‘Good Jordan' Has The Skills To Turn The Dubs-Lakers Series In Game 4 originally appeared nbc sports birea
LOS ANGELES — Six days ago, Jordan Poole sent a worried message to his Warriors teammates, the Los Angeles Lakers and dub nation. After a mostly forgettable first round of the NBA Playoffs, he was ready to bowl.
Poole's Game 1 Performance Last Tuesday at the Chase Center, the Warriors saw perhaps the most encouraging sight in the first three games of these Western Conference semifinals. He scored 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting from the field, including 6 of 11 from deep. He added six assists with zero turnovers, finishing a team-best plus-7 in plus/minus rating.
No one in the team performed better, even though poole misses The 9.7 seconds left from 27 feet generated considerable – and justified – criticism.
The Warriors lost the game, but they were adding Good Jordan. Or so they hoped. This is a Game 1 trade they would accept 10 out of 10 times – if it meant he would stay for the rest of the series.
He did not. Bad Jordan returned for Games 2 and 3, and the Warriors found themselves behind a 2-1 best-of-seven series as they headed into Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.
That's important, as Kevon Looney indicated on Sunday when the proverbial “must win” question was asked.
“Certainly,” he said. “You never want to go 3-1 down, so it will be a back game for us. Our backs are against the wall.
If Bad Jordan reappears, Golden State will have a lot to do for any chance of winning. Extreme weight has been added to the burden of the other primary scorers, namely Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. They can certainly succeed, but the path is more treacherous.
But if Good Jordan shows up, the pendulum swings dramatically in the Warriors' favor. Because that dude is a legit game-changer.
Poole's companions have been constant to express confidence His best performance would be seen again during this series. Game 4 will be especially timely.
“Jordan is Jordan — he's been full year,” Donte DiVincenzo told reporters Monday after the team's morning shootaround at UCLA. “When you have someone like Klay to watch, Steph to watch. Bad game or good game doesn't matter. He'll come out and the next game will be the same, and we need him to be there. We want him to be who he is.” Can't ask him to be anything other than because he is what he is, he has got us this far and helped us win the championship last year.
“I know his confidence level is high and all of our confidence levels are high, so he'll be fine.”
Poole's offense and decision-making were models of wild inconsistency throughout the regular season. Some reasons are speculative, others are clear. The number of Good Jordan games was roughly equal to that of Bad Jordan.
but coach steve kerr keeps turning to the pool – groan from a portion of the fan base – hoping to get the best out of him. This is so important. It is needed. And they've seen it before.
“I have a lot of faith in Jordan,” Kerr said on Sunday. He played a good playoff game for us this year. He obviously did a great job last year. He knows, and we know, that he can do it.”
Connected: Warriors' hopes of beating the Lakers are back on track
Through 10 games of the post-season, Poole's offensive ability has been pathetic, shooting 38 of 107 from the field (35.5 percent), 15 of 52 from distance (28.8 percent) and 25 of 33 from the free-throw line ( 75.8 percent) – all well below her norm.
However, there is a significant area of improvement. Poole had 36 assists and 12 turnovers, a 3-to-1 ratio much better than the 1.5-to-1 ratio he posted during the regular season.
As Kerr and his team consider changes for Game 4, one could put Poole in the starting lineup. He has been more dependable with the ball, forcing defenses to react and could provide a much-needed difference, despite his low 3-point percentage.
If Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell can give the Warriors business in Game 3 with 21 points after only 10 in Game 2, Poole has the stuff to respond in kind in Game 4.
If Good Jordan appears, collect all the necessary ingredients and seasonings. It's time to cook.