In 1965 golfer Bobby Jones said of a young Jack Nicklaus, “He plays a game with which I am not familiar” (or something to that effect).
Watching the Golden State Warriors bring their magic show to the floor against any other NBA team reminds me of that sentiment.
Wednesday night I was treated to not one but two broadcasts of the Warriors against my hometown Wizards (thanks, local TV station). Sort of a one-sided ass-whooping from the word go, though the Wiz did make a game of it in the second half thanks to some spot-on play from John Wall. Completely overshadowed, of course, by the greatest show on hardwood.
The Warriors of 2015-16 have won 45 of their 49 games played. Yes, that’s on pace for a record. How do they do it? Hocus pocus, more or less. They’ve wowed and cowed so many other teams this season that one can’t help rooting for them, no matter the hometown allegiance. Indeed there were many oohs and ahhs for the boys from Oakland at the Verizon Center Wednesday night, a deference reserved for no other visiting team.
They say that football markets its teams, baseball its history, hockey its sport, and basketball its stars. The Golden State Warriors have defied this model. Yes, the team has stars, but they’re not flashy or braggadocious in the manner of a Kobe, LeBron, or Bulls-era Michael (all of whom got their individual respect in D.C., though it did not extend to their teams). Stephen Curry may be the best player in the world but he doesn’t act like it. He scored a quiet 51 points in Wednesday’s game.
Quiet 51?
Draymond Green had a quiet triple-double.
Quiet triple-double?
It’s a cliché, but the Warriors play as a team. They’re unselfish. And they put on a show. Don’t think Showtime Lakers or the Miami LeBrons. Kerr’s kids just go about their business. Bird-era Celtics? Teams led by Wooden or Smith?
The only example I can imagine from my own lifetime was the late-’80s/early-’90s UNLV teams under Jerry Tarkanian, beating up on Big West Conference opponents en route to an NCAA Tournament berth. It just looked like they were playing a different game than everyone else. Not beating up literally like Pistons Bad Boys or Georgetown of a few years before. Not one-man wrecking crews following Pistol Pete or Ralph Sampson or Austin Carr. The Warriors are a team of stars, playing as a team, and they’ve got youth on their side as well. They play a fast, perimeter game that’s somehow still stingy on D, and look cool doing it too.
It’s a game with which I am completely unfamiliar.