SAN FRANCISCO – In Game 1 we got a little glimpse. On Monday we got the full experience.
Up until Saturday, we’d only been talking hypothetically about the latest iteration of the Golden State Warriors’ “death lineup” — one consisting of Draymond Green at center surrounded by speedy, experienced, athletic shooters and playmakers. Due to various injuries, the unit did not play a single minute in the regular season.
The first issue featured Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala. Then Kevin Durant joined the fight and made things completely unfair. Now the lineup consists of Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.
They finally took the seat together on Saturday, but only for five minutes. That sheer taste was enough to see the potential, earning a ridiculous net rating of plus 127.3 despite Curry not being at the top of his game. However, Monday’s 126-106 win in Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets really set in the reality of what the Warriors have at their disposal.
The entire unit entered the court at 6:02 in the second quarter, with Golden State trailing 43-35. When the half-time whistle sounded, the Warriors were leading 57-51. The new death lineup, which has yet to be given a proper nickname, launched a 22-8 run in a half-quarter, and the way they did it should not only benefit the Nuggets, but any teams that put them in get in the way of the upcoming playoff rounds, terrify them.
“It’s a passer’s paradise for me,” Green said after winning Game 2. “You’ve got these three guys [Curry, Thompson and Poole] at the same time out there, that’s heaven for me as a passer-by. …You can’t ask for more on offense, more options than that.”
On Monday, Curry, Poole and Thompson took turns gutting Denver’s defenses with pull-ups, drives to the basket and back cuts while Green showcased his elite basketball IQ and skill at both ends. Wiggins glued the unit together by moving the ball, attacking the rim and finishing defensively.
Curry had mentioned how scary and talented the final lineup was “on paper,” but now we have two playoff games that prove it’s the real deal.
“Technically, I think we’re too small, but you have to bring defensive power and effort and energy, and then you can just turn that into an advantage at the other end of the floor,” Curry said of the five-man squad. “See [Poole] to be able to play in the pick and roll with me and Klay at a distance and in the Draymond setting [screens] and Wiggs cuts. It ticks a lot of boxes on the list of what you would want in a strong offensive lineup.”
The word “potent” doesn’t do justice to Monday’s performance. Curry was phenomenal, especially considering this was only his second game after a month-long absence. He scored 34 points in 23 minutes off the bench and was a playing 32 plus, shimmering and yelling “I’m back” at the increasingly rowdy crowd at the Chase Center. He is now the only NBA player in the shot-clock era to score at least 30 points in 23 minutes or less in a playoff game.
Poole scored 29 points, one short of the 30 he put up in his playoff debut on Saturday. Knowing what to expect from Thompson, Curry and Green, the real joker was Poole, who’s incredible performance in the playoffs basically created a second Steph Curry for teams to deal with on the pitch.
“I never thought Jordan would play so well earlier this season, even though he had a great season a year ago. I couldn’t imagine it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “But he deserves it. This guy works in the gym every day and believes in himself and he has a lot of skills.”
Thompson scored 21 points, Wiggins added 13 and eight rebounds, while Green usually filled the stats with six points, six assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block. Curry, Poole and Thompson shot 13-28 from 3-point range together – good luck beating the Warriors when that happens.
When the lineup was at work, it felt like the old days—when the Warriors were considered unfair. A cheat code. Bad for the game. If you can explain how to defend such nonsense, submit your resume to NBA teams.
Golden State played with Denver, a team ill-equipped to handle the onslaught due to the injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic was equally frustrated by the referees and Green, who had previously made his life hell for 28 minutes, Jokic was sent off for his second technical foul with seven minutes left.
OK, time for some caveats. We still only saw this Warriors unit for a handful of minutes. With Jokic and DeMarcus Cousins as centers, the Nuggets are perfect prey for the speed and pull-up shooting that Curry and Poole bring to the arena. When Curry wasn’t panning 3-pointers, he was building up the Nuggets’ defense by getting into the lane and either stepping to teammates or finishing himself.
“I thought his patience was great,” Green said of Curry after the game. “As soon as Steph got in the game he just kept driving until they stopped him and the big one was kind of towards me to take the bag away so he just kept driving. I think that broke their defenses.”
There are certainly defenses better equipped to defend Golden State’s new closing lineup — the Western Conference No. 1 Phoenix Suns spring to mind — but what we saw in the first two games of this Denver series should serve as a warning shot to the league. Those who thought the days of death constellation terror were a thing of the past are in for a rude awakening.
“There were back-to-back-to-back games where it was about picking your poison and everyone kind of got involved,” Curry said after the game. “It’s that emotion, that feeling, that dynamic that we’ve been able to create. Got the Crowd This is playoff basketball in terms of how you can get a team to care about so many different things. It makes the game a bit easier.