Super Team: The Warriors' Quest for the Next NBA Dynasty
128
Super Team: The Warriors' Quest for the Next NBA Dynasty
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781629374154 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Triumph Books |
| Publication date: | 01/01/2017 |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Sales rank: | 1,047,101 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d) |
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Super Team
The Warriors' Quest for the Next NBA Dynasty
By Bay Area News Group
Triumph Books LLC
Copyright © 2016 Bay Area News GroupAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-62937-415-4
CHAPTER 1
Full-Court Press
Media Coverage Intense on Curry, Durant & Co.
By Daniel Brown | September 27, 2016
There was no actual basketball played at Warriors media day. The only shots taken came from the clicking cameras documenting Kevin Durant's every long-legged step.
And so it began. The great NBA chemistry experiment is underway. Having fallen one game short of back-to-back titles, the Warriors responded by signing Durant, the biggest star on the market, and unleashing this: the biggest media day in Bay Area memory.
"I wouldn't say it's strange. It's new and fresh," Durant said. "I'm looking forward to it. I just got super excited as I was walking in here."
Durant wasn't the only one revved up. The Warriors issued a record number of press credentials this year, cutting things off at about 225 because there was no room left on the floor.
The usual alphabet soup of sports outlets were here — ESPN, TNT, NBA TV — but also CNBC, covering things from a technology angle. Several international outlets were on hand, meaning that Draymond Green quotes were being translated back to China, Turkey, France, Japan and Italy.
On one hand, there was a wide-array of questions ranging from the meaning of a Rick James tattoo (that one was for Durant) to attendance at yoga classes (Zaza Pachulia) to plans for the national anthem (every player).
But at the heart of it there was just one question: How will the Warriors bounce back from their epic collapse against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals?
"I don't want to walk in the door thinking about Game 7," Curry said, referring to defeat last June 19 that capped the Cavs' comeback from down 3-1.
"Nobody should be thinking that way. But you should remember how you felt when you were walking off the floor. You should remember all that you did all summer to get yourself in a better position individually and collectively."
This year's Warriors will feature a quartet of All-Stars: Curry, Durant, Green and Klay Thompson.
They are basketball's Beatles — the Fab Four-iors — complete with the hype. But they insisted Monday that they are ready for hoopla.
"We're used to the pressure," reserve guard Shaun Livingston said. "The stakes will be a lot higher this year than they were last year, just because of adding Kevin and the team that we have in place. But I've been on nine teams, and I know that there are worse situations to be in. I'm happy to have all these expectations. You'd rather have it this way than the other way."
Indeed, the chaotic scene prompted Raymond Ridder, the team's longtime vice president of communications, to reflect the bad ol' days. Once upon a time, the Warriors were such a non-story that Ridder and his communications staff would meet before the season and ask themselves: "What can we do to entice people to get interested in our basketball team?"
So they came up with gimmicks. One year, reporters could meet at Monta Ellis' house and hitch a ride to the press conference.
Any bright ideas this year?
"This year, the idea was: 'I'm sorry, you can't come,"' Ridder cracked.
Far from the days of hitching a ride with a player, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post drove himself across the country. He piled into his 2009 Dodge Avenger last week and began high-tailing it across the country, 11-hours at a time.
For Bontemps, it was a one-way trip. He is one of several national reporters moving to the Bay Area for the season to embed with Golden State. The New York Times, Bleacher Report, USA Today and ESPN are also planning to cover the Warriors on a frequent basis.
"I really think the Warriors are going to be the dominant story line in sports over the next nine months," Bontemps said. "When you look at the American sporting landscape between now and June, it's hard for me to see a bigger story than what's going on with the Warriors on a daily basis."
But this year's Warriors tale has already taken a darker twist. They are no longer the cuddly Globetrotter clones featuring a Baby-Faced Assassin.
Critics now cast them as overrated chokers who became the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-to-1 lead in the Finals. The Warriors also lost their tempers along the way, with Curry chucking his mouth guard into the stands and Green emerging as a threat to groins everywhere.
Signing Durant to a two-year, $54.275 million deal in the offseason had the dual effect of creating a super-team and robbing Oklahoma City of the most beloved star it has ever known.
"Listen, the Warriors are going to be the most hated team in the NBA this year. They're also going to be the most popular team," Bontemps said. "Every arena they go to, they're going to get booed unmercifully. And everyone across the country who is a neutral fan is going to be rooting against them.
"It's just the way our society works, right? It's just a lot more fun to see a Goliath get taken down."
Sam Amick, who covers the NBA for USA Today, has already felt reader backlash. He recently scored an extensive one-on-one interview with Curry, and parlayed that sit-down into several stories.
