Golden State silences critics with record run
Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut insisted his teammates fail to receive the credit they deserve, but the NBA champions are driven by the doubters in their bid for back-to-back titles.
The Warriors ended their 40-year wait for a championship at the expense of the Cleveland Cavaliers in June, but the Golden State franchise spent most of the off-season responding to critics.
Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers claimed the Warriors were lucky to win the NBA Finals, while Houston Rockets guard James Harden said he deserved to be crowned MVP ahead of Golden State star Steph Curry.
Those comments, though, have not gone unnoticed by Bogut and Co. amid their record 16-0 start to the season.
“Some people don’t like how we are, and look to derail us along the way. We respect every team we play against, and are not too worried by what people say,” Bogut wrote in his column for NBA Australia.
“The style that we play – we’re free flowing and we shoot a lot of threes. Our bench is always up there celebrating, and perhaps that’s viewed as cocky or arrogant to some.
“All of that aside, we feel we haven’t probably received the credit we deserve after everything we achieved as a team last season, and the way things have panned out to begin 2015-16.
“It’s probably better for us to come into a season after winning a championship and then being doubted once again.
“It gives us more fire and drive, and maybe that’s the reason why we’ve started the way we have.
“Look at the way Steph is playing right now. At the beginning of the season, people said other players should have won the MVP instead of him, and now Steph has more than proven that he deserved it last season.