BOSTON – The Golden State Warriors conclude a five-game road trip this week against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA’s top three teams over three weeks.
“After that, we’ll know if they’re real,” a Celtics executive admitted before the first of those games.
Consider the first test a success. Behind Stephen Curry’s excellence, a pair of Kevon Looney putbacks and a Buddy Hield dagger, the Warriors finished a fourth quarter with four lead changes. The Warriors’ 118-112 victory improved their record to 7-1, a half-game better than the defending champions.
“It’s a statement,” said Hield, whose wide-open 3-pointer off a feed from Curry gave Golden State a 111-104 lead with 47.2 seconds left. “If we don’t win this game, everyone will say, ‘Oh, they didn’t play anyone.’ So you have to come make a statement along the way, right? That’s how the basketball world talks. They say if you haven’t played against someone yet, you’re put to the test and see if it’s real.
Much of the hype surrounding Wednesday’s game pitted Jayson Tatum against Steve Kerr, as if the Celtics star could send a message to the Warriors coach. Kerr benched Tatum for two games at the Paris Olympics. You wouldn’t have known it — at least after the TD Garden crowd booed Kerr’s pregame introduction.
“From the beginning, the whole thing was, ‘We’re in this together. We have 12 Hall of Famers and we’re committed to winning,’” Kerr said. “And we won the gold medal, so I don’t think about it much.”
Otherwise, the 2022 NBA finalists went to work in a brilliant basketball game. One point separated them to start the fourth quarter. Derrick White’s seventh 3 of the night gave the Celtics a 95-88 lead midway through the final frame, before what Hield described as “championship habits” took over. The Warriors scored on their next seven possessions, including all 10 of Curry’s points in the fourth quarter, to seal the deal.
“Normal Steph,” Looney joked.
It’s too early – and perhaps too far-fetched – to consider the Warriors as a serious title contender again. Curry is 36 years old. Draymond Green is 34. Klay Thompson is gone, and in his place is a collection of talented players, none of whom are future Hall of Famers, most of whom Kerr is still trying to figure out.
Even Curry isn’t aiming for his fifth championship right now. After failing to make the playoffs for the third time in five years last season, he and the Warriors are once again looking for relevance first.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” he said. “A good team, or a relevant team, wins the games they should win, steals a few along the way against good teams and protects the home court. We’ve done those things so far, but we still have two games left. during this road trip – two tough tests…
“I obviously like where we are now, but there is still a long way to go.”
What gave Curry pause in that response was Golden State’s deep rotation, something he described as uncomfortable. He doesn’t know who will contribute each night; he just knows he has to.
“Until proven otherwise, that’s how we have to play,” Curry said. “The coach talked about it until he was blue in the face. Every practice, every film session, every pregame talk, it’s the same message. It’s who we are now; it’s who we need to be. You know it clearly when it The season continues, the rotations become tighter.”
It works though, especially on defense. The Warriors held Boston to a career-low 40 points in the first half of the season, bringing waves of defensemen to the Celtics. Gary Payton II compared Kerr’s 11-man rotation to a line change in hockey. “Lots of fresh legs,” he said, most of which were aimed at Tatum. The Celtics star saw two defensemen for most of the evening and finished with 32 points, but only two assists to four turnovers. It didn’t help that Boston was without fellow star Jaylen Brown, whose hip injury is a day-to-day issue for him.
“It’s clear that Boston without Jaylen Brown and… [Kristaps] Porzingis, so this isn’t the best version of their team,” Kerr admitted, “but they’re still damn good. It’s a great win in a difficult environment.”
Golden State’s defense now ranks second in the NBA behind the Thunder, allowing 103.5 points per 100 possessions. That recipe – stout defense, full of energy, around a guy named Stephen Curry – is one that should win a lot of regular-season games. It has won five in a row. Cleveland and Oklahoma City await.
“It was a great test,” Curry said from Boston. “We didn’t do anything, but it felt good.”
