Big Splash: Jordan Poole Silences Doubters in Warriors' Game 2 Win

Poole was a halfcourt hero in Game 2, responding to growing outside concerns by permanently placing momentum on Golden State's size.

A guy named Jordan responding to an NBA Finals challenge from Gary Payton? Combine that with a Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup run and you'd think it was 1996 all over again. 

This Jordan, with the surname Poole attached, resides in San Francisco, however, and is chasing his first ring in his first NBA Finals appearance. Poole played a large role in his Golden State Warriors' return to championship contention on Sunday night. Any thoughts of another Boston Celtics comeback in Game 2 of the Finals were drowned by the third-year vet, whose consecutive triples late in the third quarter snapped the will of the Celtics in a 107-88 triumph. 

Poole's night was headlined by 17 points (leading all Golden State reserves) and the latter of his late threes, a Stephen Curry-esque heave from the cusp of halfcourt that fell through the rim and gave the Warriors a commanding 23-point lead entering the final frame, capped off a 35-14 run that opened the second half. 

Concerns lingered around Poole, who was called out by The Glove himself in the lead-up to Game 2. Payton, father of Poole's teammate Gary II, held back no punches when speaking on NBC Sports Bay Area's "Dubs Talk" podcast. 

"Jordan Poole needs to step up a little bit," the elder Payton said. "To me, he hasn't had that Jordan Poole (postseason) he was having since that first round. I think what he needs to do is settle himself down and basically just do him, be comfortable shooting that basketball. To me, I think he's dribbling the ball a little bit too much, turning the ball over, and I think he just needs to calm down and relax. He needs to relax."

To Payton's point, Poole was a team-worst minus-19 in the Game 1 defeat, which saw Boston embark on an 11-2 run to put the 120-108 final away in Poole's final minutes. Poole was also limited to seven shot attempts in the opener and resolved to "look for (his) shot more" in the next match.

"I think the first game, I was trying to get my teammates involved, trying to get them easy looks," Poole said in the postgame aftermath. "(Boston was)  crowding me and they had a lot of attention on me in the non-Steph minutes."

Poole wasn't perfect in the potential series-changing victory...he picked up a team-high three turnovers and shot a total of 6-of-14 from the field...but his time off the bench helped energize the Warriors to a much-needed Game 2 victory.

Appropriately, Poole took Payton's advice and relaxed...and his play allowed the Chase Center crowd to rest with him. He carried over a cold start in the opening half (1-of-5 from the floor) but went 5-of-9 the rest of the way. Stepping for the younger Payton with 1:17 remaining in the third, Poole was a part of the Warriors' final eight points of the half. He assisted on a Kevin Looney lay-up before fateful triples on consecutive possessions sent San Francisco into hysterics. Poole then led Golden State in scoring with eight points in the final quarter, overseeing the Warriors' mop-up affairs.

Curry, he of a game-best 29 points, was happy for Poole...even if it cost him some valuable ground in another championship bout.

"We shoot halfcourt shots (in) every practice, shoot around. We have a little competition going...if you make one during the game, we count it. So he took the lead tonight," Curry said with a smile. "We talk about how we finish quarters and how that momentum can carry over. That was obviously a big shot to get the crowd into it. It put kind of a dagger on that great third quarter that we had."

"I think he was a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more under control tonight. Didn't go his way much early, but then he had that flurry...So (he has to) just continue to find rhythm. He's capable of that."

Game 3 of the Warriors-Celtics series will be held in Boston on Wednesday night (9 p.m. ET, ABC).