Wiggins and Looney Thrive as Warriors Advance to West Finals
17 turnovers; Steph and Poole shooting a combined 14-for-42 from the field; Golden State below 40-percent both from the field overall and from three; and they won. In most games, this is a recipe for disaster for Golden State. Yet after battling back and forth with several runs coming from both teams, the Warriors finish the game on a 23-7 run to win 110-96 and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Memphis executed their game plan almost to perfection. Their defense forced the Dubs again into multiple wasted possessions. Then you add Dillon Brooks's playoff career-high of 30 points and Desmond Bane's 25; it was practically scripted for Memphis to win. The Warriors had other plans, and changed the script last minute with a phenomenal fourth quarter performance. As drama-driven as this series was, you have to tip your hats to the young Grizzlies squad for the fight they put up against the veteran Warriors. This Memphis team is up next, and their time is coming.
Their time will have to hold off, though. Game 6 was stressful overall as a team. However, the gratifying victory to take us back to the conference finals included some classic performances by Dubs players individually.
We got what every Warriors fan was looking forward to before the game; we got Game 6 Klay. The Warriors' Shooting Guard dropped 30 points with eight three-pointers in stellar fashion after starting the game 5-for-5 from three. We got a performance from Draymond that was reminiscent of his 2019 season. Green tallied a near triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. Steph came clutch in the end with 11 points in the fourth quarter after struggling all game long.
It's great to see some vintage and clutch performances from the Golden Trio. However, two performances deserve as much attention as the Game 6 Klay phenomenon and Curry’s last minute flurry. Let’s give our flowers to the unsung heroes of the win– Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins.
In reality, even with Klay dropping 30, the Warriors do not win this game without the efforts of Looney and Wiggins.
First, remember throughout the regular season, fans were crying for Golden State to trade for another big or to sign a big? People asked, without another big, are the Warriors even a contender? Well, in last night's win, the Dubs pulled down 70 rebounds. The Warriors' six-foot-nine center, Kevon Looney, pulled in 22 by himself, with 11 coming on the offensive end; that's over 25 percent of the 70 rebounds. So we can officially put the talk for another big to rest.
Although Looney had only four points, his rebounding efforts were nothing short of stellar. He put on a rebounding clinic. Looney boxed out hard, watched the ball's flight, and positioned himself perfectly all game. It was the epitome of playing your role. Looney's offensive board on Steph's missed three from the top of the arc was likely the biggest rebound in the game as it led to the Klay Thompson dagger to put Golden State up 13 with three minutes to go.
With Otto Porter Jr ruled out shortly before the game last night, there were questions about who would fill that starting spot. Some figured it would be Poole to reintroduce the death lineup. According to Acting Head Coach Mike Brown, the decision to start Kevon Looney was made by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Steph has always been vocal about how vital Looney's presence is, calling him the heartbeat of Golden State's squad. Draymond, more specifically, wanted to see Looney in this starting role for the game because of the Grizzlies' physical dominance.
For seven seasons now, the UCLA product has played his role better than anyone on the team. Looney has gone from living on the sidelines because of injuries to becoming the team's ironman by playing every game this year. While he isn't a dominating presence in the paint, his energy and activeness allow him to play bigger than his size. He's been on this ride with Golden State for four of the five final runs, and he brought out the championship DNA last night with his performance.
While Looney is no stranger to a close-out game environment and the pressure to perform, this is still new territory for Wiggins. The first time all-star didn't miss a beat and played what might have been his best game so far in the playoffs.
Wiggins contributed an 18-point, 11 rebound double-double paired with three blocks in the series-clinching win. This is the Wiggs we saw throughout the first half of the season that pushed him into his first all-star game appearance, and the time could not have come better for All-Star Wiggs to reappear.
To many, last night, Wiggins' performance might have seemed still like a quiet game. However, the timeliness of some of his plays propelled Golden State into the win. Most of these critical plays came in the fourth quarter and were the ignitor to the Warriors' game-clinching run.
Wiggins' game has transcended since joining Golden State. He's gone from a driving and athleticism-reliant role player to a two-way, three and D all-star. His strength will always be in his ability to attack the lane and use his athleticism to finish around bigs, but he's adapted to this Golden State system better than anyone could have imagined because of his improved three-point shooting and his incredible efforts on defense.
Going from being considered a bust to one of the key roles in a championship-caliber team, Wiggins' journey in the NBA is coming full circle. He's undoubtedly been the most consistent player for the Warriors throughout the playoffs, but his performance tonight felt special. His performance captured an enlightening feeling to everyone because it justified why he was brought to Golden State. He was brought over for games like last night. Assuming he continues this stretch of play for the remainder of the season, Wiggins will absolutely be the key reason the Warriors complete their quest for the franchise's seventh title.
The Warriors will now have a chance to rest and recover before their next test in the conference finals. It's a great opportunity for the team to reset after the turnover frenzy of a series, and Steve Kerr is expected to be ready to go for Game 1.
Golden State is awaiting the winner of Game 7 between Phoenix and Dallas. Game 1 will be on Wednesday, May 18th, at 6 p.m. PT. A Suns win will start the series in Phoenix, and a Mavs win will start the series in San Francisco.
(Photo credit: Noah Graham / Getty Images)