Kevon Looney played through considerable plain in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.
Looney's first costal cartilage fracture originally had the Warriors rule the big man out for the remainder of The Finals, but he suited up for Golden State's 105-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors once it was determined he couldn't make the injury worse. The UCLA product finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds, an assist and the respect of his head coach, even as the Warriors fell into a three-games-to-one hole in the best-of-seven series.
"The ultimate competitor," Steve Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area's Logan Murdock after Game 4. "He has some fractured cartilage in his chest, and he's out there battling ... playing his tail off. I have so much respect for that guy. He's amazing."
Looney scored eight of his 10 points in the first half, but he and the rest of the Warriors struggled as the Raptors seized control of the game in the second half. The four-year veteran was minus-7 in the second half, while eight of his teammates also posted minues over the final two quarters.
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Fellow injured big man DeMarcus Cousins (torn quadriceps) played only 14:48 and visibly labored for his second straight game. Reserve center Andrew Bogut, meanwhile, was a plus-6 in 10:48 off the bench for the Warriors.
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It's hard to imagine Looney playing more than the 20:24 in the Warriors' loss, but it was difficult to envision him playing at all as recently as Thursday morning. Kerr thinks the fact that he did is a testament to his young center, and the Warriors will need him to play through play (at least) once more.
