For a short while on Thursday night, it looked like the Golden State Warriors, trailing by as many as 23 points to the Los Angeles Clippers, were going to lose.
They didn’t lose. They fought back. They flew around on the offensive end in the second half. Stephen Curry went off. Andre Iguodala hit big shots. Harrison Barnes hit big shots. The defense tightened up at the end of the fourth quarter. It all came together just in time for them to snag a 124-117 victory and remain undefeated.
With the race to catch and then pass the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls fully on, it’s become exceedingly clear these Warriors, this team for the ages, will not be dogged by championship fatigue—by the physical tolls securing a title takes, or by the feelings of complacency and satisfaction that often creep their way into the souls of winners.
These Warriors are not like the rest. They’re still driven, still motivated. LeBron James asserted that they remain hungrier than the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Curry isn’t about to disagree with him.
From USA Today‘s Sam Amick:
“Yeah, I did (hear James’ comment),” Stephen Curry told USA TODAY Sports as the undefeated Warriors (12-0) prepared to face the Clippers at the Staples Center Thursday night. “I mean he’s motivating his team however he needs to. But he’s not in our locker room, so he doesn’t know kind of what’s going on. You can look at our record and make that (assumption about the Warriors being hungry). It’s probably pretty self-explanatory that we’re hungry.”
…
“Because we want to be great,” he said. “I don’t think great teams take nights off. I don’t think great teams really coast through parts of the schedule just because you feel like you have the talent to do it. That cheats the process, and I think we have guys who understand (that).
This understanding is, more than anything else, what really makes the Warriors so special. Yes, it’s the way they defend, and their perimeter-heavy shot selection, and their ability to run without compromising their efficiency.
But the Warriors aren’t the San Antonio Spurs. They are not made up of guys who have won a ton of championships, who have been here and done that before. The first championship run was a new experience for everyone on the roster, and the quest for a repeat is no different. It could be so easy for them to get caught up in the glitz and glam of their standing, so simple for them to shrink as the spotlight on them shines brighter and the comparisons to the 72-win Bulls increase in number.
Instead, they’re all business, all focus, ostensibly distracted by nothing—not 23-point deficits against fellow title contenders, not even by the continued absence of head coach Steve Kerr, who is still recovering from spinal issues that arose as a result of back surgery.
The Warriors, these Warriors, are, quite simply, different—unlike any other team we’ve ever seen
More importantly, despite that stark contrast between them and the field, the Warriors, these Warriors, remain just as hungry to win and prove themselves as any other team.
