Blue Man Hoop
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Curry won the game, but the Golden State Warriors bench allowed him that chance

By Nathan Beighle

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 10: Stephen Curry #30 and Shaun Livingston #34 of the Golden State Warriors high five after Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets during the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 10: Stephen Curry #30 and Shaun Livingston #34 of the Golden State Warriors high five after Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets during the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Kevon Looney

At the start of the season, Kevon Looney was clearly the team’s second big man off the bench. However, he was third on the depth chart behind Damian Jones and DeMarcus Cousins. Ironically enough, Looney was an absolutely vital piece of Game 6 for Golden State.

He played within himself.

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For Looney, that was important. Scoring 14 points, Looney shot 6-for-8 from the field and came with numerous timely rebounds and big-time plays. Looney scored more points in Game 6 than the team’s entire bench averaged for the series.

Looney logged a bench-high 20 minutes and tacked on five rebounds as well.

However, five rebounds isn’t a high total for a 6-foot-11 center. That wasn’t too impressive, but what was impressive is the fact that four of those came on the offensive end, buying more possessions for the Dubs.

While he didn’t start the game, head coach Steve Kerr trusted Looney enough to play him for the majority of the fourth quarter, allowing Looney a spot on the lineup that put the game out of reach down the stretch.

Looney footprint was all over this game, and his boost was exactly what Golden State needed to get by the Rockets team that had their backs against the wall.

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