"And every single time I tweeted something about the story, there was some non-Warriors fan chiming in to say 'Whatever, they blew a 3-1 lead' — or even something more vulgar," Amick said. "Today I blocked a guy because he had something X-rated to say about Steph. ... Certain fans resent the hype and the way (the Warriors) were talked about as an invincible team."
In the least, the Warriors seemed prepared for the media day onslaught, which was no small feat considering it's turned into a three-hour gamut. The itinerary included required stops at the Warriors social media hub, where players goofed around on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat and other apps born long after Bob Cousy.
Next up? The actual basketball part. Practice starts tomorrow at 11 a.m.
"This day is always weird," Curry said. "There are always a lot of emotions and thoughts on this day because it marks the start of a new year. It's weird, but I know we're excited."
CHAPTER 2Ready to Roll
Steph Curry Primed for Redemption
By Marcus Thompson II | September 26, 2016
The highlight of Stephen Curry's summer was a party in New York City, a climactic end to a frantic offseason.
In hindsight, as he flipped through his memories of the past few months, he most fondly remembered two-stepping at an exclusive shindig last week on the second floor of William Sonoma. The summer saw him play golf with President Obama again, help land Kevin Durant, tour Asia and even drive an IndyCar at Sonoma Raceway.
But this party was most grand because of the occasion.
"We celebrated my wife's New York book tour," Curry said after his session at Warriors media day. "We had a blast. It was a special moment."
Another summer, another whirlwind for Curry.
This time, Curry was the supporting actor. He still had appearances, commercial shoots and basketball camps. But on top of that, he was riding along Ayesha Curry's whirlwind as she released her new cookbook.
These chaotic offseasons have proven to be a good thing for Curry. The storm forces him to find the calm. The burdensome schedule makes him diligent about not neglecting his duties.
His workouts become therapy. Basketball becomes his sanctuary from the demands of stardom. So as usual, Curry comes to training camp in shape, healthy and revved up.
The offseason is work. But now starts the love.
"This thing is always weird," Curry said. "No matter how your season ends, it's always — a lot of different emotions and thoughts that go into this day, because it does mark the start of a new year."
Curry said he is healthy. The medial collateral ligament in his right knee is healed. His conditioning is on point. The limited player whom millions watched underwhelm in the NBA Finals is gone, and back should be the two-time MVP.
He is no stranger to summers packed with special events. Talk shows. Endorsement obligations. Product endorsements. Flights all over. Those are par for the course when you're the MVP and face of a franchise that's become the face of the NBA. This is his new norm. For at least the past few years, something major has happened to dominate his offseason.
But underneath the special events and appearances is usually a mission. That never seems to get lost in all the offseason fun. He usually has something driving him while all the spoils of his celebrity figure to distract him.
In 2012, he was recovering from career-threatening ankle surgery. He worked like never before to prove his career wasn't doomed.
In 2013, he left Nike and became the face of Under Armour, and mixed in a trip to Tanzania, Africa, to pass out malaria nets in person. But he also had to prove he was ready to lead the Warriors to another level after they upset Denver in the first round and fought tough against San Antonio.
In 2014, he played in the FIBA World Cup of Basketball. He went to Spain an All-Star and face of the rising Warriors, but lost out to Chris Paul in a grueling seven-game series. He then played a second-tier role with Team USA. Curry was determined to prove he was elite.
In 2016, his wife became a celebrity chef, author and television persona.
"They're both just amazing experiences because they're things we never dreamt of doing," Curry said. "They're things that (are)our passions, like I love playing basketball, she loves doing what she does in the kitchen, making recipes and connecting with people. It's all pretty natural. But it's different being on the other side, for sure. I enjoyed that part of it. Just kind of watching."
The watching is over. Curry ended the season in the most heartbreaking of fashions: playing his worst game of the season in the biggest game of the year.
History tells us Curry will be driven by the Warriors' Game 7 collapse, by many doubting what he's accomplished.
History tells us before the all the fun he had this offseason, the media tours and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, he was working toward vindicating his name.
The offseason is work. Now starts the love.
CHAPTER 3Back to Business
Kevin Durant Begins New Chapter with the Warriors
By Anthony Slater | September 26, 2016
The Warriors set up a massive press conference room for media day. Rows of desks were surrounded by piles of overflow chairs. Cords slithered everywhere. Cameras lined a platform in the back, pointed at a larger platform in the front, where player after player circulated through.
Kevin Durant batted eighth, the most anticipated hitter buried deep in the lineup. He strolled to the podium with a smile, then folded into his seat, the next small step in his new world. The optics remain a bit strange.
Behind Durant, three banners rose about 10 feet over his head, for background visual purposes. Each had 77 Warriors logos plastered on them, 231 in all, as if the organization was screaming at your eyeballs: 'Yeah, remember, he plays for us now.'
