The Golden State Warriors logged their 17th win of the season on Friday in a dominant display against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Dubs are literally the best team in the NBA right now and it isn't really very close.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has sounded off on his team's strong start to the season. According to the three-time NBA champion coach, Golden State's ability to defend has been one of the biggest factors behind their early-season success:
“We have a really good team. That’s the main thing,” Kerr said. “If you’re good and you can defend like we are defending, then you will win a lot of home games.”
Stephen Curry is playing at an MVP pace right now as he continues to prove how he's one of the most dangerous scorers in the history of the sport. For the Warriors, it definitely helps that you have the greatest shooter of all time on your roster. Nevertheless, as Steve Kerr expressed above, their defense has been the difference-maker thus far.
Kerr then went on to say that the fans have likewise played a huge role in their strong start:
“I love the way we have established that early on the season,” Kerr continued. “Our fans feel it. We can hear our fans every night. We hear the noise, energy and excitement. We’re building something with our fan base this year that’s really special.”
The Warriors haven't been very good in the past couple of seasons and it's only this year that they've gotten back on track as the dominant force we've all been accustomed to. As such, this is the first season Dubs fans are able to celebrate win after win in their new stadium. Gone are the glory days of the Oracle Arena as Dub Nation ushers in a new era in the majestic Chase Center.
“It’s different given that we are in a different building than we were a few years ago when we were on top of the league,” Kerr said. “This feels fresh and new and after the last couple of years, we’ve earned this and our fans have earned this too.”
Curry himself echoed his coach's thoughts on the Warriors' new home stadium. According to the two-time MVP, the Dubs are now “trying to create an identity” in their new arena as they look to carry over their success from the iconic Oracle Arena.
For his part, Warriors wing Juan Toscano-Anderson also spoke about how special Dubs fans really are. Simply put, Golden State would not be where they are right now without their loyal fanbase:
“It's always fun to play at home especially when you have fans like the ones that we have,” said JTA. “They bring energy every night. We’re a fun team, a bunch of guys who are bringing energy, cheering for one another. It’s something special.”
Juan Toscano-Anderson joined the Warriors in 2019 and this was the year the Dubs moved to their new stadium. JTA was not able to experience the spectacle that was the Oracle Arena, but he's clearly more than happy to play his home games at the Chase Center.
There's no denying that the Warriors are looking like legitimate threats to the NBA title right now. Could this be their year? Are they going to be celebrating their first championship in the Chase Center at the end of this season? At this point, this is sounding like a very realistic possibility.
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