After five games of the Western Conference semifinals between the Warriors and the Lakers, variables appeared one after another. The Lakers finally got the best news, Anthony Davis did not have a concussion, would not trigger a concussion protocol, and would definitely play Game 6 if there were no accidents. But the Warriors received bad news: Andrew Wiggins fractured his left rib cartilage and was doubtful.
What is a rib cartilage fracture? If you're any of the memories of the 2019 Finals, you will remember when Warriors center Kevin Looney suffered a fracture of his right rib cartilage and forced his return from injury after a game off. Warriors reporter Slater recalled that although Looney overturned the previous conclusion that "will bid farewell to the season early" and returned that year, he came out with great pain.
Considering that the Warriors, who are trailing 3-2, face a life-and-death battle, Wiggins has a high probability of playing. The question is, will Wiggins' performance be affected at that time? What will the Warriors do if Wiggins can't play his best as Kerr's final hole card?
Wiggins was Cole's last hole card
For the first four games of the series, Wiggins was tepid. No matter how Kerr changes and adjusts tactics, Wiggins has never been a key point for the Warriors against the Lakers. Wiggins was expected to be one of the Warriors' most advantageous points on the line, but in the first four games, Wiggins averaged only 14.8 points per game, shooting 44.7% from the field, and even his normal output was not achieved.
The most obvious is in the second half of Game 4, when the Lakers took the initiative to use Anthony Davis against Wiggins, Kerr did not arrange for Wiggins to cover Curry in large numbers, and Davis, who was pulled to the outside to defend 21 blocks in the first half, only defended 7 blocks in the second half.
But in Game 5, when the Warriors' lives hung in the balance, Kerr finally remembered Wiggins. Under the premise that Anthony Lamb and Kuminga cannot enter the rotation to play the Shocker, Kerr wants to discover the Shocker, and can only find it from the original rotation, and Wiggins is his last hole card.
In Game 5, the Lakers fielded Davis against Wiggins in the opening game, and the Warriors had several changes:
Heavily using Curry and Wiggins' blocking, the opening game took advantage of Curry's unlimited range and gave Wiggins the opportunity to shoot three-point shots from the outside.
Wiggins covered and received a lot of the ball and stormed inside. This is especially critical, the Lakers do not think that Wiggins' handling of the ball after covering can be comparable to Payton Jr. and Chasing Dream, but Wiggins has a stronger ability to attack the basket after he goes down, and he can also split the ball after attracting defense, and Peyton Jr. and Chasing Dream get a lot of opportunities.
Wiggins and Curry play both forward and reverse blocking, the main purpose is to force the Lakers to change defense, let Wiggins play big and small, to attack Schroder and Russell.
In Game 5, the Warriors scored another 50 points in the box. Compared with the 52 points scored in the Warriors box in Game 4, the Warriors' penalty area score seems to be 2 points less, but it should be noted that the Warriors opened the situation in Game 4 by Curry's strong burst, which consumed Curry's physical energy a lot, resulting in his silence in the fourth quarter. But Game 5 The Warriors relied on Wiggins to open the situation inside, and Curry was full of physical strength in the fourth quarter to harvest the game.
After five games, the Warriors have figured out how to move Davis off the basket, and Wiggins is Kerr's last card. Wiggins' injury at this juncture is bad news for the Warriors. If Wiggins' offensive basket and outside shooting feel are affected in Game 6, what should the Warriors do?
Another point is that Wiggins also has to shoulder the responsibility of defending James, and when he faced James, James shot 17 of 39, shooting only 43.6%, 6 of 18 three-pointers, and 8 turnovers. Defensive James needs to withstand a lot of physical contact, can Wiggins, who has a rib cartilage injury, withstand it?
The Warriors need G6 soup
If Wiggins' play suffers, who should the Warriors let fill his void? It seems that Cole can only count on G6 soup to appear as an increment for the Warriors.
In the first two games of the series with the Lakers, Thompson shot 14 of 27 from three-point range, shooting a total of 55 points. But in Games 3 to 5, Thompson shot just 8 of 24 three-pointers, scoring more than 15 points in a game.
However, the Warriors have a lot of confidence in Thompson, because the next game is Game 6, and Thompson has a habit of erupting in Game 6 of the series.
"G6 soup" has become a phenomenal hot spot, and even brings a lot of metaphysical colors. Because this phenomenon cannot be explained at all, no matter how good or bad Thompson's performance in those games before the G6, when he reaches the G6, he always seems to be able to turn on the hidden switch and take his performance to another level, as if it is a realm that is usually difficult to enter, only the G6 can enter.
In Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Rockets in 2019, with Kevin Durant unavailable, Thompson scored 27 points on 7-of-13 three-pointers to help the Warriors win.
In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Warriors and Rockets in 2018, when Durant was not in good shape on 6-of-17 shooting, the Warriors were 2-3 down, Thompson shot 9-of-14 from three-point range to score 35 points and 4 steals, and the plus-minus of +32 points was achieved, and the Warriors dragged the series into a tie-break.
Then came Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals against the Thunder, where the Warriors were also trailing 3-2, and Thompson hit a legendary 11-of-18 three-pointer to score 41 points.
In Game 6 of the 2022 Western Conference semifinals against the Grizzlies, Thompson played 11 of 22 in 42 minutes, including 8 of 14 three-pointers, plus 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, and +14 points per game. When the Warriors were in a critical moment, it was Thompson who gave the Warriors a victory and sent them to the Western Conference Finals.
The Warriors' three-point shooting has not reached their normal level for three consecutive games, Curry has been strictly guarded, Poole is not in good shape, Wiggins is in unclear form, and the Warriors need G6 soup to appear.