5 reasons the Warriors shouldn’t panic
By mdelaney
The NBA’s premier team — the Golden State Warriors — unceremoniously lost their season-opener 129-100 to the San Antonio Spurs. But before Golden State fans head for shelter and critics begin pronouncing them dead, let’s review some reasons why the Warriors can still meet expectations.
It’s no mystery to any NBA fan that the Spurs’ 29-point drubbing of the Warriors last night in Oracle Arena was not a good start for team. Head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged that it’s going to be a ugly film session after an “embarrassing” showing from Golden State on their home court for the season opener.
Kerr won’t have to watch much film to find out what the Warriors must fix. The team couldn’t protect the rim or even defend for that matter (who’s Jonathon Simmons and why did he get 20 points in an arena that’s been unkind to visitors the past two years?). Offensively, the Fantastic Four looked out of whack. The Splash Brothers went 4-16 from beyond the arc while the rhythm and synchronization that landed Oakland’s own in two consecutive NBA Finals was clearly missing.
Though surprisingly, the sky isn’t falling (yet) for Golden State. With six months and 81 more games to get through the Warriors have a prime chance to fulfill the hype the created back in July with Durant’s signing. So let’s take a look at a few reasons why people shouldn’t be so quick to distance themselves from the Dubs.