Fourth straight
Warriors reach Western Conference finals
OAKLAND, Calif. — After a Game 3 flop in New Orleans, similar to that lone first-round loss against San Antonio last month, coach Steve Kerr provided a quick reminder to the Golden State Warriors:
It’s not supposed to be easy at this stage — especially for the defending champions.
There’s no way this postseason can go as brilliantly as the last one. That remarkable, recordsetting 16-1 run to the title, well, it’s not going to happen often, or maybe ever again.
“I told our team actually after Game 3 the day we practiced, I said, ‘What we did last year was the first time and only time anybody has ever accomplished that in the playoffs, gone 16-1,” Kerr said. “I know the Lakers went 15-1, they had a similar kind of joy ride where very little adversity, but that’s the extreme exception. Year after year, the NBA champion has to go through so much to get there. And that’s why you pour champagne on each other, because it’s really hard, and it’s supposed to be hard. The fact that it is so difficult brings out the best in you because you have to be on edge and on guard.”
Now comes the next and most daunting test in this quest for a repeat.
The Warriors eliminated the Pelicans with a 113-104 win Tuesday night and are on to the Western Conference finals to face the top-seeded Houston Rockets, who closed out the Jazz earlier Tuesday in their own Game 5. This is the matchup so many have looked to for months.
“You can’t believe the hype,” Klay Thompson said before the Warriors played. “Everybody is already talking about Warriors-Rockets.”