Andrew Wiggins stole the show with his stellar performance on both ends of the floor for the Warriors in Game 1. But don’t sleep on the big contributions from big man Kevon Looney.
After he racked up a career-high 22 rebounds in the Game 6 series clinching win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, Looney played a key role in Wednesday night’s Game 1 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Not only did he go 5-of-5 from the floor for 10 points with five rebounds and four assists, but Looney also spent a decent amount of time guarding Luka Doncic and helping limit him to 20 points.
Former NBA coach and current TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy joined 95.7 The Game with Matt Steinmetz and John Dickinson Thursday to give his impressions of Looney’s defensive effort and what to expect for Game 2. Check out the full interview above.
“I thought Wiggins did a tremendous job as the primary defender on Luka,” Van Gundy said. “The thing I thought was really impressive was Kevon Looney switched on to him about a dozen times in the game and did an outstanding job on him. Luka was able to score a couple of times, but he made it rough on him. There was nothing easy going to the basket. He kept the Golden State defense from being compromised. They didn’t have to bring a second defender and it opened up a lot of other things. I thought Looney was terrific on the defensive end.”
Listed at 6-foot-9, 222 pounds, Looney isn't the most fleet of foot. But he got the job done and continues to prove why he's the Warriors' unsung hero.
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