A combination of ludicrous shooting and an inspired effort invigorated the Warriors to a shocking win over the Cavaliers in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
The Warriors sat Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. Even without the only All-Stars on their roster, the Warriors gritted out a win.
In a game so ridiculous the Cavaliers double-teamed Ty Jerome during crunch time, the Warriors (23-23) finished their five-game road trip with a victory.
Jerome finished with 22 and Jordan Poole added a game-high 32. Golden State hit nine of its first 11 3-pointers, 19 of their first 30, and 23 of 43 (53.5%) overall.
Before Thursday, Cleveland was 19-4 at home. The Warriors were the worst road team in the NBA, not having beaten a winning team away from the Chase Center. The starless Dubs reversed the trend in a 120-114 win.
Here are three takeaways from the shocking Warriors win.
Jordan Poole can handle being The Guy
For a player with Jordan Poole’s capabilities, it’s possible being the No. 1 option and carrying an offense is easier than coming off the bench and filling in gaps.
Poole looks extremely comfortable when the Warriors hand him the keys. He tends to take better shots and over-dribble less when he’s the primary option, which feels counterintuitive.
Against the Cavs, Poole was spectacular offensively. He became the youngest Warrior to reach 500 made 3s. The milestone came in his ninth 30-point effort of the season in which he showcased an insane array of at-rim finishing, pace, and shot-making.
Poole went 10-for-23 from the field and canned five of his 12 triples.
His gravity made the most important play of the game possible. So much attention went to him on a late out-of-bounds play that Kevon Looney slipped wide open to the basket for a dunk.
Even on defense, Poole made a couple nice plays, swiping for a steal and guessing the right way to force a Darius Garland turnover.
Poole still has maturing to do. Steve Kerr berated him for picking up a technical foul late in the third quarter. He gave up on a play by half court, resulting in a wide open dunk for the Cavaliers in the fourth.
But in the end, it was Poole slapping fives and getting bear-hugged by Stephen Curry. Deservedly so.
A resurgent return for JaMychal Green
Both JaMychal Green and Jonathan Kuminga stepped back on the court for the first time after lengthy absences, and it was Green who really popped.
Green struggled earlier in this season before a leg infection sidelined him for the past month. He was brought in to be a two-way veteran presence, but his shot wasn’t falling and he appeared a step slow on defense. He accordingly slipped out of GSW’s rotation.
The Green in Cleveland looked like a completely different player. He skied for a putback dunk in the first half. In the third, he corralled a loose ball in the paint and pogo-sticked for another jam.
A springier, quicker Green might be exactly what Golden State’s second unit needs. Green finished with 13 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes.
Would a 72-game season even help with the load management issue?
The Warriors are far from unique in their load management tendencies. Practically every team rests their stars, sometimes as often as said stars’ whims demand. It’s an epidemic in the Association.
The paying fans in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse expected to see Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. They got neither.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is cognizant of the strategy’s unintended consequences. He said he feels for the fans who didn’t get what they paid for, and suggested the NBA reduce the season from 82 to 72 games — an idea he’s advocated for in the past.
It makes sense for teams to operate cautiously with players, particularly veterans and ones with injury history. Why would that strategy change in a 72-game season? Even with presumably fewer back-to-backs, teams would surely still find games for their stars to rest. Like they do now, the smart teams will continue to search for competitive advantages.
If the NBA shortened the season — and sacrificed millions in television and box office revenue — the game might improve. Players might be less fatigued or banged up come playoff time. But there would still be load management, and fans would have even fewer chances to catch their favorite players in action.
The fans in Cleveland missed out on a Steph game. But they (somehow) still got an entertaining one.