Looney delivers classic performance in Warriors’ win over Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
BOSTON – When all is said and done, the legends of the warriors He will always be remembered at Chase Center. There will be t-shirts raised to the rafters and statues cemented in for all to appreciate.
Steph Curry, of course, will be front and center. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be at his side. Kevin Durant will be honored, as will coach Steve Kerr. Andre Iguodala and others also have strong arguments.
The term “star” or even “superstar” has become an oversaturated nickname in all sports, including the NBA. But the Warriors during the dynasty had stars and superstars alike. During his most recent title run, a cult hero emerged in Kevin Looney.
Social media wasn’t going to be filled with highlights of Looney’s dunks or him stepping back and lighting a fire from deep. His heart often exceeds his stats. But in the 2022 playoffs, Looney’s monster rebounding performances had fans, teammates and coaches calling for an encore.
Back in Boston for a battle between two of the NBA’s best teams this season, Looney’s performance at the TD Garden in the Warriors victory 118-112 Wednesday night against the Celtics reminded many of his game three seasons ago, when the selfless center celebrated by preparing for another championship ring.
“It reminds me a lot of every great moment he’s been a part of to help us win at the highest level,” Curry said after the win. “That whole run in the 2022 playoffs and the last two years there have been moments where he has made enormous contributions.
“I’m very happy for him because he is being rewarded for the work he put in during the offseason to improve his body. He is moving well and can still be physical. And he’s just super smart. He knows where to be at all times and plays positional basketball.”
Coming off the bench for the eighth straight game to start the season, Looney came out on top early with three offensive rebounds in the first quarter. Where the veteran’s reliability now in his tenth NBA season (all with the Warriors) was most pertinent was in the fourth quarter to prevent the Celtics’ second-half comeback.
Looney played seven minutes and 38 seconds in the fourth quarter and was a plus-10 as the Warriors outscored the Celtics by five points in the fourth quarter for their biggest win yet. He scored six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting and, as always, his greatest presence was felt on the glass as he captured four rebounds, three of them on offense.
In a 42-second span from the 1:50 mark in the fourth quarter when the Warriors led by two, to the 1:08 mark when their lead was four, Looney was all over the place, making a key contribution after other. .
Looney arrived first, perfectly reading a three-point attempt by Draymond Green that fell very short. While the ball was in flight, Looney ran past Jrue Holiday and grabbed the ball away from 7-foot Neemias Queta and immediately picked it up again with his left hand for two huge points.
On the Warriors’ next offensive possession, Looney followed Curry going to the basket, caught his failed layup attempt and in an instant was again there to score two points to extend the Warriors’ lead to four points before then contesting a Jayson Tatum’s jumper in the other. side.
Since joining the Warriors exactly four months ago, Buddy Hield has learned what everyone around Looney has witnessed over the past decade.
“He’s so selfless,” Hield said. “The big guys want to score, they want to put the ball in the basket and he doesn’t argue when the point guards take their rebounds. He’s just the best teammate, man. You love playing with him. “He sets screens, he rolls… he’s just the guy you need and he’s always on time.”
A staunch Looney defender since the Warriors drafted him, Kerr called his two putbacks “perhaps the two most important shots of the game.”
“I thought his minutes were huge down the stretch,” he continued.
All offseason, the talk surrounding Looney once the Warriors guaranteed his contract was about the possibility of him extending his game to the 3-point line, as well as losing more than 15 pounds compared to the last season. So far he has yet to attempt a three-pointer, but his most mobile version remains a rebounding machine.
Looney has 10 rebounds in two straight games and has reached double figures in half of the Warriors’ games. Even though his minutes have dropped to 16.2 per game, his rebounds have increased to 8.4 per game and more than half of his 67 total rebounds have come on the offensive side of the ball.
“It kind of changed the way I approach offensive rebounding,” Looney said of his leaner frame. “For the last two years I was able to just push people. “He was a little bit stronger and could just push guys around.”
The preseason gave Looney a chance to figure out what’s best for him in terms of using his speed or leaning more toward physicality.
“I’m trying to find that combination of doing both, depending on who’s guarding me, what center I’m facing, and I’ve been finding that out lately,” he said.
Every possession, every opportunity matters in the NBA. The Warriors made two more shots than the Celtics, had three more offensive rebounds than them, and outrebounded the defending champions by seven. That’s because Looney constantly generates positive energy.
If heroes are remembered but legends never die, cult heroes have their own unrecognized category that the winners understand and can feel more than anyone else. Count Looney as part of the lot.
“Loon is a winner,” Kerr said. “Anything you need, he’s there for you.”
