Warriors no longer enjoy favoured playoffs status

Stephen Curry on OAKLAND, CALIF. the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. Coach Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who’s available through illness and injury.

It hasn’t exactly been an easy season for the defending NBA champions.

The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.

It’s just a little different this time. Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State’s coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-ofseven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home this weekend. “We’re going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I’m well aware of what a long, difficult season it’s been,” he said. “So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That’s made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they’re fighting and that’s the main thing.

“We’re going to be all right.” During one especially tough stretch, all four All- Stars were out because of health — Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Golden State dropped seven of 10 at one point last month, then lost its final regular-season game by a jaw-dropping 40 points Tuesday night at Utah.

Yet, now, everybody is relishing a new season.

“It’s not a carbon copy of last year by any stretch,” Curry said. “But I know for sure we have the guys and the IQ and the resiliency to understand how we’re going to accomplish our goal this year and not compare it to last year. Because I’m sure you can ask any championship team along the way that’s trying to repeat or whatever the case is, every journey is defined by different circumstances. “Injuries, the fact that we have been in the second spot for about two weeks now with really no chance to climb or fall, so you have to fight human nature in that sense. I think all that we’ve invested in our game, in our team and in our identity over the course of the last three, four years will show up when the time is right,” said Curry.

And the rest of the league still realizes what it’s up against. “You can’t count these guys out, and I don’t think anybody is counting them out,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. “They’ll get their guys back and they have enough guys I think they can survive until they get everybody back.”