MORE THAN THE CORE 4
Productive backups play key role in 2nd championship in 3 years
The Warriors naturally revolve around their Core Four — Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — but the rest of the roster also left its fingerprints all over this year’s NBA championship.
Zaza Pachulia, the fifth starter, set screens and crashed the boards. Andre Iguodala completed the socalled “small” lineup that closed games and tormented opponents. Shaun Livingston offered his old-school, midrange jumper, the most unblockable shot this side of a JaVale McGee dunk.
As the Warriors savor their second title in three years, it’s easy to forget all the questions swirling around their reshaped supporting cast when the season started in October. Golden State lost Marreese Speights, Leandro Barbosa and Festus Ezeli, all of whom played instrumental roles as reserves in 2015-16.
This season, the bench was decidedly different — and similarly productive. McGee, David West and rookie Patrick McCaw joined holdovers Iguodala, Livingston and Ian Clark in giving head coach Steve Kerr a deep, effective rotation.
It took some time to develop, but the Warriors ended up with a dynamic, reliable crew surrounding the Core Four.
“Everybody has had a chance to shine, to help this team and contribute,” Pachulia said after Monday night’s title-clinching victory over Cleveland. “That’s what made our team so special. We put all of the egos aside, and we understood our contribution was all about the team. It was all about winning a championship and living in this moment.”
The Warriors mixed and matched their lineups as the season went along, eventually figuring out which combinations worked and which did not.
West was part of the defensive-minded unit that usually began the second and fourth quarters, joining Iguodala and Clark alongside starters Green and Thompson. That group locked down on defense, pushed the ball in transition and leaned on deft passing (mostly from Green and West) to create shots.
The playoffs illustrated the power of this Warriors depth. Clark averaged 6.8 points in the postseason, including five games of 10 or more. Iguodala, a finalist for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award, averaged 7.2 and had four games in double figures, including a spectacular, dunk-filled, 20point outing in Game 5 against Cleveland.
McGee dominated in stretches of the first-round series against Portland, when he shot 78.3 percent from the field (18-of-23) and blocked nine shots.
Also remember McCaw, the 21-year-old rookie from UNLV. He started twice against the Blazers when Durant was out with a strained calf, retreated to hibernation and then returned to score 18 points in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals — and play 11-plus key minutes in the clincher against the Cavs.
One big reason for the success of this season’s supporting players: They brought a variety of skill sets. Each made a distinctive contribution, from McGee’s aerial exploits and West’s passing to Iguodala’s all-around game and Livingston’s ballhandling.
“We’re hard to guard,” Clark said. “Guys take pride in expanding their roles. I know I have the niche of moving without the ball and cutting; that’s part of my identity now.”
West learned to watch for those Clark cuts and feed him the ball at the right moment. But West’s role ran deeper: He emerged as the leader of the bench, a savvy 14-year veteran who finally landed his first championship ring.
“If there’s anybody who’s focused, serious and has the respect of the group, top to bottom, it’s David West,” thenacting head coach Mike Brown said before the Finals. “He’s done a fantastic job filling his role as the elder statesman of the group and keeping everybody on track.”