NEW ORLEANS – The lineup left the Warriors feeling powerful and their opponents feeling fearful. As much as the Warriors’ “Death Lineup” scared opponents with their talent, experience and smarts, however, coach Steve Kerr became scared to use it.
That hesitation stopped, and the move played a major factor in the Warriors finishing with a 119-92 Game 4 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday and cementing a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. It might sound weird given their experience, but Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green all started together for the first time since the 2016-17 season, and the implications yielded reminders of their championship dominance.