Golden State Warriors: 5 things we learned from Opening Night
By Corey Libow
5. Steph Curry is still the Warriors top dog.
After winning finals MVP, Kevin Durant spent the summer lauding in acclaim and attention. He’s an early favorite to win this year’s MVP. Commentators were saying that the NBA is his league now, taking the crown from LeBron James. Last night showed that even if Kevin Durant is the favorite of the NBA, the Warriors are still Stephen Curry‘s team.
During the pregame ceremony, it was Steph Curry who was reserved for the last announcement and elicited the largest cheers. It was Steph who gave the speech to the crowd as the new 2016-2017 championship banner was lifted to the rafters. Beyond popularity, it was still Steph who had the Warriors playing like their championship selves.
Whenever Steph Curry was in the game – at least for the first three quarters – the Warriors zoomed ahead. His presence, as usual, allowed the rest of the team to be great. Once he got in foul trouble early, the rest of the team couldn’t find a rhythm. Neither Durant, Klay Thompson, or Draymond Green could make anything happen without him.