My New Orleans Pelicans had to play the Golden State Warriors in their home opener and in our home opener. It’s not fair.
Thought Steve Kerr’s absence would hinder them a bit? Nope. It’s not fair.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have us trained to the point where we all genuinely expect every single three-point shot to fall. It’s not fair.
They’re too good. They’re way too good. Winning back-to-back championships in any professional sport isn’t easy, but at this point anything less from them would shock the basketball world. It’s not fair.
To put it bluntly, the Golden State Warriors just aren’t fair. They’re too damn good. I would say they must be cheating but if you’ve ever played with a deflated basketball you know it’s significantly more difficult. They just win word to the late Al Davis.
This is a team with NBA MVP Stephen Curry and the best supporting cast in the league. They’re coming off 67 wins last season, an insane 39-2 home regular season record, and an NBA Championship. The part that’s truly impossible to fathom is that this team is only going to get better, and NBA legends have begun to recognize that.
“This is still a young team,” said Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Jerry West. “What I love about them is their attitude and the way they love playing with each other. They realize they have a great opportunity. They can be a really good team for a long time.”
When you or I say this team is good, no one really cares. When West says it, people listen. Even though he is the Warriors’ head consultant and a minor owner of the franchise, he’s still a well-respected basketball legend.
“What people miss is how well these guys pass the ball. It’s really not something you see very often. Most teams have at least one guy who is a ball-stopper on offense, but these guys look for each other. Steph will shoot it, of course, but he shoots it so quickly, and he shoots it from everywhere. There’s not a place on the floor you can take away.”
Basically. He’s been completely unstoppable this season. Once again, though, you or I saying that Steph is the best shooter we’ve ever seen isn’t exactly worth of the front page of Reddit. When the 77-year-old Hall of Famer says, the Chef is the best shooter he’s ever seen, however…well, that’s a game changer.
Let’s not forget that Steve Kerr is still on his leave of absence battling back issues. Luke Walton is undefeated as the Warriors head coach. Clearly the Pelicans picked the wrong Golden State assistant.
Nonetheless, this is a team that will only get better when Kerr is back where he belongs. He just has a knack for his players that really makes him special.
“The way Steve handles his job and represents this franchise to everyone…I’m not sure anybody could do it better,” continued West, who was the Lakers head coach from 1976-1979. “He’s an incredible communicator. Every player knows what is being asked of him. I think Steve took a lot out of his time in San Antonio with Gregg Popovich and also from his days with Phil [Jackson and the Chicago Bulls]. You can see a lot of San Antonio in how he approaches everything he does.”
Pop definitely has the recipe for success hidden somewhere behind that grumpy exterior. I think Kerr’s one season as a head coach is more than enough to show that he found it.
“I think our team can get a lot better,” said West.
It’s not fair.