With his usual discretion, Kevon Looney put his name in the Warriors history books that night. How ? By achieving a 2nd game with 20 rebounds and more in the same series of playoffs! Before him, only two legends of the franchise had succeeded: Wilt Chamberlain and Nate Thurmond. This is to say if the performance is great, and once again, the pivot of Golden State has shown how essential it is for the defending champions. His sense of placement, his hardness, but also his playing intelligence are essential in this group, and it is Draymond Green who pays him a fine tribute.
A “quiet force” and a “glue guy”
“Kevon has become like Andre Iguodala or Shaun Livingston, he’s a quiet force” explains the interior of the Warriors. “When we were younger, and I started losing balls, Klay or Stephen were getting out of order, they would come in, just to calm us down. Kevon, that’s it for our team. »
Still quietly, Looney became the best rebounder in the playoffs with 14.4 catches per game. He’s No. 1 in defensive rebounds, tied with Anthony Davis, and he’s No. 2 in offensive rebounding, tied with Nikola Jokic.
“I don’t think we win without Loon” loose Donte DiVincenzo outright. “He’s the one who keeps us together. No matter what Loon tells you, he has things to prove. He takes this duel against Sabonis personally. For him and Draymond, it’s a personal matter, but especially for Loon. Thanks to him, the Kings don’t have as many “second chance” shots as they did in the first two games. »
The dream player for any coach
Asked about the performance of his pivot, Steve Kerr believes that taking 22 rebounds is worthy of a “Hall Of Famer”. Sure, Looney won’t be in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but Kerr explains why he adores her just as much as the rest of the group. “He does everything a coach loves: he sets screens, he takes rebounds… When he takes a rebound, he immediately looks at who to give the ball to 3-pointers… He never loses a ball… This evening, he makes 7 assists, and we can count on him in attack… He is excellent in defense, and even if he does not give the impression, he can stay in front of the backs, and he can rely on its span and verticality. He plays like an NBA champion, and he has for years. »
