‘We still want to get better’
Dubs have 18-2 record, but what’s really driving them?
After the Golden State Warriors’ first game of the preseason, a 121-107 win against the Portland Trailblazers, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr put the word out there for the rest of the NBA: We back up.
“We’re chasing wins this year,” Kerr said before flashing a wry grin.
Granted, that declaration in October wasn’t as gangster as Idris Elba’s Stringer Bell’s declaration of his resurgence in HBO’s The Wire. But Kerr’s statement was no less ominous nor less potent.
Twenty games into the season, Kerr has kept his word. The Warriors at 18-2 have the best record in the league. They are also second in offense (114.3), and first in defense (99.7). The trajectory and feel of this team are reminiscent of the “Strength In Numbers” days of the dynasty. The Warriors’ success in the first quarter of the season has been a surprising revelation to critics at large. The success has been a surprise to nearly everyone except the team.
“It’s amazing,” Andrew Wiggins said last week after the Warriors moved to 16-2 by beating Philadelphia..“We’re not satisfied. We still want to get better, especially when Klay and Wise (James Wiseman) come back. It’s gonna be scary.”
There’s nothing the Warriors want more than to scare the hell out of the rest of the league, especially after the slights from the recent “down” seasons. Here are some observations as to why the Warriors have the best record in the league.
KEEPING RECEIPTS » Last season, despite having an MVP caliber season from Stephen Curry, the Warriors treaded water to eighth in the West before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers for the seventh seed and being upset by the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth. Coming into this season, the Warriors were projected to finish in a play-in situation again and even finishing with only 37 wins. Kerr admitted recently that he acknowledges the early-season skepticism and he’s remembering the slights as the season progresses.
“I’m like Arya from Game Of Thrones,” Kerr said to Sports Illustrated. “Like, I have all the
names of the media members who picked us to be out of the playoffs, and I’m just checking off the box. Every time I see one of those guys, I give them a little glare, and they know what that means.”
Klay Thompson believes the preseason prognostications were disrespectful, but he revels in them.
“That kind of disrespect bothers me,” Thompson told Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck. “We have so many champions, guys who have done it in the highest pressure moments and you’re still gonna question our ability? I love it. But whatever. That’s what talking heads are paid to do.”
The Warriors were doubted at the start of their first championship season and even to an extent in their 73-9 season. In 2014, it was about the injuries to other teams. In 2015, it was about “luck” or “fluke.” The jabs and slights became personal to those Warriors and they proceeded to go to the Finals five years in a row, winning three titles.
The 2021-22 Warriors are letting the doubt fuel them. So, critics can keep doubting because the Warriors will take pleasure in making these critics look stupid before making them believers.
ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION » Many people don’t recognize that Kerr’s egalitarian, ball movement heavy offense isn’t to maximize the abilities of Curry. This system and philosophy is to maximize the role players. There’s a certain type of role player that thrives in Kerr’s offense. A Kerr guy is a player who sets welltimed screens, is aware of their shot selection, and can effectively and consistently execute their multiple post-split plays.
Last season’s players such as Kelly Oubre, Kent Bazemore, and Eric Paschall were clunky fits in this system. Enter players such as Otto Porter, Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica, and Gary Payton II and watch them thrive offensively and defensively.
urry takes the multiple traps and double and triple teams, which provides space for the others to score. If shots aren’t there and there are better ones available they pass until they can get the look they want. Oubre, Bazemore, and Paschall were often impatient with the offense and so they freelanced which made the offense struggle.
It’s not like that with Porter, Bjelica et al. They are proving that the Warriors didn’t need a splashy trade, just capable and competent vets that understood their roles, bought into those roles and acted accordingly.
HANDLING THEIR BUSINESS »
Much has been said about the Warriors’ strength-of-schedule during the first 20 games, but the Warriors are not just beating the teams they are supposed to beat. They are dominating with defense turning into easy baskets in transition. This has been their calling card during the run. It’s their calling card now. All the Warriors can do is control what they control, play the schedule they’ve been given. And they’ve done that to the tune of 18 wins in 20 games.
POOLE’S DEVELOPMENT » Curry playing at an MVP level and Draymond Green defending at a DPOY level plus adding auxiliary scoring isn’t surprising. The surprise has been the emergence of Jordan Poole. Last season, Poole had stints in the G-League and in that time, he gained confidence and figured it out in terms of his decision-making. He took those lessons, put in the work during the offseason and turned himself into a player who can create his own shot and score in the paint as well as along the perimeter. A secondary scorer is something that has been missing during the run. When Thompson returns to the lineup, Poole will be the sixth man with more of a green light on the second unit.