On media day on Friday, Rivers backtracked somewhat, admitted that the Warriors deservedly beat the Clippers last season.
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They were the best team in the National Basketball Association last season, bar none.
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers hate one another, and nothing has changed heading into the new season.
It’s pretty clear that Thompson and the Warriors aren’t concerned with what other teams around the league think.
“If we got lucky, look at our record against them a year ago [3-1 in the regular season]”.
The Golden State Warriors can be forgiven for feeling a little ornery this week. “Exactly”, he continued, referring to the Rockets beating the Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals. We respect all previous champs. Yeah, tell them I said that. The Clippers refused to share a pregame chapel room with the Warriors, then-Warrior Jermaine O’Neal confronted Clippers power forward Blake Griffin in the bowels of the Staples Center, and verbal jeers and barbs have become the custom. Thompson asked. “So that just makes me laugh”.
Houston Rockets guard Ty Lawson felt MVP Steph Curry was afforded too much time on defence in the Western Conference finals, which the Warriors won 4-1 en route to the National Basketball Association Finals.
Thompson of course was responding to what Doc Rivers and J.J. Redick said earlier this week. “All you’ve got to do is look up at that banner we earned”.
Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers added his name to the list of Warriors critics this week.
“I wanted to play the Clippers a year ago, but they couldn’t handle their business [the Clippers lost to the Rockets in the play-offs]”. The once-moribund franchises that are now competing yearly for the Pacific Division title have played games filled with technical fouls, finger-pointing and altercations for the past four seasons. They don’t want to respect us, so be it.
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“I’ve gone days without talking to him just intentionally because it’s easy for us to always get back to what the team’s doing and how everything’s going, which I know he’s concerned about”, said Fraser, Kerr’s college teammate.
