Poole is so bad defensively that he needs to be strongly positive on the offensive end to be worth playing.

Obviously, that’s not happening. While his brain dead TOs have diminished, he’s been simply unable to either score or facilitate efficiently.

So is the answer to bench him?

It’s a difficult problem because what Poole does provide is a badly needed alternative ball handler and point of attack to Curry. Is there a replacement?

Before this series I would have thought DDV could take over. But he’s been so rattled I have doubts. And as bad as Poole has been finishing layups, DDV is worse.

I’m not sure Kerr can completely go away from Poole. Which means he needs to fix him. How?

I have one simple solution. Too often Poole is coming away with nothing on his layup attempts. And that of course triggers the Kings fast break as he falls out of bounds and complains to the ref.

My suggestion: go slower, and hunt the foul. Take it to contact. This will not only be more efficient offense but will slow the Kings offense. Can’t run after a free throw.

Which brings us to my second key to winning:

SLOW THE KINGS PACE

How? Offensive rebounding is the traditional answer. Get the board and finish the play. Harder to run after a made basket.

But there are other answers, like this one:

MORE LAYUPS. Remember Dray’s Game 5? More pick and roll, more layups and the Kings can’t run.

And this: GET TO THE DAMN LINE

Everyone on the Warriors has been avoiding contact on layups, especially Klay and Poole. This is leading to stupid pass-outs and TOs, or wild attempts leading to fast breaks:

TAKE IT TO THE CONTACT. HUNT THE FOUL.

No surer way to slow the Kings pace.

Third: MATCHUP SMALL WHEN THE KINGS GO SMALL

Kerr completely blew this in GM 6. If you leave Looney in when Brown goes to Lyles at 5 you will get blown out. Looney is pulled out to the three point line on D, and the Kings are faster than the Warriors in the open court.

Disaster.

Warriors need to get SMALLER than the Kings with Lyle on the court, because the Kings can’t compete with true Warriors smallball- their wings are too slow.

Draymond at 5, Wiggs at 4 is the ideal championship-proven solution.

But might Kerr also roll the dice with Kuminga at 5? How do the Kings do matchup up Lyles with Kuminga?