Curry over the last two games, I think it's safe to say his ankle isn't allowing him to be that side-to-side player. The Warriors have to get Curry back into running pick-and-rolls with Andrew Bogut. The semi-legal screens can free him up, force the defense to either step up or give space, and then pick his weapon of destruction between his jumper or his teammates' scoring abilities.
He's so good once he gets into the middle of the floor that the Spurs have been careful to keep him off to the side. This way, you can cut down on his passing opportunities and make him settle for contested jumpers. But if the Warriors can get the defense moving side-to-side, it could give him the necessary space that he needs from the Spurs' defense to get that magical shooting back on track.
The Big Story: Was the hot shooting just a fad? The Warriors obliterated a good Denver Nuggets team in the first round with incredible shooting that wasn't really that far off from what they did against them in the regular season.
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