It remains to be seen if Kerr will be up and about by the third game where the Warriors will face the Pelicans once again.
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The Cavs might not look like championship material when they open the season Tuesday night at Chicago, with James battling a bad back in the preseason, Kevin Love only recently returning from shoulder surgery and Kyrie Irving still recovering from knee surgery. “We’ve got to play hard and compete like insane, and then whatever happens from there, we’ll deal with that”.
The question in most people’s minds right now is on whether the Warriors will continue their small-ball brand of basketball or has Kerr and Walton have something new in store this year.
Fans packed Oracle Arena with excitement as the the Warriors and now Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry received their championship rings before the game.
“Steph Curry is unbelievable”.
Another element to the Warriors win was rotating defenders on Davis, which held New Orleans’ star to 18 points and six boards, both figures much lower than last year’s average of 24 points per game and 10 boards.
Fans can also watch the pre-game ring ceremony in VR, during which the league will hand out championship rings to the Warriors for their victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer.
Anthony Davis was the Pelicans’ top-scorer with 18 points despite a poor shooting night that saw him make just four out of the 20 shots he took. “We weren’t going to double-team him”, Walton said of the defensive game plan on Davis. Even the quirks made an appearance: Green picked up an early technical foul, Andrew Bogut had to go to the locker room to get stitches, we even had two minutes of James Michael McAdoo Time.
Nate Robinson will get the start at point guard.
NOTES: With the Warriors’ win, National Basketball Association defending champs are 55-14 all-time in their season openers….
You know that whole “the future is here” thing we have heard about on many occasions?
The Warriors started the 2015-16 season exactly where they ended the 2014-15 campaign – victorious.
Owner Joe Lacob had said of a report that Barnes, 23, turned down an initial four-year, $64 million offer from the team, “Let’s just say it’s in the ballpark”. Not to forget, the duo combined for 525 three-pointers last season, (the most ever by two teammates).
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The Warriors led 32-20 at the 3:57 mark of the quarter on the strength of an 11-2 run, although the Pelicans closed the gap to 39-35 at the end of one. Alexis Ajinca and Luke Babbit are also nursing injuries, but may still play in the game.
