The Golden State Warriors are creating a new name for themselves, and it’s a different one than their 2010s dynasty.
This new dynasty is going to be spearheaded by the Big 3 still, but contributions from Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, and Andrew Wiggins have also headlined this dynamic run as the Warriors are just 6 wins away from their 4th NBA Championship in 8 years.
The Golden State Warriors are looking like strong NBA Finals favorites, and they’ve succeeded on the back of a rare mixture of youth and experience.
The Warriors were able to win 2 titles with Kevin Durant, but before the former MVP came to town, they had already had one under their belt.
It was a plethora of players that helped win those 3 titles, but Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant were at the forefront of players for Golden State. This season, it’s a different yet similar cast with a different yet similar play style.
Take out the production that Durant gave Golden State and minimize what Thompson has done, and you’d be left with a team that might miss the playoffs as we saw a season ago.
But, the eruption of Wiggins, Poole, and Looney have both saved the Dubs title hopes and will help usher in a new era of Warriors basketball as the Big 3 set to age and begin to share the spotlight. It seems like a style less dependent on three-point shooting.
As we saw in Game 2, Curry put the Mavericks to rest, but it was Poole and Looney who scored 36% of the Warriors’ third-quarter points.
The duo scored or assisted in 14 of the Warriors’ first 19 points in the fourth quarter, forcing the lead to 8 points where Curry helped extend and continue the dominance. Poole’s terrific play, along with Wiggins who had 19 on 8-for-17 shooting in Game 1, helped propel the Dubs win.
Curry still led the team in scoring, and both Green and Thompson played a part in the success of Golden State. However, it seems a slight transition is starting to take place as Poole erupts and Looney starts to become a more viable option in the pick-and-roll game.
Make no mistake though. If the Warriors are going to win, it’ll be on the back of Curry and Thompson.
It’s just that, as with the two rings they won with Duraant in the Bay Area, they’re getting some help. This time though, it’s via home-grown talent and from players that’ll likely want to make San Francisco their long-term home.
With the thriving combination of youth and experience, the Warriors should have what it takes to get past the Mavericks and hopefully win the NBA Finals.