On a night when Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond reunited in the broadcast booth, the Golden State Warriors did their best Run TMC impression on the court. The three Hall-of-Famers narrated the Warriors' wire-to-wire washing of the San Antonio Spurs, 132-95, in front of an enthusiastic Chase Center crowd. Rocking royal blue and gold throwback jerseys, Golden State drew ‘oohs and aahs,’ throwing alley-oops, sinking deep three-pointers, and dazzling with dribble moves like their predecessors used to. The Warriors played with joy, a rarity during the now 6-8 start to the season. Most importantly, Golden State blew out an inferior opponent for the first time this season.
Rocking royal blue and gold throwback jerseys, Golden State drew ‘oohs and aahs,’ throwing alley-oops, sinking deep three-pointers, and dazzling with dribble moves like their predecessors used to. The Warriors played with joy, a rarity during the now 6-8 start to the season. Most importantly, Golden State blew out an inferior opponent for the first time this season.
The Warriors led by as many as 41 points, running all over a struggling San Antonio squad begging to be beaten.
“We needed to get a win today,” Jordan Poole said after scoring a season-high 36 points. “I was being aggressive… opportunities present themselves or they don’t.”
The Spurs presented an abundance of chances for Jordan Poole, who was a game-best plus-33 in his 29 minutes. Poole’s explosive performance was reminiscent of Richmond, another score-first Warrior, who applauded Poole above the court. Perhaps it was a coincidence that Poole wore the iconic #23 jersey after the game.
On the court, Golden State looked most like Run TMC during its 15-0 run to open up the third quarter. Kevon Looney started things with a lay-in underneath the rim, followed by Stephen Curry swishing a three-pointer from the wing 40 seconds later. On the next Spurs possession, Draymond Green ripped Jakob Poetl who Curry goaded into a three-point shooting foul on the other end. After three makes, Poole got a strip 10 seconds later and walked into a transition three. Then, a Spurs miss triggered Poole in transition, who hit a high-flying Andrew Wiggins for an alley-oop slam. After a San Antonio timeout, Poole concluded the run by hitting a pull-up jumper. The 2:29 stretch was fast-paced, creative, free-flowing, and high-scoring, just like the 1989-91 era of Warriors basketball.
Another trademark of the Run TMC team was transition. Golden State outscored San Antonio 19-4 on fastbreak points, including big dunks and long threes. A comfortable lead meant less stress for the Warriors, which led to a confident array of shots. They were in sync.
Although these Spurs are a shell of Greg Popovich’s best groups, a blowout is what the Warriors should hand to this kind of team. No win is easy, as evident from Golden State’s first 13 games, but San Antonio had dropped five of six and was short-handed. The Warriors stepped on their throat from the tip.
That effort allowed Curry and Wiggins to play a season-low in minutes, 27 and 23, respectively. It also allowed Steve Kerr to dip deep into his bench, giving Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody a solid amount of playing. The duo responded by scoring a combined 26 points on 17 shots. James Wiseman, who will head to Santa Cruz for an extended time in the G-League, even got some in the fourth quarter.
In recent games, the young core took criticism for a lack of liveliness on the bench, no matter the result. On Monday, they all played with something a bit absent for the defending champs: joy.
“Part of the problem is there hasn’t been an established pecking order,” Kerr said in postgame. “We as a staff have to connect everybody and make sure there is that sense of joy and competitiveness that makes us who we are and who we’ve been for the past decade.” The Warriors certainly looked connected on their season-high 35 assists.
The Warriors effortlessly found nylon, shooting 53.4% from the floor and an impressive 51.1% on threes. Two-player emerger Anthony Lamb hit five treys to lead the bench with 17 points. After receiving DNPs in three-straight games, JaMychal Green was a plus-18 in 16 minutes. It was the second unit’s most complete performance of the season.
Everyone had fun on a night that remembered one of the most entertaining eras in franchise history.
“I believe you win more when you bring joy to the arena,” Kerr said postgame. It is easy to play with joy when you win.
Golden State is hoping both can be infectious.
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