While LeBron James and JJ Reddick sip wine and commend the Golden State Warriors‘ unparalleled offense, fans have always managed to come up with contrasting instances. Plenty of such came around the Warriors’ first championship-winning season, which saw Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green consistently dismantling teams within the league.

A clip from the Warriors’ initial championship journey, highlighting the barrage of obstructions defenders had to go through just to be an inch closer to Steph, has resurfaced. @basktballreels on Instagram recently posted a reel, where a fan highlighted that every time a late-game moving-screen foul occurs, they are reverted to David Lee and Green’s glimpse of grabbing 3 Cleveland Cavaliers defenders to get Steph open for a three.

In a response to the same, Draymond Green hilariously deflected all controversies. Reposting the reel, Green wrote, “This is hilarious. There’s only 1 person in history that would have all 5 defenders above the 3 point line. Let alone still take and make the 3.” 

Chances are, Green’s deflection might have sparked a frenzy amongst fans, possibly an urgency to get their views across to him. At the time, Warriors, despite their unique surge, saw harsh criticism from the fans for using overly physical tactics and plays to get open shots.

The Warriors were known for deploying multiple screens during a single play at the time. Through the physicality of Green and their big-man, they utilized the sharpshooting of Curry and Klay to its maximum limit. Moreover, through back screens, hard screens, and a simple wing side dribble handoff, they even eliminated the use of a putting the ball of the floor during numerous plays.

The Warriors have a new screen-play for 2024

Despite their season coming to a dismal juncture near the play-ins, the Warriors fans were in awe of Jonathan Kuminga’s surge. Kuminga provided the much needed defensive resistance during Draymond Green‘ suspension, all while marking his athletic plays on the open court.

However, when considering JK’s set players within the half-court, the Warriors ran ‘inverted ball-screen’ to enable him of an easy passage to the lane; all while creating mismatches.

Inverted screens flip the traditional pick and roll roles, pitting the smaller player to mount a screen while the forward/wing dribbles the ball. This forces defenders to make multiple quick decisions, giving ample time for quick players like Kuminga and Wiggins to exploit open lanes. Moreover, if defense decides to double team the driving wing, it creates open shots for spot-up shooters.

Warriors was dead last at finishing at the rim in the middle of the 2023-24 season. However, with heavily using the inverted screen, they climbed to clinch the 20th spot in early February.

Read More – Draymond Green Snaps Back at Fans Who Blasted Him for Zach Edey Disrespect: “It Was Killing”