Jordan Poole wasn’t his usual self in Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics. Stephen Curry knows the Warriors will need more from the explosive guard on Sunday’s Gm2.
Poole, who averages 17.8 points this postseason for the Warriors, was limited to nine points in Gm 1 of the Finals. He had a hard time getting into the paint and Jaylen Brown, who was the primary defender on him, did not allow him to get “clean” looks.
“Be yourself,” Curry said on his message to Poole. “I guess feel what you — remember what it felt like in terms of your adrenaline and your emotions coming out in the game to try to get yourself asserted.
Maybe slow down just a little bit to see the pictures a little bit better.”
Poole was a minus-19 in Gm1 and a considerable liability on defense, where Jaylen Brown was constantly attacking him in different ways, either by going into the paint or shooting the ball from the mid-range. Curry explains what he expects to see in Gm2.
“He doesn’t have to change anything about the way he plays or the way he attacks or where he feels the most confident in terms of making an impact on the game. You just have to be able to bottle up those emotions and the adrenaline because it is different.”
The Warriors will need to do better in controlling the game and playing at their pace without letting Boston having easy buckets on the other end. Poole can make backbreaking plays and stop the opponent from making a run in the offensive end.
Veteran forward Andre Iguodala did his due to diligence to discuss with Poole ahead of the Sunday’s clash. Iguodala admitted he loves to work with young guys that want to learn and evolve their game.
“We were just talking about certain situations and how we can mitigate some things that may be thrown at us and how we can adjust to different looks they may throw at us” Iguodala pointed out.
“He’s watching a lot of film, and he’s trying to learn as much as he can. So, you love to see that from a young guy,” Iguodala stated.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is on Sunday night at Chase Center, San Francisco. The Celtics are up 1-0 after beating the Warriors 120-110 in Gm1.
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