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OAKLAND – Throughout his tenure as coach of the Warriors, Steve Kerr has shown the penchant for announcing drastic lineup changes minutes before postseason games.
Three years ago, after publicly saying he wouldn’t make any changes after Game 3 of the 2015 NBA Finals, Kerr replaced center Andrew Bogut with Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup.
In Saturday’s 113-92 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series, Kerr exhibited the habit once more, inserting Iguodala at point guard ahead of Quinn Cook to bolster the team’s defense while easing Cook’s transition into his first postseason.
Iguodala played well in the role, scoring three points, adding seven rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes. However, it was his defense that helped turn the tide for a unit that has struggled over the last month, posting a 106.8 defensive rating over the span.
“Just wanted to put our best defensive lineup on the floor from the beginning,” Kerr said. “I think the whole point of these games here early in this series is to reestablish our defense.”
Said guard Klay Thompson: “Andre gives us so much on both ends, especially the defensive end, his ability to guard every position. He’s got some of the best hands I’ve ever seen and our ability to switch I think disrupted them.”
“Andre is a great all-around player,” Warriors forward Kevon Looney said. “He can play point (guard), one through three, sometimes he plays the four for us. He’s our glue guy, he’s a great leader.”
Kerr’s confidence in Iguodala comes with good reason. Nearly three years ago, with the Warriors trailing 2-1 in the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he inserted the veteran forward in the starting lineup in place of Bogut. Iguodala, making his first start of the season, turned the series around, averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, capturing the Finals MVP.
Iguodala’s starting role Saturday coincided with the demotion of Cook. Over the past month, he has established himself as a capable scoring threat, averaging 17.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists starting in place of Stephen Curry. Cook’s ability to score efficiently, combined with the team’s need for point guard depth forced the Warriors to sign him for the remainder of the season. Still, Cook took the demotion in stride.
“I’m all about the team,” Cook said. “Everybody here is all about the team and wants to win. I think that’s what makes this team so special. Guys aren’t worried about minutes, guys aren’t worried about starting, none of that.”
Cook still played 25 minutes and scored five points with two assists.
“I think Quinn (Cook) played great,” Looney said. “He shot the ball well, he was fearless, went out there and played his role to the best of his abilities.”
Lineup changes have been commonplace for the Warriors this season. With various injuries to Curry, Thompson and Kevin Durant among others, the team has rolled out 27 different starting lineups this season, making Cook’s transition to the bench easier.
“With the last month, having so many injuries, we’ve had so many funky lineups that we don’t usually practice or they aren’t ideal lineups just because of the circumstances this past month,” Cook said.
With Curry’s inevitable return bringing yet another lineup change, Cook isn’t worried.
“Guys aren’t worried about minutes, guys aren’t worried about starting, none of that,” Cook said. “Everybody’s buying into what we need to do. I’m just trying to keep learning from these guys. First playoff game and I thought we prepared great.”
