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Jordan Poole had a rough start to his first-ever NBA Finals, but a furious finish to Game 2 could help the 22-year-old get his confidence back, an analyst says.
Poole was a key part of the Golden State Warriors‘ run through the Western Conference in the lead-up to the Finals, jumping into the starting lineup in the first round in place of the recovering Steph Curry and then adding a scoring punch off the bench in later rounds. He averaged 18.4 points per game through the first three rounds, making 39 percent of his three-pointers.
Poole struggled in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, scoring just nine points on 2-of-7 shooting including 1-of-5 from behind the three-point arc while also committed four turnovers in his 25 minutes. But ESPN broadcaster Doris Burke believes that Warriors coach Steve Kerr may have helped Poole to get back on track while putting away the Celtics in Game 2.
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Burke: Poole Getting Back on Track
Burke said Kerr pulled off a brilliant move with 1:19 left in the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 2. The Warriors had pushed their lead to a comfortable 16 points at that time, but Kerr gave Poole the chance to put a dagger in Boston’s hopes. The third-year guard responded in a big way, hitting a 29-foot three-pointer with 29 seconds remaining and then a 39-footer as time expired.
The dagger three-pointer was one of the longest in the NBA Finals over the last 25 years, sending the Warriors into the fourth quarter with a 23-point lead and propelling the team to a 107-88 victory.
Burke said it was an important moment for the game, giving the Warriors a cushion that allowed them to pull starters early in the fourth quarter, and also for Poole’s confidence for the remainder of the NBA Finals.
“I thought the move [Kerr] made at the end of the third quarter of Game 2 where with a minute and 19 seconds left he inserts Jordan Poole, the lead is comfortable, Jordan had not played well, here is a window of opportunity with very little pressure for that young man to get back on track,” Burke told Heavy.com’s Madi Kroll. “He puts two daggers in that not only ends any thought that Boston could come back in the fourth, but it also helps to elevate Jordan’s confidence moving forward in the series.”
Warriors Still Have ‘Championship DNA’
Though the Warriors spent most of the previous two seasons near the bottom of the Western Conference as they dealt with major injuries to Curry and Klay Thompson, Burke believes the team is now showing off the same “championship DNA” of the squads that made five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals.
Boston could be in even more trouble once Thompson gets back on track, she added.
“That championship DNA is real,” she said. “We’ve seen a number of different instances where their championship mettle has been tested and they have responded. I know Klay did not have a great shooting performance, but I would be somewhat concerned that one of those is coming if I’m the Boston Celtics.”
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