Warriors make statement in Boston, but Stephen Curry says there's still a 'long way to go'

BOSTON – The Golden State Warriors will complete a five-game road trip this week against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA's top three teams in three weeks.

“After that we’ll know if they’re real,” a Celtics manager admitted before the first of those games.

Consider the first test you passed. Thanks to Stephen Curry's standout performance, two putbacks from Kevon Looney and a dagger from Buddy Hield, the Warriors capped off a fourth quarter that featured four lead changes. The Warriors' 118-112 win improved their record to 7-1, a half-game better than the defending champions.

“That’s a statement,” said Hield, whose open 3-pointer on a feed from Curry gave Golden State a 111-104 lead with 47.2 seconds left. “If we don't win this game, everyone will say, 'Oh, they didn't play anyone.' So you have to make a statement on the streets, right? That’s how they talk in the basketball world: If you haven’t played against anyone, you get battle tested and have to see if it’s real.”

Much of the hype surrounding Wednesday's game revolves around Jayson Tatum and Steve Kerr, as if the Celtics star could be sending a message to the Warriors' head coach. Kerr benched Tatum for two games at the Paris Olympics. They wouldn't have known — at least after the TD Garden crowd booed Kerr's pregame performance.

“From the beginning, the whole thing was, ‘We’re in this together. We have 12 Hall of Famers and we are determined to win,'” Kerr said. “And we won the gold medal, so I don’t think much about it.”

Otherwise, the 2022 NBA finalists played a brilliant game. One point separated them at the start of the fourth quarter. Derrick White's seventh three-pointer of the night gave the Celtics a 95-88 lead midway through the final frame, and then what Hield called “championship habits” took over. The Warriors scored on their next seven possessions, including all 10 of Curry's points in the fourth quarter, to seal the deal.

“Normal Steph,” Looney joked.

It's too early – and perhaps too far-fetched – to consider the Warriors a serious title contender again. Curry is 36 years old. Draymond Green is 34. Klay Thompson is gone, and in his place is a collection of talented players, none of whom are future Hall of Famers, most of whom Kerr is still trying to weed out.

Even Curry isn't looking for his fifth championship right now. After failing to make the playoffs last season for the third time in five years, he and the Warriors are back in search of relevance.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” Curry said. “A good team or a relevant team wins the games they are supposed to win, steals a few away from good teams and protects the home pitch. We've done these things so far, but we still have two games left in this road trip – two tough tests…

“Of course I like where we are, but there’s still a long way to go.”

What got Curry thinking in that answer was Golden State's heavy rotation, which he described as awkward. He doesn't know who will donate each night; he just knows they have to.

“Until proven otherwise, this is how we have to play,” Curry said. “Coach talked about it until he was blue in the face. Every practice, every film session, every pregame conversation, it's the same message. It is who we are right now; it is who we must be. They obviously know what the season is like.” continues, the rotations become tighter.

However, it works, especially on defense. The Warriors held Boston to a season-low 40 points in the first half and sent waves of defenders at the Celtics. Gary Payton II compared Kerr's 11-man rotation to a line change in hockey. “Lots of fresh legs,” he said, most of them directed at Tatum. The Celtics star faced two defenders most of the night and finished with 32 points but only two assists on four turnovers. It didn't help that Boston was without co-star Jaylen Brown, whose hip injury left him an everyday player.

“Obviously Boston was without Jaylen Brown and (Kristaps) Porzingis, so it's not the best version of their team,” Kerr admitted, “but they're still pretty darn good. It’s a damn good win in a difficult environment.”

Golden State's defense now ranks second in the NBA behind the Thunder, allowing 103.5 points per 100 possessions. That recipe — strong defense, full of energy, built around a Stephen Curry — is one that should win many regular-season games. It has won five times in a row. Cleveland and Oklahoma City await you.

“It was a great test,” said Curry from Boston. “We didn’t do anything, but it felt good.”