It took a 3-point shot for that Andrew Wiggins be the hero of the evening. Alone in the corner, with 10 seconds to play, the Warriors winger had the opportunity to restore the advantage to the title champions, or even victory. But his shot hit the circle, and the Kings won that Game 1.” If we had to do it again, we would take this shot every time. It’s his spot.” Steve Kerr defends him. Same story with Klay Thompson, who found him in the corner: “I would choose this shot every time. »
The defeat is cruel for the Warriors, but the good return of Wiggins is the positive element of the evening, and that’s what everyone remembered in the locker room because the group is finally complete (except for the Andre Iguodala’s injury).
“When making choices to compose a group, all the pieces must fit together”, recalls Stephen Curry. “He plays an important role in everything we do. When you start a season you want to be as fit as possible because that’s how all the pieces are going to fit together. It’s been a very long time since we had this chance and we tried to hold on. Now we look like what we wanted to be”.
It had been two months since Wiggins last played with his teammates, and unsurprisingly he came off the bench. In 28 minutes, he scored 17 points on 7 out of 16 on shots, and his 4 blocks (career record) are the sign of constant activity in defense.
With Andrew Wiggins, the puzzle is complete
“It’s great that he’s back,” appreciates Steve Kerr, who had planned to play him between 5 and 6 minutes per quarter. “You know, we are complete with him on the pitch. Our team makes sense with Wiggs back, and I thought he looked fine. In the first half he was fantastic. In second, he may have lost some breath, which is normal, since he had not played for more than two months. He was fantastic”.
For Curry, it is all the more remarkable that Wiggins had never started a match on the bench in his entire career! Curry went through that last season, and he knows how different it is.
“It’s hard to deal with your own emotions because there’s a lot of adrenaline, a lot of anxiety about getting back out there,” Curry said. “The only thing you have for yourself is experience and knowing what the atmosphere will be like. Then we can take that cover and turn it into even greater energy for Game 2.”
A second round that Wiggins should again start on the bench, with limited playing time. “I felt good” he concludes. “In the second half, I didn’t take many shots, but I was there. Maybe I gave the impression of being tired, but I wasn’t. »
