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OAKLAND, Calif. – The Golden State Warriors, the dynastic team so loaded with talent that they bring an air of inevitability to the NBA season, began defending the title with a tune-up. What should have been a direct victory against a downed opponent was rather competitive at the last minute and ended with a win of 108-100. Warrior leads built and curly. The passes were won by Thunder defensemen. In the past, Golden State was guilty of artificially bringing games closer – to play with his pride at the expense of dominance. Tuesday's match was not the case.
Rather than win during a jog, the Warriors defeated him. Their ball movement of a characteristic beauty has gone bad. After escaping a few defensemen in the second half, Stephen Curry awarded a pass to Klay Thompson, who was sentenced to save the ball to Kevin Durant, who tried to break his defender before taking the advantage. -up airball. Curry, in an otherwise excellent performance, would miss many of the third-quarter hay producers who distinguish Golden State – the strength behind so many of the Warriors' most explosive races. Thompson, one of the best shooters in the world, could not even turn his eyes wide open. "I mean, when will Klay miss as many as three open?" Durant wondered. Many of Durant's best pieces have been semi-highlights – beautiful crossovers followed by failed orders. The version of the Warriors Tuesday night was not a threat to ruin the league, but their own opportunities to score.
"I think that in terms of timing and execution, we were a little behind," Curry said. "The guys were moving at different speeds." The material handlers were out of sync with their screening officers. The shooters broke off to wind in the same direction at the same time. The helpers were just too hurried, to the point of denying a good fight with a foul. There was a recognizable stream and chemistry in what the warriors were trying to accomplish. It just did not show up the way you expected it.
"I think we had good intentions," Durant said. "The guys who are trying to do the right game are doing the right thing. It will come after a while. "
From this, there is no doubt. There is no earthly reason to worry in the first of 82 games, especially when the cause of Golden State's problems is clearly anchored in the premises. "It's the product of that first game," Curry said. The warriors have an enviable continuity in the grand scheme of things, and yet they are confronted each year with a disconnection from June to October. Even the best team in the league needs time to restore the wiring, to warm old habits. Even in the best of times, the pre-season is a hollow imitation of real and meaningful basketball in the NBA. The slate of the Golden State exhibition was even more empty than usual, for the simple fact that Draymond Green had missed it due to injury. "I just have to get that conditioning and timing," said Green. "Overall, I think it will be done in a week or two, with myself but everyone. We will find this rhythm. "
The rhythm can be a fun thing. The Warriors were no less talented on Tuesday when they recovered their championship rings than the day they swept the Cavaliers in the NBA finals. The four stars of the team were still in uniform and, individually, always very effective. The connection between them was slower: the difference between the deadly and chaotic Warriors starting this season and the fearsome Warriors likely to finish it.
A secure possession can still find its way to Durant, who walks on the earth like a living and breathing imbalance. And there are so many options far worse than just running Curry and Thompson on staggered screens and letting them cook. The real luxury lies in the balance between them, which, even in its crudest form, can keep most opponents away. At the most refined, few even have a chance. "We have to move the ball forward," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. "More passers-by, and we'll look more like each other."
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