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OAKLAND, Calif. – Stephen Curry's hair was a bit longer when the Golden State Warriors' NBA finals started in 2015. His body was also quite full-bodied. But as the world of basketball focuses on the future of the Warriors – while Kevin Durant was approaching free placement – Curry and his teammates looked a lot like the original group that started this dynastic run.
"It's the first time we've learned to play that way," Curry told ESPN late Tuesday night, after scoring 36 points in the 116-94 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the opening game of the Western Conference Finals. "We are in this flow again."
Find everything you need to know about the playoffs here.
This flow is what made warriors "warriors" all these years. More than the 3-point shot of Curry or the positional versatility of Draymond Green, Golden State's identity has been shaped by its ability to sink. To move the ball. Make the extra pass. Run screens. Create a collective energy that overwhelms defenses centered on individual confrontations. When the Warriors hum, it is the basketball equivalent of a large jazz band. Each player has his solo moments to shine, but he must harmonize and unite to rise and win.
In the five seasons, all sorts of things have disrupted this flow. Ego, hubris, complacency, fatigue. Some would say that Durant's individual genius is another force that can disrupt. But that would be reductionist.
The warriors can very well run with Durant. They simply do not have to do it.
"Kevin is doing well too," said Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser. "But sometimes he's so good that he does not have to, you just throw the ball at him."
During the two and a half games away, due to a calf injury, the Warriors had to return to a simpler period. Their way of playing before Durant changed the landscape of the NBA in 2016.
The Warriors won the 2015 title by playing like that. They then won a record 73 regular-season games in the 2015-16 campaign. Curry has won his MVP title two times in a row.
It was a race of hell. The Warriors were fun and new and could be told to children with Curry as their baby-faced assassin. Winning began to change that reputation. But in reality, it was Durant's addition that turned the Warriors into a tyrant.
Warriors have never particularly enjoyed being the bad guy. Their style is happy, so their collective soul is hurt to find motivation elsewhere.
And with these last games, Durant was able to find what it could be.
"You see the morale, as if everyone had their shoulders raised and smiled," Curry said. "Just aggression on the whole floor, whether it's to place a screen, swing or cut, all that stuff. When we create good shots like this, it's fun for everyone . "
Thirteen warriors took part in the match on Tuesday and the 13 had a positive impact when they ended up on the ground. Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala were over-16s, Green, Jonas Jerebko and Quinn Cook were over-12s and Curry, over-10s.
After relying on their starters to play nearly 40 minutes of a previous series game against the Houston Rockets, stealing as many minutes from their bench is essential for the Warriors. They are still charged with the power of the stars, but they are not as deep as the previous iterations. So, as they sink into the playoffs and the injuries of stars such as Durant and DeMarcus Cousins get hurt, it is essential not to overload the remaining stars.
When the Warriors play with the same current they found in Match 6 against the Rockets, then Tuesday against a clearly tired Portland team, the rising tide lifts everyone.
"You have the ability to expand the bench and fill the minutes with guys who are obviously capable, can help us on the ground on both sides," Curry said. "And you see as the confidence with which they play, you know, whatever the situation, it's contagious, that's for sure."
Watching this contagion in the last few games has been a nice comeback for those who have lived through this race. As if you feel the cologne you love, it will never feel the same as it was in 2015, but sometimes a whiff is enough.
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"It was my favorite game since I owned the team, aside from the championships," Warrior owner Joe Lacob said of the win in Game 6 in Houston. "I've always played match 6 with Oklahoma City, 2016. I love it, but it was rather a team win, so I actually decided that it was my favorite game. "
And this feeling, this style of play, continued Tuesday against the Blazers.
"It's the team, against the individual.It's the team, against the isolation.It's really history."
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