Is it possible that Andre Iguodala is underrated as a defender?
The 2015 Finals MVP has only been named to an All-Defense team twice -- 2nd-Team in 2010-11 and 1st-Team in 2013-14 (his first season with the Warriors).
In Game 3 against the Cavs, he made the biggest defensive play of the game:
He stripped the ball away from Kevin Love with 2:45 remaining, which ignited a Warriors fastbreak, which led to Steph Curry's 3-pointer to make it 101-97.
In a feature on Iguodala by Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, the 34-year old told a great story:
He said last season a referee came up to him out of the blue and apologized. The referee said he watched film on Iguodala and found about four calls when he whistled Iguodala for a foul.
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But the film showed Iguodala got all ball. The ref was a convert. He believed in Iguodala's magic.
"He said, ‘I went back and looked at them. None of them was fouls,'" Iguodala said. "I was like, ‘I know!' Every time I see him now, he is laughing. He knows I don't be fouling."
Iguodala returned in Game 3 after missing the prior six games because of a knee/leg injury.
He did a really solid job against LeBron James, and told reporters on Thursday that he wasn't expecting to be matched up against LeBron that much.
It's safe to say that Warriors fans are hoping LeBron gets a heavy dose of Iguodala in Game 4.
Many NBA fans may not be aware of just how valuable Iguodala is to Golden State:
Andre Iguodala was +14 in 22 minutes. He had 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist... https://t.co/AZCMd6PQVf— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 7, 2018
It was 92-91 when Andre Iguodala entered the game at the 7:34 mark of the 4th quarter. The Hamptons 5 outscored the Cavs 18-11 to close the game... https://t.co/6V69lHYooI— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 7, 2018
Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller
