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HOUSTON – On the way to Toyota Center's loading dock, just hours after his team eliminated the NBA playoff Rockets, Draymond Green was still buzzing.
"We talked so much about our lack of depth," said the Warriors striker at NBC Sports Bay Area.
"But in a situation like this, shoot, forget the dribble. What do you have here? He asked showing his heart.
For almost six months, Golden State's much-maligned bench has failed to produce the punch that's right for it, often leaving some of the heaviest champions in the world to rely solely on its core Hall of Fame. most nights. That changed on Friday, when in match 6 of the second round series, the unit recorded its best performance with a 118-113 victory over the Rockets.
Shortly after the arrival of the Warriors in southeast Texas on Thursday night, coach Steve Kerr, without injured star Kevin Durant, had sent a message to his team during a meeting in a downtown Houston hotel.
"Everyone will play."
Less than 24 hours later, the Warriors' bench responded, finishing with 33 points.
Shaun Livingston, who came into play on Friday with only 34% of the playoff chances – seems to be leaving the league – scored 11 comfort points, helping the ship up to what Stephen Curry take over in the second half. Jordan Bell, who has been buried in the depths of the Warriors since his suspension last month, scored four points and added two rebounds and one block in 11 minutes.
In the first three years of Kerr as a coach, Golden State scored points on the bench, without ever placing 23rd, with players like Leandro Barbosa, Mo Speights and Ian Clark. However, since last season, the Warriors' office has been trying to rectify the group in vain. The signers of the summer season such as Nick Young, Omri Casspi and, more recently, Jonas Jerebko have not had the expected success.
This season, the Warriors placed 29th in the league scoring on a bench, averaging only 29.2 points per game. In the playoffs, the unit averaged only 21 points per game, while Kerr chose to play his star performers Curry, Durant, Green and Klay Thompson nearly 40 minutes per game.
"Over the years we have played a lot of people and we would like to use our bench," Kerr said. "We are talking about strength in numbers, but the coach has not done much of the first five games.
"I'm incredibly proud of Jordan and Jonas. [Looney] Quinn Cook had a good run and Quinn Cook – doing what he did tonight, entering the game without really having played the whole series – these guys were great and really played a decisive role in the win. "
Looney is arguably the best bench performer against the Rockets. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and one block in the sixth match. With his ability to hold multiple positions and be able to play disciplined against James Harden and Chris Paul, Looney has become an essential piece for warriors.
"It's a good match for me," Looney said. "It's a game where we run a lot and they change and they play really under-sized, I evolve in this situation, we're used to changing goalkeepers all season and I think I'm a very good center when I people go to the little ball, so I made my impact that way. "
However, Looney's performance at the beginning of the series was unsatisfactory for his father, Doug, who lamented his son's rebound. While the Warriors overtook the Rockets in the first two games, Houston improved when the series was transferred to Texas for the third and fourth games, taking the rebound 105-78 over the stretch. Even worse, Looney had only three rebounds in both losses.
After the fourth game, Doug had three goals for his son: "Keep moving, stop still and stay active."
"He had my case on this," Looney said. "And I felt that I needed to have more impact, and I could do it that way."
After Doug's training, Looney had nine rebounds in the fifth game, including a crucial offensive shot in the final minutes to allow Golden State to get a 3-2 lead.
Back at the loading dock on Friday, Green was still angry as he began his journey back to the bay.
[[[[RELATED: Klay says meditation helped speed up the start of the match 6]
"Everyone on the bench has something here, and that's what matters most," he said.
"Yes, everyone as a player has limits, but what do you have here?", He asked, pointing his heart again. "That's what made the difference for us."
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