NBA Finals: Warriors’ Kevon Looney ready for rebound duty if Curry,
Thompson off the mark
Is the Warriors' Kevon Looney ready to deliver another late-series surge
of rebounds in the NBA Finals?
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney
(5) defends against Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart (36) in the first
quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on
Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney
(5) defends against Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart (36) in the first
quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on
Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By CAM INMAN | cinman@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 13, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. | UPDATED: June 13, 2022 at 8:06 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/13/nba-finals-warriors-kevon-looney-ready-if-curry-thompson-off-the-mark/

SAN FRANCISCO — How do you become an elite rebounder when two of your
teammates are among the NBA’s best shooters ever?

Kevon Looney is showing how in these playoffs and now the NBA Finals.

“I’ve kind of got it down to a science,” Looney said ahead of Monday’s
Game 5 against the Celtics.

Thanks to years of up-close viewing when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson
shoot, Looney’s learned how to position his body, use his strengths and
anticipate how the ball might bounce his way.

“It’s from getting used to where Steph’s going to shoot it from, where
Klay’s going to shoot it from, and how their misses are going to come
off (the rim),” Looney said. “It definitely comes from experience, just
playing with them for such a long time, knowing what spots they like to
get to.”

How Curry and Thompson shoot likely will determine if the Warriors will
win their fourth NBA championship. How Looney rebounds their misses —
and those of the Celtics and other Warriors — is also greatly factoring
into the equation.

Looney is coming off an 11-rebound effort in the Warriors’ Game 4 win
Friday in Boston, where they evened the series at 2-2.

He came through with 18 rebounds in Game 5 of the Western Conference
finals, when the Warriors finished off the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.

And he had 22 rebounds when the Warriors eliminated the Memphis
Grizzlies in Game 6 of the conference semis.

Looney’s career ascent has been a hot topic, and he’s been arguably the
best supporting actor in this playoff cast, where Curry remains the
marquee headliner and Thompson the sentimental comeback hero.

Looney’s 6-foot-9 frame has shown a propensity to anticipate where their
shots and others might veer off the mark.

“They’re some of the greatest shooters ever, so they’re not going to
have a lot of bad misses,” Looney said. “So it’s just knowing where
their misses are going to go to, knowing when Steph is going to drive
and shoot a step-back.

“You just learn from watching and playing with them. You get a great
feel for how things are going to go. It helps me with offensive rebounds
and knowing when I should attack.”

What’s it like to know when Curry is dead-on accurate, like his 43-point
barrage in Friday’s Game 4 win at Boston?

“I know Steph’s going to make it so I don’t have to go (to the boards)
sometimes,” Looney added. “A lot of times he gives you a hint, because
he just turns around before it goes in. Usually when he does that, it
goes in.”

Looney has played in every game on the schedule, a total of 102 that
leads all NBA players this season. He started the first three games of
the Finals before sliding to the bench Friday night, though he saw more
playing time in Game 4 than in Game 3.

Kerr wouldn’t say if Looney will start or come off the bench for more
grunt work Monday night.

“Part of this series for us, and part of the whole playoffs, frankly,
has been trying to figure out rotations,” Kerr said. “We didn’t have our
whole team together until Game 1 of the Denver series, and then Gary
(Payton) got hurt. Andre (Iguodala) got hurt. So it feels like almost
every series, we have had to search a little bit for combinations and
for substitution patterns.”

The Celtics are looking to go 8-0 following a loss in these playoffs.

Looney is expecting another physical battle in the paint.

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“It’s physical down there,” Looney said. “I usually hit first. But a lot
of times this series I’ve been getting hit first. They do a great job.
Sometimes I’ve got the ball and the guards come in and dig it out. It’s
been real physical.”

“… We are both great teams, and I think we both have been showing that
all year, that whenever you lose or get punched in the mouth, we always
come back and impose our will. We have to protect home court, and we
know what they are built of and made of. We know they are not going to
lay down.”

You know what else Looney knows? Where the ball might go when it isn’t
bouncing the Warriors’ way through the net in case Curry or Thompson,
you know, miss.

--
Cam Inman | San Francisco 49ers reporter
Cam Inman joined the Bay Area News Group in 1995, specializing in the
49ers and NFL since 2000.