Hungry for more
Warriors seek more NBA glory as title-chasing rivals lurk
WASHINGTON: Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MBP) Stephen Curry (pic) will enjoy watching Golden State Warriors hoist another championship banner today when they open the 2018-2019 NBA campaign against Oklahoma City.
But the three-point sharpshooter doesn’t need to look to the rafters to know the Warriors remain the team to beat as they begin the quest for a third consecutive NBA title and fourth crown in five seasons.
“I’m still glowing,” Curry said.
“The glow won’t wear down until you get beat.”
The Warriors boast three other All-Stars in twotime NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, defensive stalwart Draymond Green and Curry’s backcourt partner Klay Thompson – plus a fifth in injured centre DeMarcus Cousins, signed in July but still sidelined after left Achilles tendon surgery in January.
Working Cousins into the line-up once he returns could add some zest to the regular season for Golden State, who have so far avoided letting repetitive domination lead to complacency.
“That’s the thing I’m most proud of with our team,” Curry said.
“We’re talented and all that but the work that goes into it, the mental approach to turn the page, has been there the last three years.
“You work so hard to earn the right to be proud of yourself at the end of the summer.”
Golden State will try to become the first team since the 2000-2002 Los Angeles Lakers to win three consecutive NBA titles and join the 1950s Minneapolis Lakers and 1960s Boston Celtics as the only clubs to win four titles in five years.
The Celtics dynasty, with eight titles in a row and nine in all from 1957-1966, are the only NBA squad to reach five consecutive NBA Finals – a feat the Warriors can achieve this season.
Houston Rockets, who pushed the Warriors to seven games in last season’s Western Conference finals, and Boston Celtics, bringing back injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to a team that were one win from last season’s Eastern Conference crown, figure to lead a pack of rivals who ache for a chance to play for the championship.
“To be honest, it’s fun,” Curry said of wearing the target for every NBA rival.
“No matter if it’s a Tuesday night at home or a back-to-back in some random East Coast city, you’re going to be tested and you can’t just sleepwalk through stuff.
“We’ve been exposed at times in terms of when we’re not extremely locked in that we can be beat.
“But when we are focused and in tune with each other, understanding what we’re trying to do to be successful, obviously we’re tough.”
No one knows that better than the Rockets, who won a league-best 65 games last season behind NBA MVP and scoring champion James Harden.
Houston led Golden State 3-2 in the West finals before Chris Paul suffered an injured hamstring and missed the last two games, both won by the Warriors to reach the NBA Finals, where they swept Cleveland for the crown.