It was made abundantly clear that Friday night’s contest was not about to be the runaway Warriors win that took place on Wednesday. There were urges from Steve Kerr and company for fans to arrive early, to bring the energy.
The Warriors knew they would need it. They got that energy in the second half as they stormed back against the Dallas Mavericks, erasing a 19-point deficit en route to a 126-117 win.
The real MVP
At one point in the late third quarter, as the Warriors closed in on a lead, “MVP” chants broke out. Stephen Curry was not at the line (though he did get his fair share of MVP chants, too).
Instead, those chants rang out for the one, the only, Kevon Looney.
After a season of dealing with a neuropathic condition that looked like it may threaten his career, Looney was the Warriors’ iron man, and the only player to appear in every game this season.
In the playoffs, he’s taken his game to an astonishing level. He has always been useful on the boards and an underrated defender, not just for what he does inside, but his ability to switch on just about everyone and contest without fouling.
He was astoundingly effective yet again.
When the Warriors needed a rebound, he got it. With Draymond Green playing his worst, most reckless game in recent memory, Looney shined. Golden State genuinely looked better without Green on the floor on Friday night and it’s largely because Looney was so dominant yet again.
He scored a career-high 21 points (and that’s playoffs and the regular season) on 10-of-14 shooting with 12 rebounds and a pair of assists. He is the clear-cut best big man in this series and is outclassing quite a few other NBA big men
“Didn’t cha know, didn’t cha know”
To quote the great, distinctly distinct, Dallas native Erykah Badu, we all knew the Warriors were going to snap out their early funk, right?
“Didn’t cha know” a run was coming? The Warriors have too many weapons, too much experience, and are peaking at the absolute right time.
The offense has never looked this sound. Stephen Curry has often struggled to get off to effective starts, but he was tremendous from the outset.
You knew if the Warriors could prevent the Mavericks from opening up one of those 20-plus point leads, they’d chip away.
And that’s exactly what they did. Curry was stellar from start to finish, notching 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists on his most efficient shooting night (11-of-21, 6-of-10 from deep, made all of his 4 free throws) since Game 2 against Denver.
It’s hard to say anyone expected 21 points from Looney, but it reflected just how effective this offense is right now. They are cutting, screening and moving the ball with such fluidity that it’s not surprising to see Looney find himself the benefactor.
Given Dallas’ lack of physicality, Jordan Poole has emerged from his dormancy, too, and is attacking the rim with regularity. It’s that aggression that sets him up for success elsewhere, and he feasted off the bench to the tune of 23 points (7-of-10, 2-of-4 from deep, made all 7 free throws) and 5 assists.
Klay Thompson, as usual, got his, too, with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, while Andrew Wiggins remained stellar, tallying 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal and a block.
Despite Luka Doncic being hauntingly good and finishing with 42 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and a block, Wiggins harangued him defensively and forced him to give the ball up to his teammates especially in the third quarter.
This has always been about Doncic’s teammates. They are simply not as talented as the Warriors’ roster and it’s pretty clear.
Damion Lee, what do you do here?
If someone can explain why Damion Lee is on the court, please do. In theory, he’s helpful offensively in that he’s not afraid to take a shot and can, again, theoretically make them.
In reality, he is an enormous liability on both ends. He brought this game to a screeching halt with a unique blend of missing shots, flying around recklessly on defense, and starting one of the lamest sideline “incidents” in recent memory.
He tripped over Davis Bertans then made a scene like Bertans had committed assault. It was embarrassing to watch and stopped the game for a few minutes, turning a pretty rough half into one that felt it might never end.
If he’s not providing offensively, it makes little sense to have him out there over someone like Juan Toscano-Anderson or Jonathan Kuminga. You can argue he’s generally more well-rounded on both ends than either of those two, but being sort of bad in every facet isn’t exactly a boon.
The Warriors need to look elsewhere in future games, and it seems they may have already found that option.
In the fourth quarter, Kerr declined to put Lee back in the game, opting for Moses Moody, who, up until that point had only logged garbage time minutes (including 17 in that Game 5 Memphis washout).
Moody only played a handful of minutes, but he was a positive influence, moving into open space and facilitating the ball well. He tipped a crucial offensive rebound to set up a Klay Thompson 3 in the final four minutes. He may rightfully see that involvement continue going forward.