Warriors' Deep Reserve of Veterans Setting Stage for Stephen Curry's Heroics
It wound up feeling like Stephen Curry had done it again, pounding people into submission the way only he can, with his feathers and cotton balls.
Yet long before Curry stole the show Saturday night in Houston and finished with 40 points—scoring system: perfect 10s for artistry, efficiency, showmanship and historical value—his teammates were responsible for the Golden State Warriors taking control of the game and the Western Conference Finals.
As the Warriors savor their 115-80 victory and 3-0 series lead on the Houston Rockets, let's pause to recognize that Golden State's beautiful game isn't just Curry's beautiful game, or the Splash Brothers' sweet shooting, or the rookie runner-up Coach of the Year's sunny disposition.
This is a great team, one that should be heavily favored in the soon-to-be NBA Finals even as LeBron James has the Cleveland Cavaliers cresting in the East.
When you rewind into basketball history, you don't often see occasionally excellent guys such as J.R. Smith or Josh Smith as supporting pillars on championship teams.
You see role players such as Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston—players who have experienced the highs as well but have settled into jobs that they know they can do and are truly happy doing on a nightly basis.
They were all integral to Golden State's powerful start Saturday night, way before Curry floored the Rockets. And guys like Bogut, Iguodala and Livingston are the reason we invariably see proven players (or over-the-hill former stars) hopping on championship-or-bust trains; it just makes sense that they can provide talent-rich teams with stability and professionalism.
The Warriors also happen to have the luxury of Curry's greatness, the scoring and defense of Klay Thompson, the explosiveness of Harrison Barnes and the consummate role player in today's NBA, Draymond Green.
Green is so fantastically good at his plethora of jobs that he should command a max-value contract in restricted free agency this summer. All credit goes to Green, not just for his defensive tenacity and ability to guard either James Harden or Dwight Howard, but for being a key playmaker who is often the trigger for Golden State's offense finding better shots or delving deeper into its sets after the initial action has failed.
But the likes of Green, Thompson and Barnes (along with useful backup center Festus Ezeli, injured designated scorer Marreese Speights and unneeded but talented swingman Justin Holiday) are a different kind of role player. They are all still on the rise. Yet they have not fully lived the NBA wars to appreciate the simple value of staying in their lane until there is a void to fill.
Rarely does the individual attention go to the veteran role players who are willing to do the dirty work.
Bogut's screen-setting and passing are underrated cogs in the offensive machinery, but at least he gets some love (as seen in his All-Defensive second-team selection) as Golden State's valuable rim-protector.
Iguodala is one of the rare players in this league who has pretty much every tool. Despite that, his usage is so low that he was useless in all but the deepest of fantasy basketball leagues this season with 7.8 points per game. That's just not enough scoring glory to impress the simpleminded voters for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, regardless of Iguodala's value as a defender and passer.
Livingston turns 30 this year, a long way from the phenom touted to be the next Magic Johnson and infamous for the 2007 knee injury when he heard the word "amputation" in the hospital. He has bounced around the league and bounced back to form with a new, steadier identity that the Warriors valued in making him their key free-agent acquisition, committing to him for three years.
Saturday night showed the value in having those types of veterans on the roster.
Despite where he finished the game, Curry actually started the pivotal second quarter Saturday night on the bench—and then missed his first two shots, a step-back three-pointer and a slashing finger roll in beginning the game 1-of-4 from the field. When Curry got a driving finger roll to fall midway through the second quarter, the Warriors didn't take the lead or begin a comeback.
They simply padded their lead of 11 points.
They had already received 10 first-quarter points from Bogut. Then, timely post-up buckets from Livingston. Iguodala roared in for a dunk and a layup on consecutive possessions, besides throwing a perfect alley-oop pass. Soon enough, he was taking outstanding defensive turns against Harden.
The Warriors led by 12 points after that first quarter. Curry had three points and two assists; he wasn't defending anyone of consequence, either.
The group dynamic was what was working for the Warriors. before Curry's feathers and cotton balls fanned the flame into a roaring blaze.
And Golden State has more veteran production in reserve. There's Leandro Barbosa, whom Steve Kerr will readily tell you is the one guy on the team with deep playoff experience from his days in Phoenix, making plays often enough that the "beep-beep" Road Runner sound effect is regularly played in the arena for him.
And don't forget David Lee, the Warriors' highest-paid player who just two years ago became the team's first All-Star in 16 years. If there's anyone who could be the squeaky wheel, it's the little-used Lee, who capped the Warriors' pre-halftime barrage with a nifty layup but otherwise only saw the court for the last 3:31 of the game.
Of course, it's easy to say in hindsight that these guys should obviously be buying in because the Warriors are on the cusp of the NBA championship.
That's unfair. The Warriors are on the cusp because these guys bought in.
It's a team game played by individuals.
Sometimes, Curry looks heaven-sent, yes.
Most times, it's just a team game, and that's a credit to all the Warriors.
Kevin Ding covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @KevinDing.
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