Warriors' NBA Finals Plight Proves That They Cannot Win Without the Death Lineup
By Sean Facey
The Warriors have looked hapless against the Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals.
They've struggled to muster any semblance of what makes them so dominant, thus proving that they simply cannot win unless they roll out the "Death Lineup." Despite entering the series as overwhelming favorites, Steve Kerr's side has looked outmatched in virtually all facets of the game.
It must be noted that Golden State's core identity, what really separated them the last few years, was not available to them in this series due to lack of wing depth. Going with Green at C to run centers off the floor on O and switch everything on D is what made them truly great.
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) June 8, 2019
The absence of Kevin Durant hurts the Warriors a lot. Without KD on the floor, the Warriors can't run with Draymond Green at center, which strips them of their core offensive and defensive identity. While DeMarcus Cousins is back in action, he is clearly not in game shape and has looked like a shell of himself, often resulting in Toronto's offense abusing him in the paint.
The Warriors have quite literally lost their identity on both ends of the court. They don't have the depth to run the scheme they want and it's hurting them in big ways. Even when Steph Curry dropped a near-50 point performance in Game 3, the lack of supporting superstars was evident, as only two of his teammates reached double-digit scoring.
Warriors going to a distant cousin of the death lineup, with Green and Jerebko as the bigs.
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) June 3, 2019
The lack of the death lineup for Golden State has plagued them, as the group they were reliant upon throughout the regular season is no longer in tact, and they are inserting some less familiar faces into the mix in hopes of achieving positive results.
While everyone was quick to write off the Raptors before the series, and even after the news of Durant's ailment, with some saying the Warriors were even better without him, the lack of the "Death Lineup" has made one thing very clear: the Warriors are mortal.