Golden State Warriors advance to finals with the help of unexpected actors

Golden State Warriors /

The Golden State Warriors are once again advancing to the NBA finals. This fourth consecutive trip was made possible by some unexpected faces.

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in a decisive game seven on Monday night in Texas. In doing so, the Warriors punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the fourth time in as many years, adding an electrifying (and relieving) chapter to the pages of their ever-growing dynastic history book.

With superb defense and lights-out shooting, the Rockets posed an arduous threat to the Warriors and took the defending champs to the brink of an “early” offseason. For seven games, the Warriors were bombarded with constant offensive switches and subsequent isolation ball from James Harden and Chris Paul which rendered their bench – one that is branded for its depth and versatility – almost entirely unplayable.

“This series kind of eliminated David West, Zaza [Pachulia] and Javale McGee,” Kerr said on TNT after the game. “Those guys usually play a lot of minutes.”

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Combined with Andre Iguodala’s bruised knee that forced him to sit out the final four games of the series and young guard Quinn Cook’s inability to defend effectively against the drives of the Rockets’ stronger and more crafty guards, Kerr’s usually versatile lineup combinations were limited.

“That’s why we went with [Kevon] Looney and [Jordan] Bell,” Kerr said postgame. “We had to go to our youth at that position because they’re both really good at staying in front of guards.”

Ideally, Kerr would play every single one of his 13 players if he could. He loves experimenting and giving his guys minutes – a luxury of having great upper management and four all-stars – and approaching each game with a chess-like precision to win each individual matchup the game presents.

But with Mike D’Antoni using a shortened rotation and relatively simple offensive game plan, Kerr was forced to use not the calming presence of his veterans, but the energy, speed and occasional reckless abandon of the Warriors two most inexperienced big men.

Looney, who was plagued by injuries and limited playing time in his first two seasons, showed tremendous growth in what was truly a breakout sophomore campaign. This development proved fruitful in the Western Conference Finals as his quick feet and effective perimeter defense made the Rockets’ guards jobs more difficult than anticipated.

Looney’s defensive rating through the first three games of the series was 88.4. Lower than Iguodala (112), Durant (107.4), Thompson (107.1), Green (107), and Curry (105.6). In those games Looney came off the bench and immediately made an impact. He anchored the bench unit in a game one win and sparked the Warriors towards Curry’s obliteration of the Rockets in game three with his first half efforts.

As Looney moved from the bench to the starting rotation in the wake of Iguodala’s injury, Bell slid into Looney’s role and saw his minutes increase to about 17 a game for the final four matchups.

Bell, who just a year ago was finishing his final exams at the University of Oregon, used his youthful quickness and world-class leaping ability to trouble the Rockets in the closing games.

He finished with four blocks and four steals over the last four games. Not necessarily tremendous numbers, but for a rookie playing against the should-be MVP and the NBA’s best regular season team in the Western Conference Finals, they were.

Every possession matters, especially in the postseason, and when a player can alter a few of them as a 23-year-old rookie, those numbers can be very impactful. And that impact became most apparent during the second half of game seven.

Bell checked in with just under eight minutes to go in the third quarter and began going to work. With 7:15 left Bell jumped straight up on a P.J. Tucker driving layup and registered a block. Two points saved.

Two minutes later, Bell found Curry curling around the baseline towards the corner, wiped out Harden with a screen and registered an assist. Three points.

Warriors 58, Rockets 61.

Then on the ensuing possession, in true veteran fashion, Bell executed an outstanding flop underneath the basket that granted the Warriors a second-chance opportunity. The NBA doesn’t yet keep track of these physics defying efforts, but we’ll go ahead and say that he registered a remarkable one with 4:35 on the clock.

Durant hit a three on the following inbound. Tie game.

Each possession matters…

And on the next one, Steph ran the same curling corner play on the opposite side of the floor. Bell found him again with a crafty between the legs pass and registered another assist and perhaps an invaluable smirk from Andrew Bogut somewhere in Australia.

Three points.

The Golden State Warriors took the lead and would hold it for the rest of the game.

And it happened in yet another third quarter ambush. Those special 12 minutes when the Golden State Warriors crush dreams and end seasons – almost always starting with defense and ending with number 30 tickling the nylon from other time zones.

Though Monday was much of the same, it was Jordan Bell who became the unpredictable catalyst for an unavoidable Warriors run that ultimately booked them another showdown with Lebron & Co.

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But the NBA playoffs are unpredictable, and sometimes it is that global stage that gives life to the unexpected actor and propels them beyond their expectations.

For now, the Warriors are built around the expectations of a quartet who make annual trips to NBA All-Star games, but it may not be long before we see that torch being passed to these new Warriors up-and-comers.

Maybe we already are.

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