BOSTON – The Golden State Warriors will close a five-game road trip this week against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA’s top three teams for 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 passed. Behind the excellence of Stephen Curry, a pair of putbacks from Kevon Looney and a dagger from Buddy Hield, the Warriors closed out a final quarter that featured 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 open 3-pointer off a Curry assist 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’ve got to come make a statement on the road, right? That’s how the basketball world talks. They say if we don’t “You haven’t played against anyone yet, they test you and you have to see if it’s real.”
Much of the hype surrounding Wednesday’s game revolves around Jayson Tatum versus 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, everything 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 put too much stock in it.”
Otherwise, the 2022 NBA finalists got to work on a brilliant basketball game. One point separated them at the start of the fourth quarter. Derrick White’s seventh 3-pointer of the night gave the Celtics a 95-88 lead midway through the final quarter, and then what Hield described as “championship habits” took over. The Warriors scored on their next seven possessions, including Curry’s 10 points in the fourth quarter, to seal the deal.
“Normal Steph,” Looney joked.
It’s too early – and perhaps too far-fetched – to once again consider the Warriors as a serious title contender. Curry is 36 years old. Draymond Green is 34 years old. 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 draft.
Even Curry isn’t aiming for his fifth championship right now. After failing to make the playoffs last season for the third time in five years, he and the Warriors are the first to seek relevance again.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” he said. “A good team, or a relevant team, wins the games they’re supposed to win, steals a couple of road games against good teams and protects their home court. We’ve done those things so far, but we have two more games.” On this road trip, two difficult tests…
“I like where we are, obviously, but there’s a long way to go.”
What made Curry hesitate in that answer was Golden State’s deep rotation, something he described as uncomfortable. He doesn’t know who will contribute every night; he just knows they have to do it.
“Until proven otherwise, that’s how we have to play,” Curry said. “Coach has talked about it until he’s blue in the face. Every practice, every video session, every pregame talk, it’s the same message. It’s who we are now; it’s what we have to be. Obviously, it’s You know how the season. The rotations get tighter.”
It’s working, though, especially on defense. The Warriors held Boston to a season-low 40 points in the first half, sending waves of defenders at the Celtics. Gary Payton II compared Kerr’s 11-man rotation to a line change in hockey. “A lot of fresh legs,” he said, most of which were aimed at Tatum. The Celtics star saw two defenders for most of the night, finishing with 32 points but just two assists and four turnovers. It didn’t help that Boston was without co-star Jaylen Brown, whose hip injury has left him day-to-day.
“Obviously, Boston was without Jaylen Brown and (Kristaps) Porzingis, so this isn’t the best version of their team,” Kerr admitted, “but they’re still very good. It’s a big win in a tough environment.”
Golden State’s defense now ranks second in the NBA behind the Thunder, allowing 103.5 points per 100 possessions. That recipe (strong, energetic defense surrounding Stephen Curry) is a recipe that should win many regular-season games. He has won five in a row. Cleveland and Oklahoma City await him.
“It was a great test,” Curry said from Boston. “We haven’t done anything, but it felt good.”
