Back off the bench, Jordan Poole’s playmaking lifts Warriors to
thrilling win in Memphis
Western Conference semi-finals: Jordan Poole was the star off the bench
in Golden State Warriors' road win against Memphis Grizzlies
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3)
dribbles against Memphis Grizzlies’ John Konchar (46) in the second
quarter of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round playoff
series at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1, 2022.
(Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3)
dribbles against Memphis Grizzlies’ John Konchar (46) in the second
quarter of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round playoff
series at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1, 2022.
(Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 1, 2022 at 6:31 p.m. | UPDATED: May 1, 2022 at 6:47 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/01/back-off-the-bench-jordan-pooles-playmaking-lifts-warriors-to-thrilling-win-in-memphis/

MEMPHIS — For the first time in these playoffs, Jordan Poole began the
game from the bench.

The bench is not an unfamiliar place for the 22-year-old guard. He
bounced between the starting lineup and reserve role during the season
as the Warriors juggled Klay Thompson’s return and Steph Curry’s injury.

And while flip-flopping can take its toll on a young talent like Poole,
he was the star in the Warrior’s thrilling 117-116 win on the road
against the Grizzlies in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

“Jordan was phenomenal,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s amazing to have a
second playmaker next to Steph or in place of Steph when he goes to the
bench.”

Down as many as 13 points to Memphis with Draymond Green ejected due to
a flagrant two foul before halftime, Poole led Golden State back into
the light with a team-high 31 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Finding lanes to the rim past Ja Morant and an imperfect Grizzlies
interior defense playing small, pulling up fearlessly from 3-point land,
Poole’s 17 second-half points were some of the Warriors’ most important
in their second half comeback. Not bad for a bench guy.

“I’m just playing,” Poole said. “I know it’s pretty important, the way
you start the second half. Go out and do what we need to do and get in
rhythm.”

Poole was working in perfect rhythm, not only in finding his spots to
score but distributing the ball and playing aggressive on the boards. He
scored four times in a crucial third quarter in which the Warriors found
their rhythm and a lead — twice on finger-roll layups that exposed the
Grizzlies’ interior defense and twice from 3. He scored three times in
the fourth quarter, including two lay-ups that helped extend a
precocious Warriors’ lead mid-way through the final frame.

Most importantly, Poole stepped up into playmaking duties the minute
Green was ejected. He was zipping dimes into the paint to cutters and
for easy dunks and fed his fellow guards, Curry and Thompson, to keep
the offensive engine moving — he had four assists in the fourth quarter.

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117-116 in NBA playoffs

“Jordan has developed such a great floor game,” Thompson said. “He made
some huge shots, deep shots too. With him and Steph in the lineup, they
can both play off ball and handle the ball and occupy the defense by
coming off screens. We needed everything from everyone tonight. It was a
gutsy win.”

A playoff newbie next to Curry and Thompson, Poole is proving each game
that he’s one of them.

“Sample size isn’t that big. Every game is an opportunity to keep
growing,” Curry said. “That’s what we talked about coming into these
playoffs, peaking at the right time. We have to figure it out on the fly
with this particular group that hasn’t been together for long.”

With this group, Poole knows adjusting on the fly may have him off the
bench sometimes. Against a shifty, athletic star in Morant, the Warriors
opted to go defense-first and start Gary Payton II over Poole. Payton II
is one of a handful of NBA players that can help contain Morant — and
his performance against the young Memphis guard on Sunday may lead to
more starts for Payton in this series.

It’s all good with Poole.

“It’s the playoffs,” Poole said. “Whatever coach wants to do help win
games just to close it. Being able to trust every single person from the
top of the line down to the bottom. It was really amazing.”

That a restricted Curry himself started — and dominated — off the bench
in four of the Warriors’ five games against Denver made the lineup
conversation between the Warriors’ coaching staff and Poole “really
easy,” Kerr said.

“If Steph Curry can come off the bench, anyone can come off the bench,”
Kerr said.

--
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter