Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made a surprising change in his starting lineup against the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday. He started Andre Iguodala.

Kerr started with a small lineup, replacing Andrew Bogut with Iguodala. The three-time NBA champion coach said he had to tweak his starting five to match up with Rockets superstar Chris Paul and James Harden, revealing that Andre Iguodala will likely be on the floor whenever the two stars are playing.

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He also pointed out that starting Iguodala is not a new thing for him, saying that their best starting lineup in the last three seasons always included the veteran guard. Kerr added that before Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors, Andre Iguodala has been a vital part of their starting five.

“It's been our best lineup for the last three years, it was our best lineup when Harrison Barnes was in the KD slot,” Kerr said via Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. “So you want to have your best lineup against a team like Houston for as many minutes as possible, without wearing guys out.”

The gamble paid off, as the Warriors escape with a 104-100 win in the series opener. Aside from making life difficult for Harden and Paul, Iguodala made an impact on the other end of the floor, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in 34 minutes.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points on top of five rebounds and three assists. Steph Curry posted 18 points and seven rebounds, while Draymond Green and Klay Thompson added 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Warriors, who will look to take a 2-0 lead at home on Tuesday.