Win over Lakers has Golden State Warriors optimistic despite Stephen Curry's struggles
"I played like trash."
Stephen Curry probably had the most critical evaluation of himself after he recorded a triple-double to help the Golden State Warriors hold off the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114 in their season opener on Tuesday.
Curry — who did trudge his way through a noticeably poor shooting night (5-for-21 from the floor) — had a team-high 21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals in the win. And despite Curry's difficulties, Golden State managed to pull off a decisive victory against one of the West's very best.
"I shot the ball terribly," Curry said of his efforts in the game. But he was quick to acknowledge the pride he felt in his troupe after a big win.
"This is a good feeling. We had a lot of excitement coming into the season with a new cast of characters mixed with our core. We weathered the storm. But if we can win a game like that, where we create some good shots and stick with it defensively, that's a good omen for us. We've got to learn from our mistakes, quit turning the ball over, make some more shots, and we'll be good."
Curry's evaluation of his performance was that he was subpar at best. His teammates did not feel the same, as they showered him in a celebratory water bath following the interview.
Although he saw the ball swish through the net on only five field-goal attempts Tuesday (he also sank nine free throws), Curry was a distractive deviant for the Lakers' defense all night. Throughout the contest, they doubled him from the time he crossed half court, blasting him with physical on-ball efforts while continuing to agitate him off the ball.
But it was SC30's never-ending motor that kept the defense honest, and his constant motion allowed the Warriors to dissect Los Angeles with free-flowing ball movement.
What's more, the Warriors' team chemistry stood in contrast to that of their adversaries, at least to some observers.
"The Lakers had two guys in double figures, and the Warriors had six," Shannon Sharpe said on Wednesday's "Undisputed."
"And that's where they won. [Nemanja] Bjelica had 15. [Andre] Iguodala had 12, Damion Lee had 15, [Andrew] Wiggins, Jordan Poole. The only two guys in double figures for the Lakers were Anthony Davis and LeBron."
The Warriors' reserves outscored L.A.'s 55-29 in a bench-battle beatdown. But scoring disparities weren't the only glaring difference in this one.
"Golden State out-rebounded them," Sharpe added. "A big team with AD, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan and LeBron James got out-rebounded, when the [Warriors'] biggest guy — and he only played about 13 minutes — was Kevon Looney."
Skip Bayless specified an invaluable contribution from an unexpected source as a vital reason for Golden State's win.
"We got star power all over, and who took the game over? Bjelica!" Bayless said. "A 33-year-old from Serbia who's bounced around this league [and] was briefly in Sacramento and Miami. I didn't even know he was with Golden State. There he was in full force, and he goes 15-and-11. He had the most energy in the fourth quarter and kept making the hustle plays. He's got guts, know-how, savvy. The non-star took over the star-studded game."
Bayless also observed a noticeable difference in Curry's build.
"Steph looks like he spent a lot of offseason time in the weight room," he said. "He's really sculpted, beefed up in his upper body. And the Lakers did a heck of a job on him. But guess what he did to compensate: He got 10 rebounds! He's less afraid to go in there and mix it up."
Curry's glass-cleaning aptitude netted him the eighth triple-double of his career. Golden State was also more efficient at the charity stripe, shooting 25-for-30 from the line, while Los Angeles mustered a lowly 9-for-19.
It was another small categorical victory that contributed to a stark difference on the scoreboard. And it was done without the likes of Klay Thompson, James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga.
The Lake Show is dominating the headlines, but don't sleep on their Californian neighbors in the Bay.
