It was the most points for any player in the first quarter of a season opener in 20 years. Despite being a fan favourite, the National Basketball Association players voted Houston Rockets guard James Harden, not Curry, as the league’s MVP.
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“We want to get the ball in the post more and I thought we could have done it more tonight”, said interim coach Luke Walton.
It wasn’t all good news for the Warriors on Tuesday night.
They did so without Kerr, who attended the ring ceremony but then headed straight to the locker room, where he rested an ailing back as he watched the game on television. Hey, I’m guessing Cue wouldn’t be against it if it means hanging out with the team a few more.
“I heard he was nervous”, Curry said of Walton. His hair might be getting shorter by the day, but his game certainly isn’t.
Just minutes after the emotional ceremony, Curry and his Warriors entered Beast Mode.
New Pelicans Coach, Alvin Gentry, took part in the celebration, and received praise from the crowd, as he was one of the Warriors’ Assistant Coaches last season.
“I told the guys, “We’re not going to use injuries as an excuse”, he said. Even if the defender somehow anticipated what was about to happen and came out to play the pull-up shot, Curry would just blow by his man and attack the basket with a smart pass or a nifty finger roll like he did all night against New Orleans.
“The challenge was set”. Davis found it hard to get on track as the Warriors threw multiple defenders at him and was 4 for 20 from the field by the end of the game.
The Warriors didn’t finish the game entirely unscathed as center Andrew Bogut, already wearing a mask over his broken nose, suffered a laceration above the right eye in the third quarter and left to get stitches.
Cunningham never returned to the game because he was being observed for a possible concussion.
Ish Smith scored 11 points off the bench in his debut with the Pelicans and Kendrick Perkins provided an unexpected offensive spark in paint, scoring eight points in the first quarter. “When I feel better, I’ll feel better”.
Rebounds were the Warriors saving grace, the team recorded 59 to the Pelicans 33. He put up an impressive 12 points (6-of-6 FG), five rebounds, and five assists. Davis missed 16 of his first 17 shots from the field and finished the game with 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks on 4-of-20 shooting.
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This was a contest where reigning MVP Stephen Curry would be on the same floor as the trendy pick for this year’s MVP award Anthony Davis in an all out battle for who could showcase a more ridiculous array of talents. “We had a couple of early lapses, and Stephen carried us”.
