Warriors have found a new Big Three to beat the Celtics

SAN FRANCISCO — From the beginning of the Warriors' dynastic run, they've had a Big Three:

For years, that was Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

Yes, Hall of Famers and role guys alike have played alongside that trio, but it was those three who led the way to five straight NBA Finals and three titles.

All that winning takes a toll, though, and no one stays young forever.

Things are a bit more nebulous with the Warriors these days.

Yes, they're back in the Finals — that's six for six in years Thompson has played — but this team's Big Three has a different look in this title tilt with the Celtics.

Curry is still part of it. He is the Warriors' offense in these NBA Finals — without him and the high pickand-roll, the Dubs would be toast.

But the other two members of the Warriors' best three-man lineup in this series would not have been predicted a year, a month, or even a week ago.

The Warriors' new Big Three — for this series — is Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney.

And Game 4 was their best game yet.

The trio played together for 24 minutes on Friday in Boston. The Warriors outscored the Celtics by 26 points during that stretch.

That didn't just change the contest. It might have changed the series.

It's not traditional and it's hardly sexy, but against this Boston team that is unquestionably the most challenging matchup the Warriors have faced this season, this trio is necessary. Warriors coach Steve Kerr isn't going to give away game plans in press conferences, but we should see much more of it in Game 5 Monday night at Chase Center (6 p.m., KGO-TV.)

Obviously, so much of this success has so much to do with Curry, who turned in one of the greatest games of his unparalleled career in Game 4.

But Wiggins' rebounding, on-ball defense, and rimrunning proved massive in the contest and Looney changed the game with his physical presence in the lane on defense and on the perimeter as a screen-setter on offense.

Meanwhile Green was a non-factor — perhaps even a negative one — for all but a few late minutes in Game 4. Thompson had a strong game, especially late, but has been too inconsistent to really trust going into what is now a three-game series.

The Warriors need this new Big Three — Curry, Wiggins, and Looney — on the floor, together, as much as possible for these championship-deciding games.

If Green and Thompson — or anyone else on the Warriors' roster, for that matter — proves worthy of joining them, all the better.

The core should be set, though.

It's not just one game of excellence for this threeman unit. No, Curry, Wiggins, and Looney have been the Warriors' best threeman lineup that has played at least 60 minutes in this series, with a net rating (difference in points per 100 possessions) of plus-19.6. That's a huge margin.

It's the Warriors' secondbest shooting troika, too.

All of that success might be because it's the fastestpaced three-man unit the Warriors have used in these Finals.

Yes, a lineup of Looney — a 26-year-old with surgically repaired hips — and Wiggins — who still has a reputation for on-court apathy — is helping the Warriors go into turbo mode.

(Well, as close to turbo mode as possible in the NBA Finals — the Dubs are still going at fewer than 100 possessions per 48 minutes with that lineup.)

The strength of the new Big 3 comes from its excellent defense — Looney and Wiggins have been forces — and rebounding.

Looney and Wiggins have been downright prolific on the boards in this series.

When this three-man unit is on the floor in the Finals, the Warriors are rebounding 57 percent of missed shots and grabbing offensive boards on nearly 40 percent of their misses — a truly absurd number.

And these rebounds have been timely, too.

All playoffs, we've heard from Warriors coaches and players that Wiggins' impact begins on the glass. If the wing can attack the boards, the rest of his game flourishes.

Well, it's flourishing, because Wiggins has been a monster on the glass this postseason.

Game 4 was his masterpiece. Wiggins corralled six of his 16 total rebounds in Game 4 in the fourth quarter. All but the last one was seriously contested.

“[I'm] Just staying active and just trying to find different ways to affect the game. We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of things on the court, whether score, pass, create,” Wiggins said. “So I'm just trying to do everything I can to be on the floor and be effective.”

The glass has always been Looney's domain. He had 11 Game-4 rebounds, with four coming on the offensive glass.

The Celtics are long, strong, and physical. Wiggins and Looney have been pulling down rebounds in this series that can only be described as “grown-man boards.”

Those are, of course, the best kind.

And those rebounds — especially the offensive ones — are worth their weight in gold with Curry on this offensive heater.

The Warriors have been experimenting with lineups all playoffs, but they have a key three now.

It'll obviously take more than just Curry, Wiggins, and Looney for the Warriors to win the title, but in this now bestof-three showdown, those should be the spine of the Golden State lineup for at least 36 minutes a game.