2016.10.25 (#Warriors vs. #Spurs) Full Game Highlights Season Opener
2016.10.25 (#Warriors vs. #Spurs) Full Game Highlights Season Opener
Warriors Need Vindication
Golden State manhandle by Spurs at Oracle Arena
2016.10.25 – OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors find themselves in need of vindication after the San Antonio Spurs manhandle them and got a win 129-100 at Oracle Arena.
After the blowout in Oakland to start the 2016-17 regular NBA season, the Dubs find themselves having to clear their name.
History is in their side; with a title in hand, having won 73 games last season, and 81 games to go for this season, it’s a sure bet that they will make a run in the playoffs.
This season the doubters are louder and fans outside the Bay Area have taken delight in their demise. Blowing a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals smeared their reputation. Luring former MVP Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City has fuel their character and some NBA greats are already discrediting their anticipated success.
All the key players on these Warriors team have to save face:
— Stephen Curry, the face of the franchise, after being voted MVP unanimously put him in an exclusive stratosphere of NBA greatness. Well, he was outplayed by Kyrie Irving, and outshined by LeBron James.
— Durant for violating the unwritten code of joining a team of All-Stars. Being a coveted free agent didn’t give him a pass, not after his Thunder had the Warriors on the ropes in the Western Conference finals. He is now the poster child for a softer era.
— Draymond Green for his recklessness on and off the court didn’t give him a pass. His controversial flagrant fouls, followed by an offseason phallic Snapchat mishap, has branded him the millennials’ Dennis Rodman, his infamy is bigger than his production.
— Klay Thompson has less to redeem than the rest, he was the primary reasons the Warriors made it to the Finals. His reputation got a boost from his Game 6 performance in the WCF. But he missed his chance when the Warriors went cold down the stretch of the historic Game 7, Klay was a no show.
What we know about these Warriors, it’s that they err on the side of epic proportions. But there is a chance they might have been humbled by their experience and we could see a muted dominance from the Warriors for the rest of the season.
Oh wait, but their owner is unabashed. Their coach is uber competitive. Their best players have chips on their shoulders. They have the most talented team in the league. They have been ridiculed for months.
I say for Curry and the rest of the roster is vindication time. They will play the rest of the season having heard all the shots, snickers and slights. And now it is time to show an emphatic respond.
Guard Thompson said it best. “We know what’s at stake.”
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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