Poole continues to play like this, and next season the Warriors will have to renew Poole's contract to take the cash truck. In his first game against the Nuggets in the playoffs, Poole blasted down 30 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists on 9-of-13 shooting. In the second game, he scored 29 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists on 10-of-16 shooting. While the personal data is excellent, the Warriors have won easily, so you say curry should not be used as a substitute for Poole?
Poole scored a total of 59 points in the first two playoff games of his career. He surpassed Curry's 49 points to set a second record in Warriors history, while the first was Chamberlain's 63 points. Poole's outstanding performance also turned the "Splash Brothers" into the brothers of "Splash Tea". With Green's needle-piercing lead, the Warriors' once again domination will become within reach.
Poole in the playoffs has truly mastered Curry's skill pack. Holding the ball to find misplaced singles, running without the ball to find space, appropriate and accurate assists, clean and neat ultra-long-distance three-pointers, Poole's containment on the court has become a major weapon in the Warriors' playoffs. Of course, Curry cannot be replaced in the Warriors, both at the tactical level and at the spiritual level. But Poole has proven himself great in being dubbed "Curry Jr." by fans.
Poole is averaging 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4 assists per game this season, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range. Compared to Curry's two-man attack, Poole's shooting percentage in the sports war can only be considered decent. But free throws can, to some extent, reflect a player's level of effort. Poole has shot 92.5 percent from the free throws this season and is also the most accurate player in the league. Curry's free throw percentage is 92.2%, the second in the league. Better than Curry's free throw, which is inseparable from Poole's private efforts.
Poole has played 76 regular-season games for the Warriors this season, including 51 as a starter and 25 as a bench. As Curry's royal substitute, Poole has become the absolute offensive core of the second team. It is also because of The Poole's presence that the Warriors' bench firepower is less weak. In the 18 games Curry missed due to injury, Poole's scoring average was the highest in the team. What surprised Warriors fans the most was that when Curry and Poole were on the floor at the same time, the Warriors' offensive efficiency value was 126.8, and the defensive efficiency value was as high as 40.3. After watching the performances of Curry and Poole in the playoffs in the first two games, it is difficult not to see this Warriors as a big favorite to win the championship.
Of course, Poole also has its own flaws, that is, the scoring consistency is not high, and the defense is weak. Poole is 1.93m tall and weighs only 89 kilograms, which is a thin point guard, which directly leads to his physical disadvantage. In addition, Poole's athleticism and defensive awareness are average, which makes him easy to be a breakthrough target for opponents on the field. So as long as Pooler is present, Kerr will always be by his side, equipping defensive players such as Wiggins and Cuminga to make up for Poole's lack of defense.
But the Warriors have never been a team known for their defense, they focus on a half-court open offensive system. The so-called half-time open attack is that players constantly create shooting opportunities by moving and passing. There must be at least 4 players on the pitch who can choose the most suitable opportunity to shoot at any location, at any time. This style of play requires a certain amount of space for support, so the more organizers who hold the ball, the more conducive to the creation of space.
When Poole and Curry are on the floor at the same time, they can both organize and attack. Once they form a tacit understanding in the game, they will create more offensive opportunities for the whole team. Coupled with Green, who is organized and defended in the previous set, Klay Thompson, a goalless running sharpshooter, and Wiggins, who has both attack and defense, a set of five small lineups that make opponents shudder is formed.
Compared to Durant's version of the Death Five, Curry + Thompson + Green + Wiggins + Poole's new version of the Death Five is not so perfect. The new version of the Death Five is low in stature and weak in defense. They don't have the explosive point of a steady score at key moments with Durant's super personal ability. Nor is it the defensive oppressiveness that preceded it. But this lineup is better than the understanding of teamwork. According to statistics, during the five small periods of death in the playoffs, the Warriors won by 28 points against the opponent, and the score of 100 rounds was as high as 204 points. Such a warrior vaguely let people see the shadow of the warrior defending the title that year.
The main reason why fans have so much hope for the Warriors to win the championship is that Poole in the playoffs is so good. In both games, Poole averaged 29.5 points, 3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, shooting 66%, 59.2% and 92% from the field, three-point shooting, and free throw shooting. Poole's performance has even overshadowed Thompson and is directly approaching Curry. Any success is a sign, and so is Poole's playoff outburst.
After being selected by the Warriors with the 28th pick in the first round, the unpromising Poole opened his counterattack path. From the ice shooter in his rookie season (29.3 percent shooting from three-point range), to being sent down to play in the development league in the second season, to now becoming the Warriors' third firepower point. Poole's training attitude every season is the best reflection of his own state.
According to Kerr, in the rookie season, Poole is almost the first to train in the gym every day, and Poole devotes all his time and energy to training. This summer, Poole focused on gym training and gained a few pounds of muscle for that. Where you pay, you get what you get. Everything now is what Poole has bought with hard work.
In addition, Poole has been learning and imitating Curry's playing style, and from time to time he will ask Curry questions. Kerr also developed tactics specifically for Poole in the second squad. If Poole's hands are hot, Curry and Thompson also cover up for Poole. Because of the selflessness of the Warriors as stars, they have cultivated the best Poole.
Now Pooler feels that the muscle lines of the upper limbs have changed significantly compared to before. Physical confrontation and aggressiveness have also improved significantly. It was only a matter of time before they eliminated the Nuggets and moved on to the next round. As the game progresses, the Warriors' difficulty of the game is gradually increasing.
The spillover of talent from the Grizzlies and Timberwolves, as well as the rush for rebounding, is no less than the distribution of the Warriors' overall firepower points. The integrity of the Sun's attack and defense, as well as the pelicans' high-altitude advantage in starting the Five Tigers, will also have a strong impact on the Warriors. If the Warriors make it all the way to the Finals, they will face the challenge of the strongest team in the East.
But the challenges are mutual, with a team with a solid core squad popping up with a steady output of ball-holding points. So what is not a challenge for the Warriors' opponents? So the fight for the championship is like this, the opponent is getting stronger at the same time, you are constantly upgrading!