Alonzo Gee valued as strong defender in a tight spot

Alonzo Gee demonstrates value as a defensive hound

In the Portland Trail Blazers’ 108-122 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, Head Coach Terry Stotts was forced to make some interesting changes to his starting lineup. LaMarcus Aldridge (finger), Nicolas Batum (back), and Wesley Matthews (Achilles) were all unable to play, leaving the Trail Blazers woefully outgunned by the league-leading Warriors. However; solely outgunning Golden State was never the game plan. Stotts’ plan was more to slow them down.

It clearly didn’t work as well as it could have, but let’s take a look at one matchup in particular that was rather intriguing. Alonzo Gee got his first start as a Trail Blazer (and first start since the 2013-14 season) in order to defend Warriors guard Stephen Curry. While, yes, the league MVP candidate got a game-high 33 points anyway, there was a lot to like in Gee’s defensive performance.

Early on, Gee did an excellent job keeping Curry from shooting. Sometimes this took the form of forcing him to pass, as we see here…

And sometimes it took the form of denying him the ball altogether, as we see here…

The only time Curry was able to shoot throughout the entire opening period was when the Trail Blazers switched. No, really. The Warriors threw Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green at Gee to create much needed separation for Curry (which didn’t usually work). Even though Gee was Curry’s primary defender to start each possession, it was Dorell Wright who took the brunt of Curry’s wrath. Gee didn’t let Curry get a shot up on him until well into the second quarter.

By that point, the Warriors were running all sorts of plays for Curry, but Gee sniffed most of them out. Here we see Bogut try to connect with a cutting Curry, only to find that Gee isn’t allowing anything that resembles an opening…

Shortly thereafter, we see an off-ball screen from Green and a zipper cut from Curry intended to get Curry the ball at the top of the key…

However; Gee slips the screen and tips the pass, resulting in what would have been a fast break opportunity had he and Curry not collided chasing down the ball. The Warriors retained possession, but were unable to score in the five seconds remaining on the shot clock…

This was all well and good until Curry got hot. Or, hotter, I should say. Basketball is a team sport, and you’re not going to shut down one of the best players in the league as shorthanded as the Trail Blazers were. Though, it is worth noting that although Curry shot 13-22 from the floor, he shot only the fifth highest percent on his team behind Andre Iguodala (9-11), Harrison Barnes (5-6), Bogut (5-8), and Green (6-10). Gee actually fared better in his individual matchup than most of his teammates did.

Still, Gee hounded Curry. As the lead gradually slipped from Portland’s fingers, he did everything he could to keep the ball out of Curry’s. Here Curry attempts to curl to the hoop from the outside, but Gee once again denies any space – even at pointblank – and Bogut is left without an opening…

The Trail Blazers made one last push to keep the margin respectable midway through the fourth quarter, and Gee did his part. He used his remaining energy to guard Curry in a one-man full-court press. Curry had no easy opportunities, which is a testament to both players’ skill, given the fast pace of the game. Here we see Gee pinching Curry in the backcourt, forcing him to stop his dribble and consequently call timeout.

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Gee’s 31+ minutes on Tuesday were a season-high for him (including his time in Denver) and second-most of any Trail Blazer behind Damian Lillard. That kind of energy is how role players in his position can make an impact in the postseason. Hopefully, the Trail Blazers will be healthy enough that they will not require him to the same extent, but he is available if need be. Despite the loss on the scorecard, we were able to confirm this exceedingly important point for the future—and that is the little victory.

Next: Blazers visit Jazz, desperate for a win