With the Nuggets' two main players, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter reimbursed early for injury, even before the start of this series, the outside world agreed that the Golden State Warriors would have a relaxed laugh to the end. Judging by the results of the series, the Warriors won the fifth game 102-98 again, so they eliminated the Denver Nuggets 4-1, making them the first team in the West to reach the semifinals.
Of course, under the leadership of Nikola Jokic, the spirit and resilience of the Nuggets will still be impressive, it can be said that against the powerful Warriors, their lineup is not tidy and there is no home advantage, and the Nuggets can play like this. The Warriors also respected such opponents enough, because in this game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr returned the star Stephen Curry to the starting lineup, replacing Kevin Looney. This means that the Warriors have been lining up the small ball lineup from the beginning, and Stephen Curry has played at the same time as Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green, which is a change of move and has received quite good results.
Stephen Curry missed the finale of the regular season due to injury, so in order to find his form, coupled with Stephen Curry's own attitude, the Warriors made him play as a substitute in the first four games of the series. It wasn't until game 5 that Stephen Curry started again, and he was in a very brave state, shooting 10 of 22 from the field, including five three-pointers, and efficiently cutting 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. In fact, despite being a substitute in the first four games, Stephen Curry is still the Warriors' ace, averaging 28 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game in this series, and shooting more than 50% from the field and more than 40% from three-point range.
Compared to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson was able to adjust back to form so quickly, which is obviously more surprising. After all, Klay Thompson was seriously injured by consecutive ACL and Achilles tendon tears, resulting in him not playing an official game for two and a half years. But in this series, Klay Thompson is quite active on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, averaging 22.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks per game, and is more efficient than Stephen Curry, you can't believe that this is a 32-year-old veteran with a history of serious injuries.
Jordan Poole has improved rapidly this season, and what is even more valuable is that Jordan Poole's adaptability is very strong, whether it is starting at the top or returning to the bench, the performance is quite commendable. Of course, jordan poole appeared to be a bit high and low in this series, and he scored at least 27 points in the first three games, but the Nuggets obviously paid attention to the defense of Jordan Poole in the last two games, especially in the fifth game he only scored 8 points. Of course, even in this case, Jordan Poole still averaged 21 points, 2.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game in this series, and once the opponent focused more defensive attention on him, it means that the pressure on the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be much lessened.
As a former champion, Andrew Wiggins has not cashed in on all his talents, but after joining the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins's positioning is very clear, that is, to do a good job of outside projection and defense, and occasionally singles with the ball. So in this series, Andrew Wiggins averaged 14 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.8 steals per game, which is obviously not particularly eye-catching, but the shooting and three-point shooting rate are more than 50%, coupled with excellent defensive ability, which makes him a key role for the Warriors.
The most important link in the five small lineups is obviously Draymond Green as a center. In this game, he was the fifth position from the beginning, and for a long time he played against the Nuggets core Nikola Jokic, and Draymond Green scored 11 points, 6 assists and 3 blocks, creating enough trouble for the other side. In this series, Draymond Green found a feeling on the offensive end, averaging 9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, and shot more than 50% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range. So it is not difficult for us to find that although the Warriors' current five small lineups, compared with their peak in previous years, regardless of their fame or lethality are slightly less popular, the offensive and defensive ends are still very balanced and reasonable.
However, even if the five small lineups are powerful, the Warriors cannot use them in the whole game, and a team in any era is indispensable to traditional centers. In the case of James Wiseman's injury reimbursement, the Warriors' serious fifth player is only Kevin Looney. In this game, the Warriors coaching staff arranged for him to play off the bench, Kevin Looney statistics are not outstanding, he shot all 2 shots to get 4 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and there were 4 fouls. Even from this series, Kevin Looney only averaged 2.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, which is not supposed to be much discussed by such players. But Kevin Looney's role cannot be represented by data, his blocking cover is quite solid, and his ability to seize opportunities is also very strong, not to mention that he can effectively protect the frame and compete for rebounds. So even if the Warriors play five small lineups, Kevin Looney can provide some help to the Warriors, whether he plays as a pseudo-starter or as a substitute center.