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After a rough showing in their second-round opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors made sure not to let go of the rope on Thursday, knotting the series with a Game 2 win. They did so in impressive fashion, too, shooting lights-out from the field and severely limiting Anthony Davis‘ ability to attack them down low.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr also chanced upon an effective new mix when a game-day illness forced him to scratch Kevon Looney from the starting five and roll out JaMychal Green instead.
Green, who had played a grand total of 23 minutes this postseason to that point, responded to the switcheroo by scoring 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 3-of-6 from three-point range. And his presence cleared the way for Draymond Green to give Davis a disruptive new look defensively.
Despite being limited to 12 minutes of action, Looney still managed to log six points and eight rebounds, too.
Heading into Game 3 between the two teams on Saturday, though, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst theorized that Looney wasn’t sick at all, insinuating that Kerr had simply resorted to trickery in an effort to throw the Lakers off balance.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst Insinuates That Warriors Faked Kevon Looney’s Illness
Windhorst’s wild speculation on the Looney situation was dropped casually during a Friday appearance on First Take as the longtime league insider explained that LeBron James and his crew are likely still feeling good about themselves in the series.
“[The Lakers] saw the adjustments that the Warriors made,” Windhorst said. “They went smaller, Steve Kerr putting JaMychal Green in the starting lineup, coming up with an explanation to try to throw everybody off that Kevon Looney wasn’t playing, wasn’t feeling well, which I find dubious… Maybe it’s true, I don’t know.
“Then, they go home for Games 3 and 4 trying to take control of this series.”
In the aftermath of Golden State’s 127-100 Game 2 win, Kerr noted that Looney “came down pretty ill” about two hours before the contest tipped off, as relayed by 95.7 The Game.
Looney has been one of the Warriors’ most valuable players throughout the postseason, averaging 7.1 points, a league-best 15.1 rebounds and nearly four assists through nine games. His playoff net rating of 9.6 also leads the team.
Draymond Green Says He & Steph Curry Advocated for JaMychal Green to Start in Looney’s Place
For his part, Green relayed that he and Stephen Curry were both incredibly concerned when it occurred to them that Looney was ill. But they were also confident in Green’s ability to take on a greater role.
“You walk in the gym and you see Kevon Looney like, whoa. Me and Steph looked at each other like, whoa… ‘We need Loon!’ So, to find that out literally when we’re at the gym preparing for the game… it throws a wrench into things,” Green said on his podcast.
“Coach asked me and Steph what we think as far as [who should start in Looney’s place]. We both like, ‘Yeah, J-Mike for sure… J-Mike gonna bring some toughness, he obviously can space the floor, he just played in last game, so he kind of got the feel of the series already. J-Mike for sure.'”
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Warriors Accused of Faking Kevon Looney’s Illness: Insider