The salary cap is the biggest threat to the Warriors' talent. There is a time and a place. Before Game 2 of the NBA Finals, rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody took a moment on the Golden State Warriors bench to soak up the atmosphere. There was a constant reminder of where they were. The NBA Finals logo and Larry O'Brien trophy could be seen on the big screen, on the scorer's table, and on the seats they were sitting in. What do you have to say? Moody asked Kuminga if they had seen the Finals sign. When we run this team, what do you think? While Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were fortifying the Golden State dynasty by winning their fourth championship in eight years and defeating the Boston Celtics, the Warriors were also doing something that has never been done before. Steve Kerr said that the Warriors were raising two NBA lottery picks during this title run and hoping that the championship masterclasses Kerr and his Big Three delivered would leave a permanent mark on the pair. The Warriors' president of basketball operations said that they will have to chart their own course. They are fortunate that they get to see it. "Steph, Klay and Draymond were never given advanced scouting on what the playoffs were like." They had to walk through it. It's great for young guys to just taste it and hopefully crave it. The Larry O'Brien trophy will be won by Kuminga and Moody during the Warriors championship parade in San Francisco. The first rookies to play in the NBA Finals are Kuminga and Moody. Golden State returns a trio of lottery picks in their third season or less, as well as 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who missed this past season because of a knee injury. The tradeoff of losing Thompson to two devastating injuries and Curry to a wrist injury, enduring 50 losses and not making the playoffs for two straight seasons is a championship core and a new generation of lottery talent. Young players will push for more roles next season. Green was unsure if this was the recipe for another championship: a combination of veterans and young first-round picks. "If you look at how championship teams have been built, unless it is a super young team like the Warriors early on that had veterans around us, then you just really haven't seen it before," Green said. We didn't see it work before. The Warriors made it back to the NBA mountaintop after starting the season 27-13, despite being urged to trade their future for more experience. The Warriors will have a pair of lottery picks who will enter their second year with valuable playoff and Finals experience, no matter how little they play. The Warriors' championship DNA goes through Kuminga and Moody. Most people spend their careers chasing that. I need to get to this team and I need to be around these guys. You worry about your career if you are not a loser, because we have a lot of come through this league. You already have that stamp of 'I'm a champion' for them. Everything you do now can be done from a different location. Some people never get what you are not chasing. The Warriors defeated the Celtics to return to the top of the NBA ladder. After Golden State's victory over Boston in six games, champagne can be detected in the hallway of the visitors' locker room. The rookies have never experienced something like this before. Kuminga cradled the trophy in his left arm as the Warriors players went to take pictures. The greatest prize in the sport is held by Moody. The Warriors' grizzled veterans are hoping that this moment isn't lost on the duo they've been trying to raise all season. Two years after Kuminga was born, Iguodala began his pro career. They're supposed to be on college campuses learning about themselves, who they are, what they like, instead of these guys making five-plus million dollars a year. You can lose interest in things. These things can be taken for granted. Iguodala has played in the NBA Finals seven times. He told Kuminga and Moody to record it. With the generation gap, it can be difficult to impart these tips to teens. The teen would start laughing whenever Kuminga walked by. Green said she was 32 and he was 19. It's possible that what I like to do won't be cool to him. Imagine seeing an old head doing something. It's funny because it's so old-school. I feel like he was looking at me because I'm older. You get older. You don't look young. Kuminga has had to be more patient than other lottery players. Kuminga played 8 minutes in the NBA finals. He averaged 9.2 points in 70 regular-season games and 5.1 points in 16 playoffs. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the finals. GS 103, BoS 90 in the sixth game.
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GS 104, BoS 94 in the fifth game.
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The first game was Boston 120 GS108.
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He was a freakish athlete according to Warriors center Kevon Looney, who will be a free agent. He's one of those types of athletes, like the best athletes in the NBA, and guys like LeBron.
In the second round of the playoffs, the 6-foot-7 forward started 12 games and played some key minutes when Green was ejected in Game 1 for a foul and Green needed stitches after being hit in the eye. Kuminga scored 18 points in Golden State's win over Memphis in the third game of the series and 17 points in the Warriors' losses to Memphis and Dallas.
Kuminga didn't get a lot of playing time on non-contenders in the regular season.
Kuminga and Moody have championship experience.
Kuminga said that he doesn't worry about whether they're playing or not. I'm learning as long as I'm here. I know I'll be prepared when my time comes. Everyone here is helping me more than other rookies around the league are.
Moody is the more polished of the two rookies. The shooting guard is learning a lot from Curry and Thompson. He has the next one ahead of him.
Kerr played Moody in the Western Conference finals against Dallas and the guard's 65 minutes were the most in a conference finals by a teenager since Kobe Bryant. Moody saw a total of 10 minutes in the finals. Moody scored 4.2 points in 52 games.
Moody's approach and habits were praised by Curry, who noticed how he worked the same intensity every day even though he wasn't playing much.
Curry said it was amazing to see the result in a short period of time. In the middle of the Western Conference finals, he made an impact.
There's a lot of instability in this league and that's something you'll probably look back on and be proud of. Some people don't have the infrastructure or presence to bring guys like that.
Curry, Thompson and Green sat at the same table in the middle of the plane on their way to Boston.
He appreciated the rareness of the moment. After 10 years on the same team, a trio of All-Stars are still enjoying each other.
"I think they are aware of it," he said. I hope it stays that way. It might register differently with each of them. All of them are different as well. Klay and Draymond are not the same as Stephen. It's almost like a band, that the personality complement each other, and that's how you stay willing to sit next to each other.
It is possible that Kuminga and Moody will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors. They are world champion already.
If you give a pig a pancake, he will want some syrup. You will want something else once I get the title.
Kuminga and Moody will have to wait until the Curry, Thompson and Green era is done running the Warriors.
"Eventually, years from now, they'll pass the baton and see what the other guys can do."
It's a difficult act to follow. It's not easy to follow an act like that, whoever's next in line is trying to carry that baton.
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