The Golden State Warriors just beat the Houston Rockets in overtime, and the most interesting thing about it isn’t the win. It’s who won it.
And last night there was no *takes a deep breath* StephJimmyKristapsMoses. This was Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos and De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford and Draymond Green walking into Toyota Center shorthanded, undermanned, and completely unbothered. Against the team they had humiliated in a first round upset last year, after humiliating them throughout the entire James Harden era.
And when you really sit with that, a question starts forming that is bigger than one game: who exactly are the Golden State Warriors winning with? And the answer is directly connected to who they’ve decided they can win without.
I feel fairly confident to say nobody understands that better than Kevin Durant, who has spent the better part of a decade serving as one of the most transformative figures in Warriors history.
Think about everything he gave this franchise in that jersey! He arrived in 2016 as the most audacious free agent signing in NBA history and immediately made Golden State into something the league had never seen before: the league’s version of a flying death machine. He willed the Warriors two championships and won back-to-back Finals MVP’s by burying the LeBron James “Cleveland This is For You!” era Cavaliers deep under Oracle Arena where their souls will forever rest. KD had nights with the Warriors where he was so good it felt unfair to even watch. I owe much of my satisfaction in journalism to covering the Warriors at their absolute apex when KD and those monsters were going from city to city either converting stunned enemy fans to join Dub Nation or embarrassing them into submission. The day they unveil his statue in deep East Oakland (he never played in San Francisco as a Warrior) I will be there in the front row, clapping and selling mixtapes.
But most importantly, let’s never forget that off the court Durant poured himself into the Bay Area community with the kind of generosity that doesn’t make headlines because it isn’t performed for cameras. I truly believe Kevin Durant loved this place, and this place loved him back, and that will never change. Never forget he literally helped build Chase Center with his bare hands.
But here is the thing about KD and the Warriors. His relationship to helping the Warriors win spans cities, jerseys, and even a full decade of time. Was it not 10 years ago that KD helped the Dubs win what the NBA called The Greatest Regular Season Game ever, also known as the Double Bang Game? KD stepped up for the Dubs in the clutch: with 14 seconds left and Oklahoma City clinging to a tiny lead, he threw a prayer to half court that Golden State intercepted. Then he fouled Iguodala, who swished the ensuing free throws with ease to send the game into overtime. Then Durant fouled out in OT, which as Draymond alluded to in the documentary, basically guaranteed the Thunder were going to lose. TO THE VIEWING GLOBE:
But on Thursday did you see the Durantula try to dagger De’Anthony Melton with one of those cold blooded three-point shot attempts that only he has mastered? With the game on the line? Man, it was one of those insane deep launches he does where it doesn’t matter who is in his face. He’s the 7-foot superhuman who catapults the ball from an unblockable height, and you just gotta hold your breath as it hurtles toward the inevitable bottom of the basket. It’s basically unguardable; ask Cleveland.
This time though thankfully Melton fouled him and knocked off the trajectory of the potentially tying shot, sending KD aka Slim Reaper to the charity stripe, down three points at home. He sank the first, splashed the second. The score, 113-112 Warriors. Next FT ties. Kevin rimmed out the tying free throw attempt and the Warriors recovered.
The gasp from the crowd signified in their heart of hearts it wasn’t just a missed free throw to tie the game. Nooo no this was the latest bit of proof that apparently the Houston Rockets just don’t deserve to beat the Dubs as long as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr are breathing air.
The Warriors had their signature win of the season, wounded and in enemy territory against a franchise that truly has severe GSW related trauma. And that hometeam was led by the superstar who left Golden State in the middle of a dynasty.
This game wasn’t supposed to go Golden State’s way on paper. Those Bay Bandits have a crazy confidence despite their multitude of problematic injuries. Was it a bit of that confidence behind what led Draymond years ago to tell Durant: “We don’t need you. We won without you”?
Let me jump into my Lay-Z-Boy and activate armchair psychology. If I may presume: Draymond was really articulating the deepest truth about what Golden State has always been. Strength In Numbers isn’t just a cute, catchy slogan!
It’s a philosophy fueled by magic, sparked by Stephen Curry’s greatness, grounded in a gritty brotherhood of competitive ballers, and elevated by Steve Kerr’s experience in building systems that strive to make every player their best for the team. If you believe in this brand of basketball, in a perfect world the Warriors don’t need any single player to be the answer. They need everyone to be part of it.
But ain’t it nice when somebody just takes over though? Paging the young guard Podz. Brandin Podziemski played 40 minutes, scored 26 points, hauled in 9 rebounds, and made the go-ahead three in overtime when the Rockets were breathing down their necks. That’s “Put Some Respect On My Name” activity from a hooper who is maximizing every second of Stephen Curry’s rehab process. The effort on the boards is what really stands out; a guard consistently rebounding like this has a chip on his shoulder. You can’t teach effort.
And who gave more effort than Gui Santos who logged 42 minutes at a +20, finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. During this overtime battle in Houston he gave another indicator that he can become everything this organization hoped a wing in their system would be, the Iguodalian swiss army knife who makes the right play so quietly and consistently that you only notice him when you check the box score after and wonder how that happened.
De’Anthony Melton, fresh off an ACL recovery, goes 10-for-22 from the field, adds 3 steals and 2 blocks, and tips in the winning bucket late because he’s perpetually standing on business. The front office made a solid move in picking up Melton, who is serving up absolute filth on anyone unlucky enough to catch him on an island. Melton’s post-injury confidence level is apparent in every cobra-like step he takes towards his defender, getting around them or through them repeatedly with a nonchalance that lets them know it’s not gonna quit.
Also give a shout out to Al Horford, roughly as old as me, killing them for 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting including three from deep, and hits the cold-blooded basket late that took the air out of Toyota Center. When I look at Al I think of everyone I balled in high school with; Horford carries the legacy on for us who came of age when Facebook came out and MySpace was cooking.
And Draymond Green finishes with 10 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and a +12 in 35 minutes, orchestrating all of it, scratching and clawing and refusing to let this group believe for a single second that losing is an option. This team, even without their most potent players, are learning how to grow from survival to revival. We know Steph Curry is still the load-bearing wall of this entire structure. He has missed over a month of games with a knee injury. Next to him in the training room is Porzingis who is a 7-foot-3 monster waiting to return, and need I remind you that sharpshooter Moses Moody is really becoming a thing? The pieces are gathering.
So yes, Kevin Durant helped the Warriors win again last night, which at this point is less surprising than it should be. But the real story is the answer to the question that opened this whole thing.
Who are the Warriors winning with? These guys. Right here. Right now.
They believe. Imagine what they are capable of if the stars align. Just ask the Rockets.
Read the full article here
