With the two West heavyweights set to play Game 1 on Monday, it should be the beginning of a long and hard-fought series between the NBA’s two best teams. An argument can be made that this is the greatest threat the Warriors will face, not just this season, but ever since they added Kevin Durant.
Kerr was asked about playing Houston and said that while his Warriors are concerned about playing the Rockets, he still likes the position Golden State is in right now. Via NBA.com
“They are taking the challenge and they’re embracing it,” Kerr told reporters on Thursday. “But we seem to be at our best when we are threatened. That’s been kind of the M.O. of this team, and we’re definitely threatened.”
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“Our guys have rings,” Kerr reminded reporters. “That’s a good position to be in.”
“We’re going to go in here knowing we’re the defending champs, knowing we got a couple of championships here the last few years,” Kerr added. “Let’s go get another one. It’s a nice feeling to have and to go into a series with.”
This is all very classic Kerr. The Warriors want to feel threatened and they want to believe that a team has a chance of competing with them, but they’ll never feel like they can be beaten. Kerr didn’t mention the Warriors’ rings to gloat but to remind everybody they’ve done this before. They’re a confident group and they’ve earned that confidence.
However, the Rockets probably are their biggest threat to the Warriors since they lost to Cleveland in the 2016 NBA Finals. Houston has one of the best offenses ever, a legitimately good defense and an annual MVP candidate in James Harden. They’re one of the few teams that arguably has the firepower to match Golden State. It’s going to be a fun series to watch unfold — especially if the Warriors take Houston seriously.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
