Ahead of the critical Game 5 of the Western Semifinals on Wednesday, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shared how they intend to stop Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker who has been stellar on the offensive boards. For Kerr, the strategy is to find him early and box him out.

“We have to find him early,” Steve Kerr said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He sneaks behind us defensively when the shots go up. Whoever’s closest to him has to get a body on him.”

Tucker, who stands just 6-foot-6, plays both the small and power forward roles for the Rockets. Tucker's heft, high IQ, and overall tenacity have been giving him the advantage over much bigger foes. For the postseason, he's averaging 7.6 rebounds per game. Against the Warriors, he's snagging 8.8 boards a night.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Warriors' Stephen Curry with Bob Myers, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Joe Lacob, James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Jordan Poole
Did Warriors’ two-timeline dreams close Steph Curry’s title window for good?
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.
Warriors’ Stephen Curry reveals offseason plan with Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler

Particularly in their Game 3 victory, Tucker outrebounded the entire Warriors team 9-8 in the final 15 minutes of the game. Come Game 4, three of his five offensive rebounds came in the clutch, while the Dubs only had four. Given how close the series has been, the rebounds could decided the outcome of the game.

Given that Kerr has already mapped out their game plan, it would be exciting to see if it'll work against Tucker, who'll likely find a way to counter the Warriors' strategy.