by The Golden State Warriors are in a great location. Following Sunday’s 109-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors lead 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals.
To date, 146 teams have taken a 3-0 lead in a NBA best-of-7 series. These 146 teams have won all 146 times.
I like Warriors opportunities.
But before we move on to Game 4 and a possible scan, let’s score the good players who wanted the Dubs to win in enemy territory. As always, we will rate the weighting for our expectations from each player.
Note: The average percentage of real shots (TS) was 56.6% this year.
Draymond Green
37 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 5 pre-10 shots, 50.0% TS, +19
I was very critical of Green for his performance in Game 2, when he was struggling on both ends of the field, he was constantly facing foul problems and, frankly, he was lucky he was not sent off.
I’m not critical of this show. Because this show was very good.
Green’s defense was shocking in Game 3 victory, as he was everywhere on the floor, playing the role of disruptor and rover perfectly.
He was attacking aggressively, which is huge for Warriors with or without effective scoring.
And it was the emotional machine for the team, as it always was when it was at its best. He was shouting. He was talking about garbage. It was fired.
It was Dray and he was wonderful.
Grade A-
Andrew Wiggins
40 minutes, 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 fouls, 11 for 20 shots, 1 for 5 3-pointers, 4 for 5 free throws, 60.8% CC, +22
Forget the career high in the playoffs. Forget the highly impressive double-doubles and elite rebounds in a game where the Dubs completely dominated Dallas in the glass. Forget the trio of assists and the absence of upsets. Forget the effectiveness the Warriors will have nine days a week.
For the purpose of scoring, these things do not matter, because if you do the following in a win, you will have a perfect score.
The other things were really awesome, though.
Grade: A +
Post-game bonus: He led the team to the plus / minus and lives were taken away.
Kevin Looney
29 minutes, 9 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnaround, 3 fouls, 3-to-4 shots, 3-pre-4 free throws, 78.1% TS, +5
For the second consecutive game, Looney had 12 rebounds. And, for the second consecutive game, he scored a one-sided rebound, as the Warriors beat the Mavs in the glass 47-33.
The Mavs have no answer for Looney and … look, I like to write this phrase as much as you love to read it.
Grade A.
Post-game bonus: He led the team to the rebounds.
Steph Curry
39 minutes, 31 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 10-pro-20 shots, 5-pro-10 three-pointers, 6-pre-6 free throws, 68.5% TS, +19
Carrie’s gravity continues to be one of the most exciting things in the NBA. In addition to the 11 assists he collected – a huge number – there were countless games where teammates kept their eyes open because Dallas was giving all their attention to Steph.
And the moment he took a breath – either from a defensive mistake or because he forced the matter – he made the Mavs pay.
Just a superstar show all the time, and a masterclass on how to handle a defense to get the things you want.
Grade A.
Post-game bonus: Lead the team in points and assists.
Clay Thompson
39 minutes, 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 6 for 18 shots, 3 for 10 three-pointers, 4 for 4 free throws, 48.1% CZ, +13
Clay really had a hard time finding his shot in this game, although I think the choice of shot was very nice. The shots simply did not fall.
He made some huge shots throughout, however, and felt like he was trying to make sure the Warriors could finish the series as fast as possible so he could rest before one last push towards a title.
After a disappointing defensive game on Friday, Thompson looked very good on defense in this game, and did the little things, playing 39 minutes without overturning and devouring some boards.
He looked good, the shot just didn’t fall.
Grade: B-
Otto Porter Jr.
7 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1-before-2 shots, 50.0% TS, -8
Porter left the game in the second ten minutes due to a problem with his foot … the but foot, not what put him on the sidelines against Memphis.
He was impressive in these playoffs and the Warriors really need him to get back on the floor.
Degree: Concern
Juan Toscano-Anderson
5 minutes, 0 points, 1 upset, -7
Aside from the strange appearances of one-second defensive possession, this was the first time JTA had run without rubbish in these playoffs. The Dubs had to dig deep into the bench with Porter, Andre Iguodala and Gary Payton II sidelined and Damion Lee playing badly on Friday.
So JTA got his number and while he didn’t do much, it was good to see him out there.
Grade: C +
Jordan Poole
28 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 2 for 4 shots, 2 for 4 3-pointers, 4 for 4 free throws, 86.8% CC, -6
Although I prefer games where Poole burns the net, it was really fun to see him play a low scoring game with high performance. He showed some really impressive restraint.
He is ungodly talented and learns the best ways to choose his positions, while also understanding when to postpone his teammates.
He did a lot of other things well in this game, too, and he gets a grade boost because he put the dagger at the end of the game.
Degree: B
Moses Moody
16 minutes, 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 foul, 0-pro-3 shots, 0-pro-3 3-pointers, 1-pro-2 free throws, 12.9% TS, -12
Moody takes Lee’s minutes, and while that worked very well in the second half of Game 2, it did not work very well in Game 3.
He is still doing a good job avoiding bad mistakes and it is proof from the rookie that Steve Kerr entrusted him with the defense of Luka Dončić. But not a particularly strong appearance.
Grade: C +
Post-game bonus: The worst plus / minus of the team.
Sunday DNPs: Nemanja Bjelica, Jonathan Kuminga, Damion Lee
The inactive on Sunday: Andre Iguodala, Gary Payton II, James Wiseman
