Pre-Finals respite pays dividends
In the past half-decade, only two players have been a goldmedal-winning Olympian for the U.S., an Eastern Conference All-Star and the MVP of the NBA Finals: LeBron James and Andre Iguodala.
It is a pedigree more expected from a future Hall of Famer like James than Iguodala, who hasn’t finished a season averaging double-digit points since he joined the Warriors in 2013. But basketball purists have long appreciated his playing style. During an era in which a player’s quality is often judged on scoring totals, Iguodala has kept the focus on making winning plays.
One question that hung over Golden State entering its third straight Finals against Cleveland was whether Iguodala was healthy after he missed time in the Western Conference finals with left knee soreness. Those concerns were assuaged in Game 1 on Thursday night, when he delivered the type of heady performance that has made him a Sixth Man of the Year finalist.
Though Iguodala’s final stat line — seven points, three rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes — was characteristically modest, he was 3-of-4 from the field, didn’t commit a turnover, played sound defense and finished the game a plus-14. Two of his field goals came on highlight-worthy, one-handed dunks.
“Part of the reason people enjoy watching us is you see so much unselfishness,” Iguodala said. “You see the beauty in the pass. It can scare teams at times.”
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Iguodala’s blend of size, intelligence and athleticism makes him uniquely qualified to stick with James. It is why, after the Warriors lost two of their first three games in the 2015 Finals to Cleveland, coach Steve Kerr put Iguodala in the starting lineup.
Golden State won out as he helped hold James to just 39.8 percent shooting for the series. After cementing the franchise’s first NBA title in 40 years with a 25-point eruption in Game 6, Iguodala beat out James and Warriors guard Stephen Curry for Finals MVP.
Had the Warriors closed out the Cavaliers in last year’s Finals in five games, Iguodala might well have been the series MVP again. His performance nose-dived in Games 6 and 7, especially on the defensive end, as he dealt with back pain. The lasting image was ultimately James’ chase-down block on Iguodala late in Cleveland’s Game 7 win.
The fear for Golden State entering Game 1 on Thursday was that its best defensive option on James would be slowed by the knee soreness that sidelined Iguodala for Game 2 of the West finals against San Antonio. Though he returned to the rotation for Games 3 and 4 of that series, he was hardly the explosive player who threw down 24 dunks in March.
A nine-day hiatus before the Finals afforded Iguodala’s knee time to heal. Within a minute of checking into Game 1 on Thursday, he raced toward the rim, corralled a bounce pass from teammate Klay Thompson and launched a tomahawk slam.
Most important was the fact that Iguodala handled the daunting assignment of defending both James and Kyrie Irving at times. Though James and Irving combined for 52 points, they also combined for 12 of Cleveland’s 20 turnovers — a big reason Golden State attempted 20 more shots.
“It’s only going to get harder from here,” Iguodala said. “We just have to stay locked in.”