Opposed by private Pacers of Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, no less than their two most important players, the Warriors had two options: start the game seriously to set the tone or take the young Indiana players from above to surrender. the difficult task.
The fact that they chose the second option is ultimately unsurprising as the Golden State of the great era often put itself on the level of a supposedly weaker opponent, while managing to get away with it at the end of the match thanks to their talent. This season’s Golden State, however, does not have the leeway of previous versions and their start to the match was all the more surprising as they had just returned three average copies against Dallas (defeat), Chicago and Houston ( victories).
“They took control of the game from the first minutes. Our defense was not up to scratch and our offensive rigor and aggressiveness were absent. We never adjusted to their way of defending us.” explained Steve Kerr. ” They wanted more than us, and it’s also my fault. »
If Steve Kerr’s men had dominated the Bulls for three quarters, they had also seen them come back on their heels before avoiding the worst. Ditto against Houston by being a little less scared.
In fact, when they enter “money time” this season, the Warriors are having a hard time getting the job done. Detroit, Charlotte, Orlando, Sacramento and now Indiana each showed more patience than the defending champions when it came to winning the game in close encounters. A worrying trend for a team that has accustomed us to something else, and which is still the defending champion.
“Our room for maneuver is much smaller”
For Stephen Curry, it’s just a matter of patience and work, but he still says that the Warriors do not have the collective and the automation to dominate like in previous years.
“We have to improve on our offensive execution, on the type of actions we want to put in place in these moments, and on our cohesion in defense. We have changed our rotations a lot, and all that takes time. We are still building our collective,” described Stephen Curry.
In fact, the Warriors know they can do better, but also that their margin over opponents is thinner.
“We know we have a lot of room for improvement, but if we compare where we were a month ago and where we are today, it’s night and day. We are aware that this season our room for maneuver is much smaller, and that is why we are at 13 wins and 12 losses. Last season we were 18-2 and we could see it coming. This season, that’s not the case and we need to be more meticulous about the details that make the game swing in attack and defense. »
Interview in San Francisco.
