SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr probably could have kept Jordan Poole on the bench for the final 79 seconds of the third quarter on Sunday night. No one would have questioned his decision to keep Poole sidelined with the way he started out Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Poole probably entered the evening feeling unprecedented weight on his 22-year-old shoulders. That’s what happens when you raise expectations but only score nine points in your Finals debut. Surely, Poole wanted to start off hot, but the basketball gods told him it wasn’t his time yet.
Poole was limited to just nine minutes and three points on 1-of-5 shooting in the first half. He had an ugly start to the second quarter, when he visibly got frustrated after he thought he got fouled on a 3-point attempt. He then got blocked by Derrick White and Daniel Theis on two separate drives as the frustrations started to boil. Kerr eventually had to pull the plug on Poole’s stint after he committed an offensive foul kicking out his leg with 8:11 left in the second quarter.
So Poole sat and stewed on the bench. Halftime came and went. On the bench he remained for most of the third quarter while the Steph Curry and the Warriors ran away with the game.
Then he got the call from Kerr and went on a one-man flurry to end the third quarter. He initiated his first possession back on the floor and dished an assist to Kevon Looney to get the blood flowing. Poole knocked down a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to get the lid off the hoop. Then he damn near took the lid off Chase Center with his buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter from near halfcourt.
It wouldn't have been a proper Poole bucket unless he added some sauce with his dribble before. He also knew it was going in before it touched the twine. Straight swish from 39 feet out.
"We talked about it in shoot-around a couple days ago," Poole said, "somebody was going to hit a halfcourt shot in this series, whether it was me or Steph. I just happened to hit it."
Curry clearly didn't mind being second in this competition. The two sharpshooters shared a hearty embrace on the court while the crowd went wild. Earlier in the week, Steph and Klay Thompson offered advice to Poole after his underwhelming Game 1.
Poole’s bucket served as the exclamation point of the Warriors’ 107-88 win that evened the series and let the entire Bay Area breathe a sigh of relief. There wasn’t going to be a fourth-quarter collapse on Sunday night.
There have been some loud eruptions at Chase Center this season, but the roar that ensued after the bucket ranked up there with the best of ‘em. An absolutely monumental release for Poole and Dub Nation collectively. In the first six quarters of his Finals career, Poole only had 12 points and five turnovers to show for it.
Kerr is known for keeping a pulse on his players’ emotions and keeping them involved in the game. Poole’s confidence might have eroded if he stayed glued to the bench until garbage time, but he’s got to feel good about getting back into a groove Sunday night.
Kerr also decided to let Poole play the entire fourth quarter as he continued to get the kinks out. By the end of the night, Poole finished with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 5-of-9 from 3-point land. The Warriors were leading by 16 when he got in to the game, but Poole helped the Dubs leave no doubt.
"Jordan is still a very young player, learning on the fly, but he's had such a great season," Kerr said. "He's so talented and confident that I have a lot of faith that he'll figure this out, and I thought tonight he did a good job of finding his way."
Confidence has never been an issue for Poole, who has repeatedly overcome obstacles on his way to burgeoning stardom. The No. 28 pick out of Michigan in 2019, Poole worked through an abysmal rookie season, when he shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and 27.9 percent from beyond the arc. His sophomore season, Poole shuttled back and forth between the NBA and the G League before latching on for the final stretch of the season.
Poole has been ascending ever since.
Sure, there is a lot for Poole to improve upon, but Sunday’s performance should provide a release and some relief for Dub Nation heading into Wednesday’s Game 3 at Boston.
"He never wavered," Draymond Green said. "That's important. When you're playing against a tough defensive team like that, sometimes it's going to be hard for a while and you just have to stay the course and get that breakthrough. He stayed the course and he didn't start forcing things. He continued to play within the offense, and then things started going his way a little bit."
