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The cartoon Warriors may have embraced the role of NBA supervillains, but Gregg Popovich just reminded everyone which team wears black.
The Spurs started their first season of the post-Duncan era with a bang, loose from the lack of attention surrounding the best-team-no-one’s-talking-about. As usual, the Spurs valued the basketball, especially the missed shots that caromed off the rims. The Spurs secured an extra 20 possessions off of rebounds, attacking the same weakness that OKC and Cleveland hammered away at during last season’s playoffs. To make matters worst, preseason MVP favorite Kawhi Leonard put up 35 points and made 14 free throws, and I guess LaMarcus Aldridge (26 points, 14 rebounds) didn’t get the memo that he was supposed to be useless against Draymond and the Warriors.
The Warriors, meanwhile, stretched their losing streak to four games. Kevin Durant’s Warriors inaugural outing resulted in a loss, joining Steph, Klay, and Dray with this dubious debut distinction.
Still, it feels great to get back to basketball, even if it looks like the Warriors will only win 81 regular season games this season. My favorite part is hanging out here with you, talking hoops and getting pumped up for the next game. And so, I’ve added a “roll call” to the original gamethread, just so we can see who’s hanging out with us on game night!
Enough article. Let the venting begin!