1:01 a.m. ET
Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors are back in the playoffs for the first time in two years. And unlike last time in the postseason – and the four times before that – there aren’t many expectations of them.
Sure, they’re expected to make it past the first round. Maybe even the second. Some believe they could get to the Western Conference Finals. But none of the discussions surrounding the Warriors compare to their dynastic era when they were clear favorites to win everything every season.
“Nobody picks us to win, to get out of the west, at least I don’t think so, except for our families,” Stephen Curry said. “Which is fine. It’s just that you have to win four games and to do that we have a specific game plan that we’re going to try and execute on Saturday… and we understand that every game takes on a new life of its own.”
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Steve Kerr added: “I think four years ago… I expect to win a championship. But we’re a different team now. I have no expectations. I know I’m not going into the playoffs thinking. All right, we’ll do this or that.’ I’m just like, ‘How can we beat Denver on Saturday?’ In many ways it’s really fun. Maybe not as fun as putting together one of the best squads of all time, but it’s a whole different challenge and unique.”
The Warriors are by no means counted. But for them to truly compete with the two teams above them in the standings – the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies – a lot has to be right.
This also includes the health of the team.
Curry made a move Thursday to complete Golden State’s roster when he participated in the team’s scrimmage, a key factor in getting him back on the court after a month.
But since the Warriors are yet to play a full game with their entire active roster, they must do something they were never tasked with: figuring out their rotation and game combinations in real-time during the playoffs.
Not to mention they will do so with a roster that doesn’t have much playoff experience unlike the previous Warriors superteams. Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney have plenty of playoff basketball to offer. But if you look at the other rotation players like Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga and even players like Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr. their resumes are not that long.
Thompson showed his younger teammates the highlights of the 2016-17 Warriors season as they won 73 regular-season games, came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Finals, and eventually crushed a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Thompson wanted to show you the variety of events that can happen even when you’re the favorite to win.
He also showed them a clip of Kobe Bryant from the 2009 NBA Finals when Bryant told reporters he wasn’t happy after winning the title because his job wasn’t finished.
For Thompson, that individual mindset is all that matters heading into the postseason.
“I still have the same expectation as before, which is to win the title,” said Thompson. “It’s just right for us. We know how hard it is and yes it’s a different time, but nothing is ever the same. We have an opportunity ahead of us and it is a great one.”