Through adversity, Warriors show again why they're a force to be emulated
OAKLAND — Every so often during this relentless Golden State Warriors run, there’s a reminder they haven’t been the kings of the NBA mountain nearly as long as it might seem.
The sheer dominance – specifically, an .848 winning percentage between regular season and playoff games since the start of the 2014-15 campaign (162-29) – makes it feel as if it has been this way forever. But as Warriors general manager Bob Myers sat with his old friend, Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey, before Game 2 of their second-round series Monday, the scene was a window into a world that was very different not that long ago.
Before Myers made the transition from sports agent to Warriors front office executive in April 2011, he knew Olshey from his days as a player development guru. Olshey, who rebuilt the Los Angeles Clippers into a contender before heading to Portland in the summer of 2012, had a partnership of sorts with Myers’ old boss at the Wasserman Media Group, agent Arn Tellem. Little did they know they’d go on to help reshape the Western Conference so many years later.
“He was training our (players),” Myers recalled to Paste BN Sports after the Warriors had come back from a 17-point deficit to win 110-99 and take a 2-0 lead. “Fifteen years (ago), man. He’s done a tremendous job. That game, Portland could have easily won. They’re good. They’re just a good team. They’re well-coached. I’m just glad we figured out a way to win the game.
“Look, this is going to be a tough series, and tonight showed us that. They’re a well-built team. Neil is one of my best buddies. I respect that organization. For what they were supposed to do and what they’re doing, they’re tough man. They’re pushing us.”
Myers, true to his form, said that last part in the most genuine of ways. That was certainly the case in Game 2, when the Blazers pushed the Warriors through three quarters before a fourth quarter in which they were outscored 34-12. But the beauty of this Warriors win was it served as stress relief during what has been a nerve-wracking time.
Ever since Steph Curry went down with a right knee sprain in Houston on April 24, the Warriors had every reason to worry about the ripple effect on their title defense. Even with the favorable diagnosis, a Grade 1 MCL sprain, the prospect of a 1-1 series tie with the Blazers came with the risk of Curry feeling pressure to return too soon.
Yet now, with a Game 3 return on Saturday possible, Myers & Co. can spend these next few days enjoying the silver lining of their Game 2 subplots. Like Shaun Livingston, the veteran point guard whose career nearly ended with a devastating knee injury in 2007 and who has filled in so admirably in Curry’s absence. Or Festus Ezeli, the third-year big man from Nigeria who didn’t play in Game 1 but whose fourth-quarter performance (eight points, five rebounds, one block) had everything to do with the strong finish. Or Andre Iguodala, the super sixth man whose 15-point, five-rebound, four-assist outing was big on a night when All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green struggled early on.
“We’re one man down – a big man down,” Myers said. “So you do find out more from anyone in moments of adversity. The players, the people. And this is some adversity. It’s exciting to see some guys become more than they’ve been in big moments, like Shaun and Andre, a lot of the guys who have been thrust into a bigger role to accept it and embrace it. Obviously I’d rather have Steph out there.”
Obviously.
“We’ve got to be healthy,” he continued. “We want to be healthy. Everybody wants to be healthy. But when you’re able to find ways when you’re not at full strength, there’s a gratification to that.”
What’s more, there’s a sense that these Blazers will keep pushing in the years to come. With Oakland native Damian Lillard and fellow backcourt mate C.J. McCollum out front, Olshey and coach Terry Stotts at the helm, the mutual respect runs deep.
“To be honest, Portland is built in a lot of the same ways as us,” Myers said. “They have great fabric too. They remind me of kind of a younger version of us. They seem to play for each other, they get along, and they’re confident.”
Which is all promising for Portland, to be sure. But in today’s NBA, it’s the Warriors who keep finding a way to stay ahead of this competitive curve.