Golden State Warriors of America basketball club’s Nigerian-born star, Andre Iguodala brushed off fitness issues to help his team bounce back into reckoning against Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
After losing Game 1 in the Canadian city of Toronto last Thursday, The Warriors called upon Iguodala to play through the pain barrier in the crucial second game of the series at the same venue, and the veteran player did not disappoint, even as he was left panting at intervals.
Megasportsarena.com reports that Iguodala turned out to be just the right man to rally Golden State back to winning ways on Sunday night, despite his fitness issues, looked allergic to the rim and had missed his last 11 three-pointers.
However, Iguodala rose to the occasion, as he added to his personal play-off lore with a clinching triple in the face of frenzy, and Golden State Warriors quietly notched a grinding 109-104 victory on the road in a hostile environment to tie the NBA Finals with The Raptors.
It was tight yet massive result for a team that is loud in everything it has accomplished over this half-decade, with lots of props going to Iguodala, who was a lot more majestic during the second half of the game, going on toe release a huge three-pointer that sealed the game Sunday night.
A citation read: The Warriors could put Iguodala in a cryogenic chamber from October to April, thaw him out in May to keep him ready for June, pay his full salary, and he would still be worth every penny.
The two-time defending champions were not in a dire situation, but falling behind two games would’ve been uncharted territory in a journey that’s faced more adversity than anyone is willing to admit.
The Warriors have churned out some gritty, gutsy wins that have taken their toll through the years, and it could’ve very well caught up with them had their final five minutes resulted in disaster before Iguodala’s triple polished off one of the best Golden State wins of this era.
The nerves many feel Iguodala should have in those final seconds exist only in the pre-game for him, but once the games matter, he is on, and more so when facing a new challenge.
The last possession itself was a mark of championship smarts in the face of desperation, often teetering perilously close to the edge and thrive on for The Warriors — who led 106-94 with 5:39 left in the fourth.
They did not call timeout after Danny Green’s triple pulled The Raptors to 106-104, closer to an improbable comeback with 26.9 seconds left, and the Scotiabank Arena home support pressing itself into delirium at the prospect of pressuring The Warriors into a collapse.
The Warriors waited to make sure the Raptors weren’t fouling, and whipped the ball around before Shaun Livingston turned into what Green called “Megatron,” by snaring a pass that was nearly intercepted by Kawhi Leonard, and there was Iguodala waiting pounce.
Instead of letting the Raptors foul him, he confidently unleashed the triple that resulted in Stephen Curry’s hands raising to the heavens and sending a few words to the Raptors bench on the way to the sideline.
After getting the deed done, he was quickly ready to go home and nurse his ailing leg injuries, and Golden State fans remembered he was not fit.
The Nigerian-born player, who said, “I actually feel great,” was loaded with ice bags after the game, and his young daughter was asking him in the tunnel following the win: “Why are you beat up?”
Iguodala said: “I got my head knocked off, kind of woke me up a little bit. Got a little edge after that. You got to win the game. It’s a mindset.”
