OAKLAND — Two weeks ago, the Warriors were “slumping” and it looked like their stranglehold on the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed was in jeopardy.
Two weeks later, they’re thriving on offense and defense, looking every bit of the indestructible force they’ve been since Steve Kerr took over in 2014.
Winners of seven straight and seeing an uptick in play from star and role players, the Warriors will fly confidently to Texas to face their two chief competitors in advancing to the NBA Finals — the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.
Kerr and his players have reversed the old March slogan. With Kevin Durant’s injury and a jagged East Coast road trip, it was in like a lamb to start the month — but now it’s out like a lion. The Grizzlies were the latest victim to be put through the washing machine Sunday at Oracle Arena.
Steve Kerr wanted to recognize the player who has been prominent in this turnaround: Andre Iguodala.
With Durant on the mend, Iguodala told reporters he’s been cognizant of finding different ways each game to make up for the loss — whether that be defense, scoring, rebounding or passing. The basketball savant has been delivering in a variety of ways and the results are apparent on film. Looking spry on Sunday, the 33-year-old tore up the Memphis defense on multiple dunks, sunk shots from behind the arc and led a fourth quarter defensive resurgence that saw the Grizzlies make just 5 of their 25 final shots.
Kerr didn’t sugarcoat it: Iguodala has been the best player on the Warriors the last few weeks. Steph Curry said it too: This team feeds off of Iguodala. When Curry and or Klay Thompson is off, Iguodala slithers his way onto the court to find somewhere he can puncture an opponent. The Warriors are now 16-0 all-time (including the playoffs) when Iguodala reaches the 20-point threshold, an incredible mark and something that can’t be forgotten about in the postseason.
“He looks incredibly athletic, and bouncy and fresh,” Kerr said of his eldest contributor. “He’s done a great job of stepping up in KD’s presence, recognizing what he need from him. … Andre’s been our best player the last few weeks. He’s been phenomenal.”
“Playing inspired basketball, it’s unbelievable,” Curry said of Iguodala. “We feed off his energy when we see him get a rebound, get a steal, push up the court, make a crazy inside-outside dribble and finish at the rim, knock down open threes, play make for other guys. It’s fun to watch. He always says, ‘Y’all forget that I can play basketball, too.’ But we don’t get that and we love to see it.”
The key to remember about Iguodala is that his role is most important in June. Two summers ago, he outplayed LeBron James and was named Finals MVP. A year ago, a bad back flared up prior to Game 7, and his limited mobility no doubt had a negative impact on Golden State’s championship loss to Cleveland. When Iguodala is firing on all cylinders, the Warriors are too. When he’s not — which has been rare since he arrived to the Bay Area — it puts more on everyone else’s plate.
If Iguodala’s been the best player during this late season stretch, Thompson isn’t far behind. Thompson has scored 20 points in eight of his last nine games, including 31 Sunday against the stingy Grizzlies. After averaging 19.8 points per game in January, he’s increased that total to 25.5 in February and 23.0 in March.
“He has no conscience,” Curry said. “It doesn’t matter what’s happened before because that next possession if he has an open look, he’s going to take it.”
For his supersized MVP expectations, Curry’s season has been up-and-down, but he too is currently in the midst of a surge — and it’s not just rediscovering his shot. For the first time all season, Curry posted 10-plus assists in back-to-back nights. Durant’s injury has forced everyone to adapt a lesser used facet of their basketball games, and it’s clear Curry has been channeling passing during this winning streak.
The aforementioned East Coast roadie was the most mentally and physically challenging stretch of the schedule. But these next four games will be Golden State’s most competitive. Trips to Houston and San Antonio are followed up by the Rockets’ return to Oracle Arena and then the upstart Washington Wizards. Going 4-0 might be asking a lot, but then again, is it really from this team?
“We know it’s a tough trip,” team spokesman Draymond Green said. “But if we go in with our game, which has been a defensive mindset, we know we’ll be fine.”