Editor's note: Grant Liffmann (@grantliffmann) is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders, which airs on NBC Sports Bay Area 90 minutes before each home game and 60 minutes after every game. Each week, Grant will drop his Outsider Observation on the state of the Dubs.
The Warriors' win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals was one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. Against a great Raptors team in Toronto, the Warriors came back from a double-digit deficit to win a game in which they were down Kevin Durant and later in the game, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney.
Golden State relied upon a hobbled Andre Iguodala, 28 minutes for DeMarcus Cousins after recently returning from a major injury, and a dehydrated Steph Curry. But yet again, their "Strength in Numbers" motto came to fruition, and bench players such as Quinn Cook and Andrew Bogut rose to the challenge in a time of need. However, heading home now for Games 3 and 4, the Warriors will have to clean up some of their mistakes if they intend to take advantage of home court.
Rebounding issues
The Warriors were dominated on the glass, and the numbers were pretty ugly. Golden State was out-rebounded 15 to six on the offensive boards, leading to 23 second-chance points for the Raptors, compared to zero for the Warriors. Kevon Looney, the Warriors' best offensive rebounder, only played 10 minutes before leaving due to injury -- he's now out indefinitely.
Despite Steve Kerr preaching after Game 1 that his team needed to box out more, they still conceded way too many extra possessions. The Raptors will try to win the battle on the glass on the road in order to silence the crowd and stop the Warriors from getting into a lethal rhythm, so it is up to the Warriors to compete for boards.
Stopping the fast break
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While the Warriors cut down the Raptors' fast-break points from 24 in Game 1 to 18 in Game 2, that is still too many. Through 18 games in the playoffs, the fast break totals for the Raptors are two of the top four that the Warriors have conceded. Toronto feasts in transition, so it is imperative that the Warriors sprint back on defense after every possession, make or miss.
Live-ball turnovers also lead to fast break points, so if the Warriors can take better care of the ball, they will see their transition defense improve considerably.
Points in the paint
One of the biggest indicators of how a team fared in transition is points in the paint. Toronto outscored the Warriors 44 to 36 in the paint, partially because of their fast break, but also because they attempted 15 more shots in that range. The Warriors were much more efficient when shooting around the rim, but the Raptors constantly attacked the hoop, which often indicates they were playing more aggressive.
The disparity is not staggering, but with DeMarcus Cousins regaining the strength in his legs, you can bet the Warriors will try to get a few more buckets on the block and at the rim. This will, in turn, open up kick-outs for 3-point shots, creating an inside-out approach to the offense, particularly when Steph Curry is not on the floor.
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Some of these corrections can be a bit nitpicky, but it will do wonders for a team that is badly bitten by the injury bug. At the end of the day, the Warriors played tremendous basketball from the late second quarter through the final buzzer. They hustled and smothered defensively, and shared the ball to an elite degree -- assisting on 34 of their 38 made field goals.
If they can keep up that type of focus and energy, while working on some tightening up some of their loose fundamentals, they should be ready to strike at Oracle Arena.
