It is safe to say that for Dub Nation, Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals was a hell of a lot better than Game 1.
Just like in the first game, the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics were united in the first half. And just like in the first game, the Warriors used a dominant third quarter to build a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. But unlike the first game, the Dubs didn’t waste it in Game 2 and headed home with a 107-88 victory, a draw and a plane ticket to Boston, where things will get very interesting, very fast.
We will discuss this more in the coming days. Until then, let’s evaluate Warriors players based on our expectations for everyone.
Note: The average real shooting rate (TS) this season was 56.6%.
Draymond Green
35 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 2-for-3 shots, 0-for-1 threes, 5-for-7 free throws, 74.0% TS, +9
Despite the fact that Green regularly fills in each column of the score in the box, he is a player with a reputation for doing much more than he can accurately portray the score in the box.
And my God, it was Sunday.
Draymond was a thorn in Boston’s side. He mixes it up with Jason Tatum. He mixed it with Jaylan Brown. He mixes it up with Marcus Smart. Mix it up with the whole damn team.
He received reactions from them. In one decisive game, the Warriors tried to score the ball, and Tatum guarded Green closely. Dray became so physically involved with the Celtics striker that the referees had to separate them three or four times before the game began … just so Tatum could foul Green at the entrances.
There is no better way to describe Dray’s performance by Marcus Thompson II in this tweet:
Draymond really lives for it
– Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) June 6, 2022
The results from the box are good. But leadership, endurance, mental games and 4D chess are the things that really make Draymond a superstar for this team.
And I can’t help but think that we will feel the impact of his performance in Game 2 for the rest of the series.
Rating: A +
Post-game bonus: He led the team in assists.
Andrew Wiggins
31 minutes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, shooting 4 for 12, threes 2 for 3, 1 for 2 free throws, 42.7% TS, +19
Wiggins had some great shots in this game, although his overall offensive was quite weak.
But it’s still a good rating in my book, simply because his defense against Tatum was extremely impressive. Tatum played a good game by scoring the ball, but Wiggins really made him work for it.
Rating: B +
Caven Looney
21 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 fouls, 6 against 6 shooting, 100.0% TS, +24
Luni had 12 points. Al Horford and Robert Williams III together have 4 points. Luni made 6 strokes. Horford and Williams fired only five times together. Luni made 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Horford and Williams together have 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
His great post-season performance continues.
Looney also played a huge role in the team to find offensive success in the first quarter.
Rating: A
Post-game bonus: He led the wrestling team, equalizing the team’s lead in plus / minus.
Steph Curry
32 minutes, 29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 9-for-21 shots, 5-for-12 threes, 6-for-7 free throws, 60.2% TS, +24
The biggest reason Warriors won this game was Curry’s gravity. There is simply no way around this. The way Boston defended the two-time MVP was what allowed the team’s attack to thrive … they got four against three with Dray leading, they made knives move to the basket with limited aid protection and got a lot open shooter.
This is Curry’s biggest impact. But they also won a lot because of his excellent defense.
If the Warriors can find a way to win three more games, Curry – who should already be on the top 10 each, but somehow still isn’t respected – will add a fourth ring and an MVP trophy in the final.
And then maybe, just maybe, people will start to realize that he’s not just a great player for all time, but also a great player for all time.
Steph Finals career:
26.8 PPG5.7 RPG6.1 APG59.1 TS%
He is 1 of 3 players with an average of 25/5/5 at 55 TS% in the finals. The others are LeBron and Jordan. pic.twitter.com/0VJzjIcBTp
– StatMuse (@statmuse) June 6, 2022
Respect the person’s name. He is one of the best who has ever done it, on this stage and at all stages.
Rating: A
Post-game bonus: Leads the team by points equal to the team’s lead in plus / minus.
Clay Thompson
30 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 4-for-19 shooting, 1-for-8 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 27.7% TS, 0 plus / minus
There is no way to sugar this one. It was a really rough match from Clay.
He lacked good looks. He made her look bad. He didn’t do much else, although he had some good defensive possessions.
He will have one of those ridiculous games he is famous for, and it will be amazing when it happens.
Rating: D-
Nemanja Belica
11 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 reversal, 3 fouls, 3 against 4 shots, 75.0% TS, -7
Bjelica got some surprising minutes at the beginning of this match and … he was excellent.
But more importantly, he was excellent in defense.
And even more remarkable than that, he excelled in defense against Jason Tatum.
Belitsa had many possessions, where he was placed on an island and asked to defend the star from the All-NBA, and he coped with the task. Three fouls in 11 minutes are the only spot in an exclusive match. We will watch more of it in this series.
Rating: A
Post-game bonus: The team’s worst plus / minus.
Jonathan Cumming
4 minutes, 0 points, -5
Cumming remains out of the rotation, but the Dubs got a decent piece of rubbish in this game.
Assessment: Incomplete
Otto Porter Jr.
15 minutes, 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 foul, shooting 1 for 1, threes 1 for 1, 150.0% TS, +24
Porter failed to play most of the minutes, but was ruled out in the minutes he played. He was a threat in defense, did the little things in attack and was on the court when the Warriors played their best basketball. Partly because of what he was doing.
Rating: A
Post-game bonus: Draw for the team’s lead in plus / minus.
Juan Toscano-Anderson
4 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 reversal, shooting 0 for 1, threes 0 for 1, 0.0% TS, -5
It’s rubbish time for JTA, but he did some nice things while he was there.
Assessment: Incomplete
Damien Lee
4 minutes, 0 points, shooting 0 for 1, triples 0 for 1, 0.0% TS, -5
Garbage time for Lee. There is nothing to note.
Assessment: Incomplete
Gary Peyton II
25 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, shooting 3 for 3, threes 1 for 1, 0 for 2 free throws, 90.2% TS, +15
Peyton gets a perfect grade here, simply because he returned to the court for the first time after breaking an elbow in the Western Conference semifinals, with an injury that seemed destined to eliminate him until next season. It was amazing to see him there.
But he also received high marks for playing brilliant basketball at both ends of the court. What a difference it makes to give it back.
Rating: A +
Jordan Poole
23 minutes, 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 6-for-14 shots, 5-for-9 threes, 60.7% TS, +7
Poole continued where he left off in the first half, with some struggles that made you stop. But then he turned it on in the second half, which was highlighted by an unforgettable sequence at the end of the third quarter, which felt like the biggest moment of the game, turning a comfortable lead into a predetermined end, making a deep three, followed by DEEP three.
Much of his damage came after the score was settled, but he still gets a good rating for these monumental strikes and some much improved defense.
Rating: B +
Moses Moody
6 minutes, 2 points, shooting 1 for 1, 100.0% TS, -3
Moody may still be playing significant minutes at some point in this series. But he was not in this game.
Assessment: Incomplete
Inactive on Sunday: Andre Iguodala, James Wiseman
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