There was no New Year’s hangover for either team, but especially from the Warriors, who continue to find new ways to dazzle. The staple of this team continues to dwell in its backcourt, but the steady performances from their less renowned talents are what can make this season a memorable one.
Curry is continuing a historic campaign that might end in an MVP presentation, Klay Thompson has vastly improved since the days of the #Klayup and Andrew Bogut is the centerpiece of a formidable, but fragile frontcourt. The core is evident, but the contributions are coming from everywhere.
Even without Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli on Friday, the Warriors managed to force the Raptors to play their own type of game. “We tried to play their style,” said Amir Johnson after the game. “We didn’t really play our basketball. We tried to go up and down instead of playing our style.”
“Their style” has been a winning style through 31 games. We’re far passed the “it’s early in the season” stage. Teams are forming into what they are, and the Warriors continue to pass the tests presented to them. They’re not perfect, but they’re not their mistakes either.
The Raptors opted to go small for the majority of the game, with talented big man Jonas Valanciunas only logging 11 minutes. Despite a 12-0 run late in the second quarter, the Warriors succeeded in breaking the Raptors’ attempts at trapping Curry above the three-point line with splits, quick passes and finding the open man.
“We just need to get the ball out of Steph’s hands and get them to the right person or angle based on where the blitz is coming from,” explained Steve Kerr. “We’ve worked on that every day since the Clipper game,” which is what Kerr says was the best defensive game anybody has played against them all season.