Golden State Warriors Utilize Their Strength In Numbers
The Golden State Warriors displayed their talented and deep roster in their Game two playoff victory over the Houston Rockets, and showed even without the league’s MVP, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Golden State Warriors
“Will he or won’t he play?” was the question surrounding the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, Stephen Curry, leading up to the pivotal game two matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena. Curry had been listed as “questionable”, in the days leading up to Monday Night’s contest, after twisting his surgically repaired right ankle in Golden States 104-78 drubbing of the Rockets in game one.
Curry was officially ruled out after testing his tender ankle in pregame warm ups and realizing he couldn’t perform his normal cuts without discomfort or pain. So the defending NBA Champions were faced with the task of taking on the Rockets and MVP runner-up James Harden without their leader and the league’s most explosive offensive force.
To outsiders not familiar with the Warriors’ season-long motto, “Strength in Numbers”, the task of playing a playoff game without Curry may have seemed like a daunting challenge. But to those familiar with the Warriors’ ability to utilize and get the most out of their deep roster, it was just another opportunity for the champs to display their depth, which ha been the driving force behind the team’s success.
With Curry sitting on the sidelines unable to rain down his customary three-point daggers and weave through opposing defenses with his dazzling ball-handling skills, it was 10-year NBA veteran point guard Shaun Livingston who took over the duties of running the league’s most explosive offense. The 6’7 Livingston is not the long-range marksman of Curry (and honestly, no one in NBA history can make that claim), but the lengthy guard from Peoria, Illinois is perhaps the best post-player on the Warriors’ roster.
Livingston scored 16 points, while going 7-of-9 from the floor and dishing out six assists. Pure numbers don’t fully display the impact Livingston brings when he is on the floor. His ability to manuever in the low-post and stick his smooth turn-around jumper over smaller guards gave the Warriors a viable scoring option when the offense began to bog down Monday night.
The importance of Livingston being able to step into the starting lineup and run the show as smoothly as he does is a bonus that Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr knows he’s lucky to have.
"“I thought Shaun was brilliant, just kind of leading our attack and running the offense and getting things going,” Kerr told the Mercury News, in his post-game interview."
Warriors’ management has given Kerr the most flexible and dynamic roster in the NBA, sprinkled with savvy veterans who have no issues in sacrificing personal accolades for team success. No other player on Golden State’s roster embodies that mentality more than Andre Iguodala. The 2015 NBA Finals MVP once again proved what a valuable commodity he is coming off the bench by giving the Warriors’ offense a much needed boost in a game they entered without their customary fire-power.
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There was no way the Warriors weren’t going to miss the explosiveness and pure excitement Curry brings to the arena every night. But there was no way Iguodala wasn’t going to show up big-time when his team needed him the most. Showing up in “Big Time” games and moments during playoff time is becoming customary for Iguodala. He showed up big in last year’s NBA Finals, helping slow down LeBron James and bring the Bay Area its first NBA Championship in almost 40 years.
So when Iguadola came off the bench and gave the Warriors instant offense by hitting all four of his three-point attempts and scoring 14 much-needed points in the first half it was to be expected. Golden State historical season may have been fueled by one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history, but it has never been just a Stephen Curry highlight reel.
Next: Golden State Warriors Know the Ring Means Everything
It is a team built on chemistry and sacrifice that has one united goal. The goal is to win back-to-back Championships and prove once again that “Strength in Numbers” is more than a catchy motto, but is their championship mentality.