Of course, Stephen Curry’s name is on everyone’s lips today after his legendary Game 4 performance in Boston tonight. But the Warriors would not have left Beantown with a victory in their pocket without the contribution of Andrew Wiggins, on all fronts to help Golden State snatch the win.
All-Star for the first time in his career this season and hyper-valuable in the Playoffs through his contributions on both sides of the court, Wiggs has truly step-up in the most important game of his life, and the most important of the season. for the Warriors. If we had been told one day that Andrew would be the most used player by Steve Kerr in a must-win game in the NBA Finals, we would not have believed it. But tonight, Wiggins spent 43 minutes on the floor of TD Garden, the biggest total side Warriors. 43 minutes to wet the shirt in attack as in defense, he who finished with 17 points but above all 16 rebounds (career record by the way) including three offensive, as well as a +/- of +20. In other words, it was simply essential. We remember Golden State getting puffed up in the paint in Game 3, and we were expecting a similar result tonight when we saw Steve Kerr take Kevon Looney out of the five to bring in Otto Porter Jr. to give more spacing and rhythm on the Dubs’ attack. Results ? The Warriors largely won the rebound battle 55-42 thanks in particular to a defense that was really there, and Andrew Wiggins is clearly at the heart of this beautiful mess.
17 points and 16 rebounds from Wiggins, MONSTER in his register. He was so solid, so precious over 43 minutes of play against monster athletes.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) June 11, 2022
There was a time when Andrew Wiggins was considered a bust, like an overpaid player who makes stats in a vacuum. But that time is now over. Because today, in terms of impact, the number 1 of the 2014 Draft causes very much. And if there is a game that symbolizes the new face of Wiggs since leaving Minnesota to land in the San Francisco Bay Area, this is it. We can obviously cite other performances from him in these 2022 Playoffs, especially against Dallas, or highlight his relatively solid start to the Finals even if his best outings were in defeats. But there, we were treated to all aspects of Andrew’s contribution to the success of this Golden State team. We talked about the rebound, it’s an area in which he has often helped the Warriors but never at such a level. We know his defensive qualities, and he has contributed to this level through his activity. We also know that he can bring a new dimension to Golden State when he is aggressive in attack, this night he once again took responsibility when necessary (7/17 shooting, 2/6 from afar). Winning a must-win game on the move requires soldiers who up their game to make a difference, and Andrew Wiggins fulfilled that role perfectly that night. It was all the more essential as Draymond Green once again struggled, the latter even being benched at some point in the fourth quarter by Steve Kerr. The coach also paid tribute to his player at a post-match press conference.
“Wiggs was fantastic. Against Boston, you have to face Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are so powerful, technical and aggressive. So we needed Wiggs on the pitch, I thought he was great in defence.
Of course, there are 16 rebounds, a career high, and +20 on the game. We needed each of his contributions. »
Constant activity to help the Warriors win a crucial NBA Finals game, that’s what Andrew Wiggins brought tonight. Clearly, the California locker room can also say thank you because in the shadow of Steph Curry, Wiggs has been super valuable. And maybe in ten days, that performance will be remembered as one of the turning points that allowed Golden State to win the series.
Andrew Wiggins tallied 17 points and 16 rebounds in Game 4.
The last @warriors player to have at least 17 PTS & 16 REB in a #NBAFinals game was Nate Thurmond in 1967. #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/tKs9XE4kQp
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) June 11, 2022
