The Answer

 In the second game of the second round series with the Lakers, the Golden State Warriors had to solve some defensive problems and look for a more potent offensive strategy to shrink the huge gap in foul shots.  They did all of that and more, leading by 30 as the fourth quarter started, ending up with a 120-100 victory at home.

They were helped by the Lakers defensive strategy: stop Steph Curry and dare the others to beat them.  The others beat them, particularly Klay Thompson with eight 3-pointers in the three quarters he played, finishing with 30 points.  In order to keep two agile young players on Curry at all times, the Lakers apparently decided not to guard a few others at all, and so Draymond Green, for one, had clear lanes to the basket.  More points in the paint led to more foul calls, and the disparity indeed shrank.   At the same time, the Warriors again rained down 21 three pointers.

Curry had a judicious 20 points but lots of assists, as he functioned at a point guard.  The offense responded to a necessary lineup change, as Jaymichael Green started for the ailing Kevon Looney (who played well but sparingly.) He made shots, including 3s, that further opened things up.  Spacing the floor and running a crisp, fast offense allowed for a rebound advantage even with Looney on the bench.

Defensively, Draymond was hounding the Lakers' first game star Anthony Davis (known as A.D.) from the tipoff.  That, and Davis' own propensity to have a strong game followed by a weak one (some Lakers fans claim his initials actually stand for Alternate Days) meant he was not much of a factor on either end.

So now the series moves to Los Angeles.  Both teams should be hyped for this game on Saturday--and it wouldn't surprise me if the TV audience broke records for a playoff game, finals included.  This is the marquee game of the year.

The Lakers would be expected to make adjustments to counter the Warriors adjustments--and this game will demonstrate whether they can do so successfully.  Ordinarily the home team wins the third game, but the Warriors may be just as motivated, and they may have found a pace and a plan to keep winning, though not so handily.  They need to get one of these next two.  I don't think they will lose at home again this series.