‘Threatened Warriors’ follow the winning plan and fight their way to victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The benefits of a strong roster were clearly visible Tuesday night, and not just because the Warriors cruised to victory with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins on the bench.

Their 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans was a bit of a surprise considering they were slight underdogs. He started with three players making their first starts of the season and a 14-point first quarter that ended with Golden State trailing by 17 points.

Given the composition of this team, what happened in the next 36 minutes could become the norm. The Warriors’ 110-75 loss over the final three quarters was a direct result of them being the more engaged squad.

“They were just the more aggressive team and we didn’t respond when they improved their physicality,” Pelicans star Zion Williamson told reporters at Chase Center.

The Warriors are playing a top game this season, and there it was again. They chased after the loose balls with enthusiasm. They pressured the Pelicans so much that they committed 24 turnovers, from which Golden State scored 34 points.

“Can you win if you don’t shoot well? How do you do that?” asked coach Steve Kerr in his post-game press conference. “You defend, you rebound, you maintain your composure. And everyone who comes off the bench continues to bring energy with them. That’s what I liked most about this game tonight. We saw all of these things happen and that allowed us to turn things around.”

Every man who spoke did so with fire in his belly and conviction in his heart. When Kerr announced last week that he intended to perform with his entire squad, it was obvious that everyone’s ears were occupied.

Everyone – especially those who opened the season from the bench – assumed that the distribution of minutes would be determined in real time and primarily based on performance.

“If Steve finds a group that plays really well, he’ll ride that wave,” Buddy Hield told reporters. “It should, because it gives everyone energy from the bench and that has a secondary effect.”

This game was an example of a team where most players strive for respect and know that the surest way to get it is to show how much winning means to you. Every man on the roster wants to prove that he is a real NBA player and that he has what it takes to make an impact.

Simply put, every man wants to be so effective in his minutes that Kerr will have a hard time replacing him. And the courage was visible on both offense and defense.

Hield, normally the team’s sixth man, started at shooting guard in place of Andrew Wiggins, lacked traction and had just three points at halftime on 1 of 8 shooting, including 1 of 5 from long range. He came off the bench in the second half and gave the Pelicans 25 points on 8 of 10 shooting, making all six of his 3-point attempts.

Lindy Waters, the team’s 13th man, took on the sixth man role and thrived in his first opportunity to play significant minutes. He finished with 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting, including 3 of 7 from long range.

Waters played 31 minutes and seemed ready for more.

“It was very infectious, exciting and exhilarating,” Waters said. “We started getting stops and started playing more physical defensively. We started rebounding and running, you know, we started getting fluid on offense. The boys started having fun, the shots were fired, it was very contagious.”

The brotherly atmosphere of training camp carries over into the regular season. Everyone wants action, but everyone is ready to help shape the journey. After that brutal first quarter was over, the Warriors rallied once again and set out on a mission. They managed two assists in the first quarter and 32 in the final three quarters.

The kind of tenacity the Warriors needed to regain the respect they lost after missing the playoffs last season was clearly on display. Curry and Wiggins enjoyed the breakaway in comfortable clothing. Kerr allowed himself the broad smile of a proud coach.

“I’m just happy to have that kind of depth on nights like tonight when we’re missing three guys,” Kerr said. “And it will pay off for us over the course of ’82.”

Once threatened, the warriors fought back with all their might. There was no flinch, not the slightest sign of withdrawal or even concern. With a few words of encouragement from Draymond Green, they came together, got down and dirty, and were convinced that this was the right path.

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