At first, the Warriors don’t succeed ... again
A long time ago, when Oakland sports ruled the earth, the Warriors were masters of suspense. They won the 1975 NBA title in a most unlikely manner, routinely falling way behind in playoff games then storming back, time after time, to pull out a thrilling victory.
After a while, fans came to expect it. How cool to watch the opposing teams have their way, pound their chests in exultation, then be obliterated in a blur of pass-first, up-tempo, defense-minded basketball.
So much has changed from a time when the Warriors, A’s and Raiders ranked with the most feared teams. It won’t be long before the East Bay’s major-sports fans are left with a homeless-looking baseball team. Inside Oracle Arena, however, a familiar theme has developed.
Is it acceptable for the Warriors to fall embarrassingly behind, to the tune of awful turnovers and listless defense, over the first quarter of play? It seems to be happening with alarming frequency as the All-Star break approaches — amazingly, the Warriors have been outscored in the first quarter for the season — and that familiar malaise put a damper on Saturday night’s 122-105 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Back in ’75, you could count on Rick Barry, Phil Smith, Jeff Mullins and many others to save the day. Today’s cast comprises a major chunk of the Western Conference All-Star team and draws not a shred of sympathy — certainly not from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who captured the NBA’s mood of indifference when asked about the Warriors’ “problems” before the game.
“Well, to be frank with you, I don’t really worry about any problems they might have,” said Popovich, “because they deserve problems, as good as they are.”
Steve Kerr has his worrisome moments, though. The Warriors’ coach barely recognizes his team when it takes the floor these days. Much has been made of a suddenly weak, insecure-looking bench, and that will be the focus of any activity on the buyout market, but the first quarter is the province of Kerr’s starting lineup.
By all rights, that illustrious group should take the floor with a sense of pride, determined to unveil a masterpiece and make the Oracle fans damned glad they spent all that money.
Instead, it’s a bit of a sleepwalk. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson turned the ball over in ludicrous fashion as Saturday night’s game took shape, and “the defense wasn’t there,” said Kerr. “We were getting carved up.”
San Antonio, playing without the injured Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gay, Tony Parker and starting point guard Dejounte Murray, racked up 37 firstquarter points with a starting lineup featuring three secondround picks and a No. 29 draft choice.
That’s the beauty of Popovich’s system, something Kerr knows well (having played under Popovich) and has successfully emulated with his own twists. Even with vaguely familiar names on the floor — Derrick White, Davis Bertans, Kyle Anderson — the San Antonio system is a thing of beauty. Your pride had better kick in against this team, or it will be a more unpleasant evening.
So it was that the Warriors came to life, spectacularly. They built a 91-75 lead by the end of the third quarter, fans bellowing at the sight of Thompson’s flying dunk, a Green throwdown and JaVale McGee’s leaping block of a Bryn Forbes drive. By the end, it was all festive beverages and party hats.
Still, those bench issues remain — once you get past the second-unit core of Andre Iguodala, David West and Shaun Livingston — and general manager Bob Myers continues to examine the buyout market for possible solutions (off the table: Marco Belinelli, who committed to sign with the 76ers on Saturday). The updates: Patrick McCaw — Judged as “good” by Kerr this night, although he took only one shot (and missed) in 14 minutes.
Nick Young — Not entrusted to play until fourth-quarter garbage time, when he hit three of his four three-point attempts.
Omri Casspi — Another late-game entry, shooting 1for-3 in six quiet minutes.
McGee — Running the floor with panache and playing above the rim, he seems to have moved ahead of Kevon Looney in the rotation. “Big energy,” said Kerr. “That’s what JaVale does. The crowd loves him here, and he brought a lot of juice tonight.” But what happens when Jordan Bell returns after the All-Star break?
The view from here: As the bought-out talent is swept up by other teams, and the Warriors find themselves looking pleasantly familiar beyond those dreadful first quarters, is there any real reason to shake things up? The Warriors have chemistry and they continue to make history, Kerr reaching 250 career wins faster than any NBA coach in history.
Panic is not the Warriors’ way, nor does it suit them.