Warriors Analysis: Role Players Step Up in Win Over Clippers

Small ball at its finest.

The Golden State Warriors small ball lineup, consisting of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, is the best lineup in the NBA. It was on display yet again as this lineup erased a 10 point deficit with five minutes to play. For the second time this season, the small lineup broke the psyche of the fraudulent Los Angeles Clippers.

It’s not surprising to see this small lineup perform the way it did because Iguodala, Green and Barnes have been fantastic all season. They’ve been the guys who have bailed the Warriors out when Curry has a rare off night or, in last night’s case, early foul trouble.

Whenever the Warriors need to make a run, they can call on Barnes, Iguodala and Green.

once again showed that he’s an All Star Power Forward

Green is not only an All Star, but an argument could also be made that Green is a top 10 player in the NBA as Brian Windhorst said early Friday.

Barnes is continuing to add to his bank account the way he’s playing so far this season. He’s averaging almost 14 points and 5 rebounds per game, and showing an ability to finish around the basket that he didn’t have last season.

Iguodala has continued producing like he did during the NBA Finals. He’s making clutch shots, shredding teams with his passing and playing the kind of defense everybody knows he can.

These three are the keys to the Warriors’ success, and it was on display last night again. Yes, Curry is well on his way to another MVP and Thompson is an All Star, but the trio of Barnes, Iguodala and Green are what make the Warriors go.

Last night all three of these guys contributed in the fourth quarter. Barnes started it off by scoring eight straight points while Curry, Green and Thompson were resting. Next, Iguodala made two key threes, Green shut Blake Griffin down so much in the fourth quarter he resorted to flopping, and then bang, MVP took over the game like usual.

The fourth quarter was a perfect example of how important Green, Iguodala and Barnes are. The Warriors title hopes hinge on how well these three play.

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Granted, the Clippers are not legitimate championship contenders so we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. However, when the Warriors go small, nobody can beat them because of the speed and ball movement that lineup has.

Once the Warriors got the lead down to 6 points going into the fourth quarter, the outcome was already known. It was only a matter of time before Luke Walton went small and once he went small, the Clippers had no chance.

Barnes, Green and Iguodala continue to show their value to the Warriors. The stats don’t show how important these three players are to the team’s success.

Don Nelson small ball is alive and well because of these three players.