Team elders’ contributions are golden
They are the resident old guys, an ultra-versatile 33year-old with a history of rising to the moment and a rocksolid 36-year-old in search of an elusive NBA championship.
Andre Iguodala rose to the moment again — and David West is searching no more.
Iguodala and West led a spirited effort by Warriors reserves in Monday night’s title-clinching, 129-120 victory over Cleveland. Golden State’s bench outscored its Cavs counterparts 35-7, no small reason the Warriors became the first Bay Area team in 43 years to secure a championship on its home turf.
So there stood West, green goggles draped around his neck in a loud, raucous postgame locker room. He cradled the shiny trophy in one hand and a Champagne bottle in the other.
To say West was exuberant and invigorated counts as a grand understatement.
“I’m going to be hyped for the next two months!” he shouted in his deep, booming voice. “It feels great. It feels absolutely great. Every step is worth it, to get to this point.”
West, in his 14th year in the league, waited a long time for this triumphant moment. Monday night’s game was his 100th postseason game, and he celebrated by removing himself from the list of NBA players with the most postseason appearances and no title. Joe Johnson (112 games) and Cleveland’s Kyle Korver (109) top the list.
As for Iguodala, he rediscovered his young legs at just the right time. He scored 20 points in the clincher, his highest total this postseason, including six dunks.
And when the game finally ended, as gold confetti fell from the ceiling and “We Are the Champions” echoed throughout the arena, Iguodala climbed onto the scorer’s table and openly celebrated with 19,596 jubilant spectators.
“I’ve been sooo stressed the last three or four weeks,” Iguodala said. “When it’s time for me to be a little selfish and show what I can do … well, it shows there’s something powerful up there.”
Iguodala — the 2015 Finals MVP, when his entry into the starting lineup shifted the series — once again illustrated his extraordinary value. He played more than 38 minutes and committed only one turnover.
The Warriors outscored the Cavs by 18 points during Iguodala’s time on the court. That’s no coincidence.
“Andre is the ultimate professional and ultimate veteran,” teammate Stephen Curry said. “Any moment out there he can spark us, and you don’t know how it’s going to happen.”
West anchored the unit that sent the Warriors scurrying away on a 21-2 run in the second quarter. He also found himself in the middle of a scuffle with Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith, resulting in technical fouls on all three players.
The dust-up made an important statement for the Warriors, via West: They were determined not to let the Cavs push them around, as LeBron James and Co. did in Game 4.
The fracas began when West corralled a rebound and Cleveland guard Kyrie Irving tried to wrestle away the ball. West vigorously swung his elbow in an effort to secure possession and pushed Irving, drawing the technical from referee Danny Crawford and the ire of Thompson and Smith.
Moments later, West and Thompson went nose-to-nose, angrily jawing. Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown had to pull away West, who was uncommonly angry and animated.
“We’re not going to back down,” he said later, amid the wild locker-room celebration. “That’s why Zaza (Pachulia), myself and JaVale (McGee) came here, to up the toughness of this group, and we felt like we did that.
“They played physical, and we also were ready to play physical. Anyone crosses that line, we’ll cross that line, too.”
Patrick McCaw (six points) and Shaun Livingston (five) also contributed to the big night by the Warriors’ bench.