Star power too bright as ‘death lineup’ kills up-and-coming Pelicans
In the end, the Warriors “death lineup” killed the Pelicans.
The combination of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant proved too much for a talented New Orleans squad that has a bright future. But today belongs to the Warriors ... and the hip stylings of the “Hamptons 5.”
The fantastic five — nicknamed for the group-recruiting trip to the Hamptons, which netted Durant back in 2016 — started Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, marking only the second time they’d done so in two seasons together. The result was the same as their maiden voyage, a Game 4 blowout in New Orleans.
Game 5 went much the same, with Golden State running out to a big lead in the third quarter and prevailing 113-104 in the end, leaving only one real question: Why hadn’t Steve Kerr turned to this nuclear option earlier? The Warriors head coach had his reasons in the past,
mostly centered on Iguodala’s crucial role on the second team.
But with the emergence of Warriors including Quinn Cook and Kevon Looney, Kerr is free to unleash the krakens ... early, often and in unison.
Tuesday night at Oracle Arena, Kerr let logic dictate the lineup.
“We might as well keep doing what we’re doing if we’re playing well,” said Kerr. “We decided to go with that five.”
It didn’t work perfectly at first. Game 5 was in question for much of the first half, with the Pelicans mounting a second-quarter surge that gave New Orleans a brief lead. The Warriors fought off the charge, but walked off the court nursing a slim three-point margin at the half.
Then came the third quarter — a beautiful, lyrical sequence of basketball that showed Golden State at its awe-inspiring best. The death lineup served notice to the remaining NBA teams in these playoffs that they’re primed for a championship push. And they’ll get a chance to prove it some more in the next round, where James Harden and the Houston Rockets await.
But before we get down to parsing the Beard and his cohorts, let’s relive that glorious stretch of basketball that put the Pelicans on a long flight home.
The magic started about a minute and a half into the third, when Durant stole the ball and threw it ahead to Curry, who had a clear path to a layup. Instead, the two-time MVP spun in the air and handed the ball back for Durant, an MVP in his own right, to dunk it home. The lone Pelicans defender on the play looked overmatched, overwhelmed and overburdened.
The crowd at Oracle was overjoyed.
A few moments later, it was Iguodala and Green playing keep away, resulting in a Green dunk.
Then it was Thompson and Curry’s turn, working a beautiful give-and-go on a breakaway, resulting in a threepointer for Curry.
We could go on, but you get the picture. The Warriors played their signature brand of basketball Tuesday night, led by their five stars. It was a truly All-Star cast, performing their best roles (with notes from their director): ⏩ Draymond Green: He stuffed the stat sheet, as only he can do, finishing with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, just missing yet another postseason triple-double. Green was phenomenal down the stretch, helping to hold off a late Pelicans run and hitting some very tough shots to close it out. He also teamed with Looney and others to play some crucial defense against Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis in the first half.
“Draymond was amazing the whole series,” said Kerr, in an understatement. Green averaged 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10 assists per game, the first player in team history to average a tripledouble in a playoff series.
⏩ Klay Thompson: He came out hot and stayed hot, scoring 19 points in the first half and finishing with 23 on the night. When the rest of his top-shelf teammates started off a bit chilly, Klay led the way.
“He set a good tone for us,” said Kerr. “It seems like he does that frequently.”
⏩ Kevin Durant: He didn’t have to carry the entire load on this night, and that’s a good thing. After dominating in Game 4, the man was getting tired. He turned in a workmanlike night, scoring 24 on 10-for-18 shooting. KD falls out of bed and scores 20.
“I thought that lineup did a really good job,” said Durant of the starters. “When we lock in and get stops, we are a very dangerous team. Steph and Klay knocking down threes. I like to get it in my sweet spot and go to work.”
⏩ Andre Iguodala: The man whose inclusion completed the starting Hamptons lineup scored but two points, yet walked off the court with a game-high, plus-25 rating, meaning the Warriors outscored the Pelicans by that margin when Iggy was on the court. The master of intangibles put on a clinic: “How to influence basketball games and win friends, with two points or less.” Remarkable.
“When Andre’s on the floor, the babysitter’s there and everything’s fine,” said Kerr.
⏩ Stephen Curry: The merry bandleader who makes this team — and its killer quintet — click. Curry was everywhere, scoring a team-high 28 on efficient shooting (10-for-16) in 37 minutes, as he regains game stamina coming back from injury. More importantly, he was orchestrating the flow — providing the jazz rhythm that makes the Warriors so fun to watch. Curry’s back and so’s the music.
“It feels like he’s back now,” said Kerr.
By the end of the third, the Warriors held a 20-point lead and a ticket to Houston. The Hamptons 5 posted a plus-21 rating in the third quarter alone, proving that once again Kerr pulled the right lever in the postseason.