Looney delivers standout performance in Warriors win over Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOSTON – Ultimately, the legends of the Warriors will forever be remembered at Chase Center. Sweaters will be hoisted from the rafters and statues will be cemented for all to cherish.

Steph Curry will of course take center stage. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be by 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 name in all sports, including the NBA. But the Warriors during the dynasty had both stars and superstars. Their most recent title run saw a cult hero emerge in Kevon Looney.

Social media wouldn’t be filled with Looney dunk highlights or him taking a step back and catching fire from deep. His heart is often at the top of his statistics. But in the 2022 playoffs, Looney’s monstrous performance had fans, teammates and coaches asking for an encore.

Back in Boston for a battle between two of the NBA’s best teams this season, Looney’s performance at TD Garden in the Warriors’ 118-112 win Wednesday night against the Celtics reminded many of his play three seasons ago, when the selfless center partied fourth by adapting. for another championship ring.

“It’s very reminiscent of every big moment he was a part of to help us win at the highest level,” Curry said after the win. “That whole playoff run of ’22, and over the last two years, there have been times where he has made a huge contribution.

“I’m so happy for him that he’s getting rewarded for the work he put in this offseason to get his body right. He moves well and can still be physical. And he’s just super smart. He always knows where to be and plays positional basketball.”

Looney came off the bench for the eighth straight game to start the season and asserted himself early with three offensive rebounds in the first quarter. Where the veteran’s reliability was most relevant now in his tenth NBA season (all of which came with the Warriors), the fourth quarter was a second-half comeback by the Celtics.

Looney played seven minutes, 38 seconds in the fourth quarter and was a plus-10 as the Warriors outscored the Celtics by five points in the final frame for their biggest win yet. He scored six points on perfect 3-for-3 shooting, and as always, his biggest presence was felt on the glass, pulling down four rebounds, three of which came on offense.

In the span of 42 seconds from the 1:50 mark of the fourth quarter, when the Warriors led by two, through the 1:08 mark when their lead was four, Looney was all over the place, making clutch contribution after clutch contribution after the other. .

First came Looney, who perfectly read a three-point attempt by Draymond Green that fell far short. With the ball in flight, Looney moved past Jrue Holiday and took the ball away from the 7-foot-2 Neemias Queta, then immediately put it back up with his left hand for two huge points.

On the Warriors’ next offensive possession, Looney tracked Curry as he went to the basket, caught his missed layup attempt and was back in for two points in the blink of an eye to extend the Warriors’ lead to four points before he then contested a Jayson Tatum jumper at the other end. side.

Since coming to the Warriors exactly four months ago, Buddy Hield has learned what everyone around Looney has seen over the past decade.

“He’s just so unselfish,” Hield said. “Bigs want to score, they want to put the ball in the basket, and he doesn’t argue when guards catch his rebounds. He’s just the ultimate teammate, man. You like playing with him. He sets screens, he rolls… he’s just someone you need and he’s always on time.”

A staunch Looney defender since the Warriors drafted him, Kerr called his two setbacks “arguably the two biggest shots of the game.”

“I thought his minutes were just huge,” he continued.

All offseason, the talk surrounding Looney, when the Warriors guaranteed his contract, was about him possibly expanding his game to the three-point line, and losing more than 15 pounds from last season. So far he has yet to attempt a three, but the more mobile version of himself remains a rebound machine.

Looney has 10 rebounds in two straight games and has reached double figures in half of the Warriors’ games. Despite his minutes dropping to 16.2 per game, his rebounds have increased to 8.4 per game, and more than half of his 67 total rebounds have been on the offensive side of the ball.

“It’s changed my approach a little bit to how I handle offensive rebounds,” Looney said of his slimmer frame. “The last few years I’ve been able to do more, just push people around. I was a little stronger and could just push guys.”

The preseason gave Looney a chance to figure out what’s best for him in terms of using his speed or leaning more on physicality.

“I’m trying to find that combination of doing both, depending on who’s guarding me, which center I’m competing against, and I’ve been figuring it out lately,” he said.

Every possession, every opportunity matters in the NBA. The Warriors took two more shots than the Celtics, had three more offensive rebounds than them and outscored the defending champions by seven. This is due to the fact that Looney constantly generates positive energy.

If heroes are remembered but legends never die, cult heroes have their own unsung category that winners understand and can feel better than anyone else. Count Looney as part of the lot.

“Loon is a winner,” Kerr said. “Whatever you need, he is there for you.”

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