As Damian Lillard dribbled the ball with the fourth-quarter game clock ticking below 10 seconds and the Portland Trail Blazers trailing by three, Andre Iguodala knew what he had to do. Lillard might be more comfortable making deep, contested three-pointers than any player in the NBA, as he's made abundantly clear this postseason, and the Golden State Warriors veteran made sure he wouldn't have the chance to pull off his signature shot as the game hung in the balance.

When Lillard began attacking left, ostensibly going for a pull-up three, Iguodala slapped at the ball, briefly jostling it from his opponent's grasp. Lillard recovered the ball immediately thereafter and rose to shoot, but Iguodala was there again, this time stripping Portland's superstar on his way up to secure a thrilling 114-111 victory for Golden State in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

When asked about that game-saving sequence in the locker room, Iguodala acknowledged the risk of going for a steal behind the arc with his team up three points, alluding to a similar situation when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers that resulted in a foul call.

So modest.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Ron Holland, Tristan da Silva and Kyle Filipowski

Shervon Fakhimi ·

Stephen Curry, Warriors, Curry Warriors, NBA playoffs, Curry clutch

Jackson Stone ·

Warriors' Stephen Curry with Clutch Player of the Year award

Brett Siegel ·

While past failed execution of a steal attempt in the same scenario is what came to mind for Iguodala, his defensive heroics on Thursday night no doubt reminded many viewers of another successful one more recently. Remember in the waning moments of Game 3 of the 2017 Finals, when he stripped LeBron James from the near corner as Golden State clung to a three-point lead?

Iguodala surely does. Like many professional athletes, though, it's apparently the sting of failure that stays with him longer than the thrill of success.