Steve Kerr or the art of not panicking, even when the opponent seems unplayable.

The Warriors coach found the words and the solutions to respond to the high-flying first act of the Mavericks, leaving all smiles in the locker room with no less than 15 winning shots (out of 27) in the haversack, carried by Luka Doncic then on a cloud (24 pts at 7/12) and who finished with 42 units (8 assists).

If Stephen Curry, author of a remarkable performance (33 pts, 8 rebounds) had not worn his, at arm's length and "bingos" behind the arc (5/7, 20 pts) during these first two quarter, also weighed down by several disputed whistles which had the effect of raising the tension on both sides, it was not twelve lengths behind that Golden State would have accused at the break, but much more.

"At halftime I told the players that if we kept our cool in the second half the game would come to us. Before that the Mavs kicked us on the head, they were fantastic, they played harder, they executed better. We just had to calm down and take control of the game. We were convinced that if we did that, they wouldn't put 15 three-pointers like in the first period," Kerr explained. .

Looney in light

Whereupon, his Warriors have proven that their reputation as an irresistible team, when the third quarter rings, is not usurped.

Returning with other defensive intentions, almost without Draymond Green (6 pts, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) long on the bench for five fouls and therefore on the verge of exclusion, they showed tremendous show of collective strength.

Luka Doncic (right) couldn't prevent the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Golden State Warriors on May 20, 2022 in San Francisco.

Harry How GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Symbol of the great Californian resources and the genius of his coach, who responded to the outside clubbing of the Mavs, an unchallenged sitting inside, the pivot Keyvon Looney, yet hardly accustomed to weighing offensively, strolled in a Texas racket deserted (21 pts, 12 rebounds).

The latter took the opportunity to become the first Warriors pivot to achieve at least a 20/10 in a play-off game since the venerable Robert Parish in 1977.

His teammates were not left out.

Jordan Poole was California's engine in the last quarter won foot to the floor (43-32), scoring 12 of his 23 points, Andrew Wiggins (16 pts) and Klay Thompson (15 pts) also made important shots.

“Our defense was bad”

In the end, Golden State scored 62 points inside, against 30 for Dallas, whose long-range address inevitably ended up dropping, while ultimately proving very correct (21/45).

It is the lack of offensive variety, but also the defensive laxity that this has generated that will have cost the victory to the Mavs.

"I think we relied too much on three-point shooting, even though our percentage was okay. We weren't attacking the paint as much as they did. And our defense was bad, that's all. We we have to focus on it and improve this sector", summed up Luka Doncic.

Stephen Curry shoots three points past Luka Doncic during the Warriors' victory over the Dallas Mavericks on May 20, 2022 in San Francisco.

Harry How GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

The Slovenian prodigy, revengeful 48 hours after a first match where he was limited to 20 points, was however masterful in scoring more than double.

And he was also not alone in scoring, since Jalen Brunson was very effective (31 pts, at 11/19, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Reggie Bullock added 21 points.

Dallas will absolutely have to find the right adjustments, or rather the right tactical balance on Sunday for match N.3, in front of its fans.

Because for now, the experience of Golden State, three times NBA champion in five finals between 2015 and 2019, makes the difference.

© 2022 AFP