Andre Iguodala only spent one season with the Denver Nuggets. Nine years have passed since he played in the Mile High City, but he was still getting boos on Thursday night in the Game 3 first round matchup with the Warriors.
Iguodala had a front row seat to the precursor of the Warriors dynasty in 2013. The Nuggets were bounced in six games by the Mark Jackson-led Dubs in the first round of the playoffs, as 25-year-old Steph Curry, 23-year-old Klay Thompson and 23-year-old Draymond Green picked up their first posteason series win.
“Nine years ago,” Klay said. “I can’t believe it’s been that long. That was a great series. We were so young at the time. Luckily we beat them and we got Andre.”
We all know what’s happened since.
Iguodala joined forces with the Warriors that summer and they went on to build the Dubs Dynasty with three titles and five NBA Finals runs between 2015 and 2019.
Nuggets fans remember it differently. Iguodala reportedly turned down a five-year deal with Denver to join Golden State (for less money, BTW) and coach George Karl was fired after the first-round exit. Karl later accused Iguodala of being a “mole” who told Jackson that the Nuggets were intentionally trying to hurt Curry during the 2013 series.
So, when Iguodala dialed back the clock a decade and soared through the lane for his fourth-quarter dunk on Thursday, he must have felt a little more oomph slamming the ball through the basket.
It marked Iguodala’s lone field goal attempt of the evening. And it came courtesy of Steph’s gravity. After setting a high screen for Curry, two Nuggets defenders went with him to the wing. So Iguodala cut to the hoop and Steph found him wide open in the lane for a classic one-handed hammer.
“The dunk was vintage Andre,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
He also got fouled on the play and knocked down the free throw to put the Warriors up by 3 points with seven minutes remaining. Golden State went on to win 118-113 and is on the brink of a series sweep.
Curry described Iguodala as the team’s "Wizard of Oz" earlier this season. At the 38-years-young, he’s the second-oldest player in the NBA behind the Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem (41).
Father Time has definitely caught up to Iguodala, who used to be one of the game’s most explosive two-way athletes and took part in the 2006 Slam Dunk Contest. He had to sit out Game 2 with neck spasms. Add it to the laundry list of nagging injuries he’s suffered this year, including knee, hip and back issues.
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Iguodala only appeared in 31 contests for the Warriors this season. He’ll probably never put up any eye-popping stat lines anymore, but his defensive versatility and off-the-charts basketball IQ is still valued. He finished with four points, four rebounds and three assists. He almost had an amazing behind-the-back assist in the second quarter but Klay couldn’t knock down the shot.
Though his -8 plus/minus in 16 minutes was a team-worst, Iguodala earned praise from Kerr for helping close out the game.
For the final 20 seconds, Iguodala and Gary Payton II took over for Curry and Jordan Poole as defensive stoppers. With 18 seconds left, he closed out on Nuggets guard Will Barton and blocked his 3-point attempt with an impressive stretch of his right hand. It was the final gasp of air for the Nuggets, as Klay gathered the ball and dribbled out the clock.
“I didn’t think he had any chance,” Kerr said. “Pretty remarkable play that sealed the win.”
He wants to close out his career with Golden State. This could be the last waltz. But it’s 2022 and Andre’s still got it.
