Threatened Warriors follow a winning blueprint, fight their way to victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The benefits of a deep roster were on vivid display Tuesday night, and not just because the Warriors rolled to victory with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins watching from the bench.
Their 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans was little surprise considering they were slight underdogs, opened with three players making their first starts of the season and a 14-point first quarter that ended with Golden State trailing by 17.
Given the makeup of this team, what happened over the next 36 minutes could become the norm. The 110-75 failure of the warriors during the final three quarters was a direct result of being the more committed squad.
“They were just the more aggressive team, and we didn’t respond when they picked up their physicality,” Pelicans star Zion Williamson told reporters at Chase Center.
The Warriors have been exhibiting an elite hustle game this season and here it was again. They chased loose balls with gusto. They harassed the Pelicans to such an extent that they committed 24 turnovers, from which Golden State scored 34 points.
“Can you win a can when you don’t shoot well? How do you do that?” coach Steve Kerr asked in his postgame news conference. “You defend, you rebound, you keep your cool. And everyone who comes off the bench continues to bring energy. That’s what I liked most about this game tonight. We saw all those things happen and that allowed us to turn it around.”
Each man taking the floor did so with fire in his gut and conviction in his heart. When Kerr announced last week that he intended to play his entire roster, it was apparent that all ears were engaged.
Everyone – especially those who opened the season coming off the bench – concluded that the distribution of minutes would be determined in real time and based largely on merit.
“When Steve finds a group that’s playing really well, he’s going to ride that wave,” Buddy Hield told reporters. “As he should, because it gives everyone energy off the bench, and it flows as a second-hand effect.”
This game was an illustration of a team where most players chase respect and know that the surest way to get it is to show how much winning means to you. Every man on the roster wants to prove that he is a legitimate NBA player and, furthermore, that he has the goods to make an impact.
Simply put, each man wants to be so effective in his minutes that Kerr will have a hard time subduing him. And the grit was visible on offense and defense.
Hield, normally the team’s Sixth Man, started in place of Andrew Wiggins at shooting guard, got no traction and at the half had just three points, on 1-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-5 from deep. He came off the bench in the second half and lit up the Pelicans for 25 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, making all six of his 3-point attempts.
Lindy Waters, the team’s 13th man, inherited the Sixth Man role and thrived in his first opportunity to play significant minutes. He finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Waters played 31 minutes and looked ready for more.
“It was very contagious, exciting, exciting,” Waters said. “We started getting stops, started playing more physical on the defensive end. We started rebounding and running, you know we started to flow offensively. Guys started having fun, shots were going in, so very contagious.”
The brotherly vibes of training camp carry over to the regular season. Everyone wants action, but everyone is willing to take part in the journey. After that hideous first quarter passed, the Warriors regrouped and went out on a mission. They managed two assists in the first quarter, and 32 over the final three.
The kind of tenacity needed for the Warriors to regain the respect lost after missing the playoffs last season was on full display. Curry and Wiggins enjoyed the runaway in comfortable clothes. Kerr allowed himself the broad smile of a proud coach.
“I’m happy to have that kind of depth for nights like tonight when we’re down three guys,” Kerr said. “And it will benefit us greatly during 82.”
Once threatened, the Warriors fought back with a vengeance. There was no flinch, not the slightest sign of retreat or even concern. With some encouraging words from Draymond Green, they came together, got down and dirty and believed that this was the way.
