Kawakami: The Hamptons 5 are an impressive group.
CLEVELAND — They went with the five players who started this all, who lifted everybody else, and who have turned this season into the ultimate sprint toward postseason perfection.
Of course. The Warriors had to.
They went with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala — the Hamptons 5, possibly the best five-man unit ever assembled.
In the closing 6:30 of the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena, trailing LeBron James and the Cavaliers by five points, coach Steve Kerr turned to this lineup for the first time in the game and to finish this out, if possible.
It wasn’t the season on the line, because even with a loss the Warriors would’ve remained ahead in this series 2-1, but it was about something more sublime:
It was the most pressing chance to extend their perfect playoff record to 15-0 with a continued shot at a miraculous, unprecedented, almost unbelievable 16-0.
And to show one more time that these five players can do anything asked of them.
Which they did. They absolutely did. The final: Warriors 118, Cleveland 113, and everything important happened in that last 6:30.
The climax was Durant’s 3-pointer over LeBron James to finally put the Warriors ahead with under 50 seconds left, but the final 6:30 was a tapestry of playoff calm, urgency and utter brilliance.
The Warriors finished off the game on a 19-9 run, and left James, his teammates and the entire Cavaliers crowd completely dazed.
What did the Warriors do? Put on a mini celebration like they had just about won another championship ... because they basically have, now that they’re up 3-0 and have taken the heart out of the Cavaliers.
“It was just an incredibly tough, resilient performance,” Kerr said. “It wasn’t our smartest game that we have played all year, but it was maybe our toughest in terms of our ability to just hang in there.”
It took 6:30. It was the essence of this incredible season and those five alltime players, just a series of great moments by a team probably finishing the greatest postseason run in NBA — and maybe sports — history.
Kerr needed everything out of this group because — as the Warriors suspected would happen — James was at his best in this game, and when he’s at his best, he’s the best.
Also Kerr had to delay playing this card until late because Green was in constant foul trouble, and had five fouls when he came back in for this final stint.
What happened: The Warriors defense forced the Cavaliers into miss after miss, the Warriors spread the floor — starting with a key Durant three-pointer to start the run — and you could see and feel the Cavaliers wilting under the pressure.
“We were talking, we got to love the situation,” Curry said. “I mean, on the road, didn’t play our best game, had a chance to get a couple stops, and kind of right the final situation down the stretch. And we had a ton of energy and belief in each other on both ends of the floor down the stretch.
“So that was a great feeling to kind of overcome their run, the crowd’s energy, and just find a way to win. Having a close game down the stretch, honestly, it’s been awhile, and that was a great feeling to kind of just overcome, stick to it and just find a way to win.”
Even in the final minutes, though, the Warriors had to keep coming, especially after Thompson missed a three that could’ve tied it, then J.R. Smith made a wide-open 3 to make it 113-107 with over two minutes left.
But the Cavaliers never scored another point. And the Warriors scored 11.
“I think we just kept our poise,” Iguodala said. “In the past, we kind of got haywire and hectic. We’d try to get it all back in one play. (This time) we settled down.”
Curry made a layup to cut it to 113-109 with just over two minutes left, Durant took on the entire Cavs defense to convert a leaner to make 113-111, which set up Durant’s dramatic shot.
At some point, this was explainable: LeBron was incredible and Kyrie Irving lit up the third quarter, but clearly wore down in the final minutes because he played virtually the entire game (46 minutes).
“We just felt like the way they play, Kyrie and LeBron had it going the whole game, but that’s pretty taxing to go oneon-one the whole game,” Kerr said. “Both those guys were amazing, 38 and 39 (points).
“But that takes a lot out of you. We just kept telling the guys, they’re going to get tired. Stay in front of them. Force them into outside shots, if you can. Fatigue will play a role.
This was also about Durant pouring in 31 vital points in 41 minutes, Curry fighting his way to 26 points, six assists and 13 rebounds, and the rest of the Hamptons 5 contributing in every important way.
This was the whole perfect postseason coming down to those minutes and those players and needing Green to avoid that sixth foul and the defense to almost throw a shut out.
They all met in The Hamptons last July to tell Durant that he was the last perfect piece to the Warriors’ puzzle, he has delivered all season, and Game 3 was the crowning achievement.
“He took over,” Kerr said of Durant. “You can tell, he knows this is his moment. He’s been an amazing player in this league for a long time, and I think he’s — he senses this is his time, his moment, his team.
“When I say ‘his team’, I mean it’s not literally just his team, it’s we got a group around him that can help him and create space for him with the shooting and the play making, and I think he’s having the time of his life out there.”
And that is what happened, and now Game 4 is Friday here in Cleveland, and a sweep seems inevitable now.
Because the Warriors are the best team in NBA playoff history, and they have the best five players who keep proving it.