Game 1 between the Nuggets and Warriors will be remembered as Jordan Poole’s coming out party, if it’s remembered for anything at all.
In his playoff debut, Golden State’s third-most important player (sincere apologies to Klay Thompson) exploded for 30 points on just 13 shots. He nailed five threes and attacked the basket on speedy drives and cuts, elevating the sport’s most aesthetically pleasing system as it simultaneously propped him up. Denver had no answer for Poole, who, since March 1, averaged 24.7 points and 5.4 assists while making 41.9% of his 9.7 (!) threes per game. In other words, he’s been an All-Star.
But Game 1 also kicked off something even more important: the most complex, highbrow individual matchup in basketball, a confrontation between two brilliant forces of nature who hadn’t competed against each other in 358 days: Nikola Jokić (the best offensive player in the world) vs. Draymond Green (the best defensive player in the world). The chess match between these two helped dictate Saturday night’s outcome, and may even decide the series. It’s significant in ways both subtle and apparent. Strategic scaffolding.
