May 20, 2022Updated: May 20, 2022 8:49 p.m.
Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a dunk with teammates at the end of the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Two of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals at Chase Center on May 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney has been playing on another level in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
In Wednesday night’s Game 1’s win, he made all five of his field goal attempts, grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. He followed that up with a gaudy Game 2 statline on Friday night: 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10-14 shooting from the field. The 21 points were a career high (regular or postseason), and, according to StatMuse, he became the first Warriors center since Robert Parish in 1977 to have 20 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game.
In 1977, “Star Wars” was released, Jimmy Carter was just four months into his presidency, and Jerry Brown was governor of California. (OK, maybe that last factoid makes it feel not that long ago.)
Looney has been so good down the stretch he even received “MVP” chants from the Chase Center crowd while shooting free throws during the third quarter. The center saw extended minutes in the second half after his teammate Draymond Green got into foul trouble.
Green recorded his fifth foul midway through the third quarter, and fouled out with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Looney returned to action and grabbed two massive defensive rebounds late.
The Warriors are up 2-0 in the series, and Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday night.
