Kendra AndrewsESPN

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Warriors have a long history of scoring small goals. During the first series of tournaments of their dynastic era, their small lineup was so deadly that it was called the “death knell”. It has gone through a few different variations since then, but as the Warriors begin their first playoff series in three years, they seem to have the latest version. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins played just five minutes together in Game 1 of their first round against the Denver Nuggets, but in those minutes, they outscored the Nuggets by 14 points. . And it was those five minutes that changed the momentum of the Warriors in the halftime of their final victory with 123-107 on Saturday night. 2 About “It’s a scary spectacle when we really start,” Thompson said. “It’s really just the first time we’re really playing together.” Poole has been harassing his veteran teammates with questions about the playoffs for the past three years. He wanted to be ready whenever he had the chance to appear on the biggest stage in the NBA. But according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, it was not just his questions that prepared the three-year-old guard. Their two play-in games last year gave Poole a taste of the pressure he would face during the current season. “She is not afraid at the moment,” Kerr said of Poole. “She’s looking forward to it.” Curry singled out a game with about three minutes left in the first half when Poole entered the transition and cut back and forth through the lay-off key. “He does not lack self-confidence,” Carrie said. “He embodied this game. Because you just have the creativity and self-confidence to play this game. You do not guess yourself. You live with the results and we did it for years, and he gets into it … It’s fun to watch “. Poole finished the night with 30 points in the game with 9-of-13 shots, including 5-of-7 of 3. Only one player in Warriors history scored more points in his playoff debut: Wilt Chamberlain (35 points) ). On Friday, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he would not check Poole’s statistics against Denver during regular season because “they were just off the charts”. In the three games he played against the Nuggets, Poole averaged 22.7 points, 58% shots from the field and 61% shots from the 3-point line. Curry said Poole’s recent game – having scored the best 78 three-pointers in the league since March – is one reason he feels comfortable returning to his own game later. Saturday’s exit was the first time Carrie had played since March 16 and entered the bench. It was Carrie’s decision not to start. He said seeing Thompson recover from his injuries – especially the way the Warriors would allow Thompson to rest for 45 minutes in real time before returning to the floor – gave Curry an idea of ​​how to manage the containment. of his minutes. But it also gave the Warriors the flexibility they wanted within Curry’s finite limit. Curry played a total of 22 minutes, finishing with 16 points in 5 out of 13 shots, including 3 out of 6 out of 3 points. “I thought it looked great,” Thompson said. “His shot was short in the first half, but that is to be expected when you have long-term dismissals. But it’s still Steve Carey … Only his weight and the threat of being out there is the best. It makes us a league team.” . According to Thompson, Curry’s biggest influence on the game was simply his presence on the pitch. He forced the Nuggets to decide if they wanted to leave him in uniform – which could allow him to fire – or throw several defenders in his path, leaving another capable shooter wide open. “It’s really hard to take care of us,” Thompson said. “Technically, I guess, we are small, but you have to bring in defensive strength and effort and energy.” As Curry added, “Seeing [Poole] to be able to pick-and-roll games with me and Klay at a distance and Draymond and Wiggs splashing, checking many boxes on the list of what you would like for a strong offense. “ The distance created by Carrie was especially evident playing in the composition of three warriors of the Warriors with Poole and Thompson. Thompson finished with 19 points in 7 of 15 shots, including five three-pointers. Of course, the “death lineup 3.0” was collected by Green, as well as from the 2014-15 season. Green did not play in any of the four regular-season games against Denver and Malone said the Nuggets went 3-1 in a row. The Nuggets shot just 5 of 19 from the floor on Saturday when Green was the main defender. Nikola Jokic got 3 to 12. In the attack, the Warriors finished 9 of 14 in the field goals from Green’s passes, including 5 to 6 in indisputable shots. “You need to be tough and smart, and that’s Dreymond,” Kerr said. Poole agreed. “It took her a step up,” Poole said of Green. “Being our leader, we feed his energy and we can see the head honcho coming out, being aggressive, shooting down huge stances against the MVP, we feed it. Being able to have the power back there, and the way he controls the attack helps us a lot “. The Warriors saw only five minutes of their possible lineup. But in those five minutes, Golden State could finally see the line-up it has been talking about since Curry fell in March with injuries to his left leg. They have been in their book for more – for almost a decade. Golden State has seen players take turns, such as Harrison Barnes and Kevin Durand, but at the end of the day, it will always be the key for the Warriors in the playoffs. As for a new nickname for it? “No,” Carrie said. “You see, it’s hard to keep doing it over and over again. Difficult things we all have to do.”