over the years about how Golden State Warriors Run with joy, and let’s not forget something else that fills this team’s winning tank: love.
We’ll see a demo next season.No dry eye in the stands at Chase Center or on the Warriors sideline Andrew Wiggins Taking his new team to town, the Warriors held a ceremony to present their departed hero with his NBA championship ring.
Of course, for this moving and deeply sad scene to happen, two things had to happen.
First, the Warriors, now 2-0 in the Western Conference finals, will have to eliminate the Mavericks and then beat the Heat or Celtics in the NBA Finals.It’s easy to visualize afterwards Warriors win 126-117 on Friday night at Chase.
Second, the Warriors will have to let Wiggins slip through the coming offseason, unable or unwilling to accept sign his huge hatSadly, a Wiggins departure is the most likely scenario for the Warriors and their fans.
But enough Debbie Downer here.Warriors head coach Steve Kerr Preach mindfulness, live in the moment, and in this moment, Wiggins is 100% warrior, the stone-faced embodiment of warrior love.
When he showed up last season, no one liked Wiggins, as far as basketball is concerned. He has weird motor skills, but doesn’t care enough. Look at his face! No passion!
The face is still there, but the representative is gone. Wiggins has upped his game this season, and he’s been an absolute rock in the playoffs. He had 16 points on Friday, including a 3-for-5 3-pointer, five rebounds, five assists and a key fourth-quarter performance.
There are also some tenacious D. The Warriors came into this series promising to throw a lot of different and exotic defenses on Dallas superstar Luka Doncic, but mostly Wiggins, Mano Mano.
Wiggins held Doncic to 42 points on Friday. It sounds crazy, but it’s an acceptable number for the Warriors.
“Yeah,” Kerr said, “I said after Game 1, you’re just trying to limit the simple things when you’re facing such a good guy (Doncic). …so It was a tough screen, but Wiggs was still very determined and was with him as much as possible. But obviously Doncic is an amazing player. It’s a tough job.”
and Gary Payton II No other Warriors could have Doncic work so hard in the sidelines, bumping and squeezing in the Mavs’ roughly 100 screens, and still have enough energy to make Doncic’s life challenging.
No one in the world can stop Doncic from hitting those crazy step-back 3-pointers, but the big man was limited to 7-for-13 on non-3-pointers on Friday. Doncic said after the game, “I think we rely too much on the trio.”
So just staying in front of Doncic for about 38 minutes was Wiggins’ main job, and he did his job. The Warriors led 97-92 with 7.5 minutes left when Doncic’s layup was blocked by Wiggins. Doncic didn’t have too many layups blocked.
Wiggins averaged 14.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in the playoffs in Friday’s game. In the previous series against Memphis, he was an ultra-athletic opponent for the Grizzlies’ ultra-athletic.
More than stats, Wiggins has been giving it his all, and critics doubt he’ll be able to do that in any big game. It was as if Wiggins was determined not only to change his reputation, but to leave a mark on the Warriors that no critic could erase, as a key figure on a championship team.
This became apparent in the preseason, when Wiggins initially refused to take a COVID-19 shot for personal reasons, and the Warriors faced the prospect of playing home games without a high-priced wing. As Wiggins persevered and his critics roared, his teammates and Kerr stood firmly behind him. Draymond Green Almost ready to fight anyone who dares to criticize Wiggins’ anti-vax stance.
Wiggins finally got the jab. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, anti-vaxer Kyrie Irving restrained his shot and single-handedly ruined the Nets’ season.
Wiggins has never publicly explained what caused him to change his mind, but at least it’s possible that the support and love of his teammates made him feel like a part of the basketball family for the first time in his life.
Wiggins appears to be fully a Warrior this season, finally getting used to a free-form offense and a defense committed to super teamwork.
That integration into the Warriors world has paid off for Wiggins in the All-Star Game starting berth, and now the Warriors, as they get close to six wins in the NBA championship.
Wiggins no longer plays the game alone. The Mavericks were still in the game with 4.5 minutes left on Friday and trailed by eight minutes when Wiggins hit the slash. Klay Thompson Dagger layup.
On a team where stars express themselves like Hammy actors in off-Broadway plays, Wiggins rarely even smiles.
You’ll see the love in that ring ceremony next season, though, whether Wiggins is still with the Warriors or on the visiting team.
Scott Ostler is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @scotostler
