3 Takeaways from Golden State Warriors’ statement games
By Tony Pesta
Jordan Poole can’t be stopped
Stephen Curry led all scorers with 34 points in a hyper-quick 23 minutes. However, for a solid portion of the game, it was the Jordan Poole show.
It began when Poole danced on the 3-point line, baiting Aaron Gordon with a pump fake step-back and then drilling the deep shot over his outstretched hands. On the next play, Gordan pressed up and Poole delivered a lethal jab step before flying to the rim for an easy layup.
It was a cat and mouse game all night for Poole. He chained moves together like an Elden Ring boss and had a counter for everything the Nuggets threw at him. He finished with 29 points and 8 assists — showing the world that Game 1 was no fluke.
In his first two playoff games, Poole has scored 59 points on only 10 missed shots.
More importantly, Poole has excelled next to the Splash Brothers. His versatility on offense has made him the perfect third-guard to play alongside Curry and Thompson. It’s a small sample size, but this trio has been nothing short of amazing.
The still-as-of-this-moment nameless 5-man lineup of Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green:
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) April 19, 2022
- 11 minutes
- plus-29
- 204.3 ORTG
- 75.0 DRTG
- 129.3 Net Rating
It’s important to keep realistic expectations for Poole. Yet, it’s hard not to feel excited about what we have been seeing.