Nicknamed the 'tone-setter', the Australian-born Warriors big man Andrew Bogut demonstrated a strong defensive play especially with his impressive and furious Game 2 defense in the finals that exacted a 33-point defeat (110-77) on the Cavs.
The seven-footer exhibited such strong defensive presence on the hardcourt including five blocks with four in the first quarter. Bogut's gameplay function is to defend the basket and set the defensive mood.
"I've got to protect the basket. If I'm not protecting that basket, and I'm not imposing myself in the paint - especially defensively - then I'm coming out of the game pretty quickly," Bogut said as quoted by Fox Sports after their Game 2 win over Cleveland.
In Game 2, Bogut started the block party first with Kevin Love's layup attempt. Then he two more blocks that prevented LeBron James and Tristan Thompson from scoring. His last block in the first quarter was against Love which sent the Oracle Arena in a roaring frenzy.
When quizzed whether he redeemed himself after his strong Finals performance, the Warriors center said that there is still a 'long way to go.' During last year's title run, Bogut was removed from the starting lineup and did not even get some hardcourt minutes in the last two games on the way to Golden State's first championship title in 42 years. This time though, the center has seen more active gameplay which helped the Warriors sweep the Cavs in the first two games of the series.
"I think at times last season I was just out there, and I wasn't aggressive or kind of making my presence known out there," Bogut said as quoted by San Jose Mercury News. "Whether it's 10 minutes or 30 minutes, I'm just being out there hitting guys, banging guys around, blocking shots, being physical, taking hard fouls, rebounding, doing those things."
Meanwhile, Bogut blasted critics who are calling Kevin Love 'soft' after the Cavs player got into a concussion. The Warriors center himself went through his own concussion ordeal earlier in the regular season.
"There's probably people calling Kevin Love soft and those people are idiots. You don't mess around with the brain. You can be a hero now in the NBA Finals in 2016, and in 2021 you will be sucking food through a straw," Bogut said as quoted by ESPN. "And you won't give a [expletive] about what you did in 2016."
