If there’s a common theme to the Warriors defense this season, it’s that they are drilled to defend dribble penetration in a certain way.
It’s not anything groundbreaking. It’s common to send help from the weak side to intercept ball handlers who get close to the rim. The Warriors are faithful disciples of the “no-middle” concept — that is, they aim to prevent middle penetration from ball handlers.
It makes sense — ball handlers will have complete control of possessions if they manage to conquer the middle lane. They can opt to go all the way to the rim, or they can drop it off to a roamer in the dunker spot or kick out to an open man on the perimeter, which can trigger swing-swing sequences that place a tremendous amount of strain on defenses forced into rotation.