"It's real," Durant said, a 232 Warrior logo planted on the front of his No. 35 jersey.
But Durant isn't a newbie to the game. He's a media day veteran. Media day wasn't much different. KD zipped from station to station, autographing basketballs, sliding behind some curtains for radio voiceovers and navigating through various photo stations. He's long transformed from athlete to brand. This is his comfort zone.
The press conference had a few more people than his previous media days in middle America. But the NBA megastar has faced crowds far deeper and been asked questions far more stressful.
"It's about the same, to be honest," Durant said. "Doing the same things, the same coverage."
Media day was easy. The next day begins business. It's everything outside of that building to which he's still adjusting. This wasn't the easiest summer for Durant to make a mid-career leap. He barely had any time for the move or acclimation.
A few days after signing, he held an introductory press conference on July 7. He was in the Bay less than a day. Then he was off to Asia for more than a week. Then it was to Vegas for Team USA camp and Rio for the Olympics. He made a quick pitstop at Oracle for an exhibition, but that was brief and hectic.
By the time the Olympics were over, his offseason was almost dead. He had to squeeze out a final few trips, for both business and pleasure. He popped up in Greece for a vacation, Austin for a leadership conference, Washington D.C., his home, for a Redskins game and both Seattle and Madison, Wisconsin, for some charity work.
Durant's been a Warrior for nearly three months. But only a handful of those days have actually been spent in the Bay Area. He's still settling into his Oakland Hills home. Life without air conditioning, like for many around the Bay the last couple days, has been brutal.
"My life will change just because I'm in a different city," Durant said. "I think that's probably the only thing. My game? We'll see."
The offseason has provided plenty of stress for Durant, but also time for his life-altering decision to settle. Perspective comes when you visit a maximum-security prison like San Quentin, which Durant did recently. Realization comes during those quiet times on his countless flights.
"It's just become more and more realistic as each day goes by," he said.
Venom likely awaits Durant in almost every opposing city this offseason. He gets a taste of it any time he opens social media these days. In a recent interview on HBO's Any Given Wednesday, that backlash seemed to have formed a defiant edge in Durant as camped loomed.
Maybe it did. But KD tried not to show it at media day. He's known to be moody with reporters, but at media day that mood was generally pleasant. He was gracious before and after his press conference and upbeat during it.
"It's new, fresh and I'm looking forward to it," Durant said of his new venture. "I just got super excited as I was walking in here. Just to play here and play for this great organization and play with these players, I'm excited."
Minor jabs still seem to irk him. A reporter asked whether he'd have joined the Warriors had they won the title. "They didn't," Durant quickly shot back.
But even though some players thrive with that extra edge – and Durant certainly has at times in the past – KD says he's not searching for fuel from the outside.
"I always play with passion," Durant said. "But my thing is just playing for myself. I don't want to go out there and play upset with everybody else. I want to play my game and enjoy the game of basketball"
A huge adjustment period lies ahead. But a chunk of that may have more to do with his new life off the court. On it, his teammates are pretty confident he'll fit in well.
"There were some holes on our team (last year)," Andre Iguodala said. "We got a monster to fill them all."
CHAPTER 4Locked In
With Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Warriors Present the Ultimate Quandary to Defenses
By Marcus Thompson II | October 6, 2016
Klay Thompson said he wasn't going to sacrifice his game because the Warriors have Kevin Durant. It sounded as if Thompson might have been revealing the first sign of trouble on the Warriors' super team, as if he wasn't willing to share the ball. But his declaration might be quite prophetic.
The Warriors are so loaded on offense, he might end up getting more shots. With all the attention teams will have to pay to Durant and Stephen Curry, Thompson could reap the rewards of lesser defenders and defensive lapses.
He's already getting all the shots he wants. Think about it: Thompson, a two- time All-Star and second-team All-NBA selection, being guarded by a team's third-best defender or getting left alone in a game of "Pick Your Poison." The Warriors still have Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, and Ian Clark is looking like he's ready for a bigger role.
How can this team be guarded?
That might be the question that determines everything this season. Much of the talk is about how they will mesh and who will get the shots. But more pressing is what's the scheme to stop this varied attack? That's the question the Los Angeles Clippers left Oracle asking on Tuesday, comforted only by the insignificance of the game.
Last year, the plan was to load up on Curry. He was the head of the snake and was met with double-teams and traps and physical play. The secondary defender would then be on Thompson and the opponent would pray that's enough.
With this new lineup, if they trap Curry, that leaves Durant one-on-one. And helping on him gives open looks to Thompson and Green.
The other option is to not trap Curry, which will lead to the same results that prompted the trap in the first place.
Again: how can this team be guarded?
Kevin Durant solves several of the scoring issues the Warriors had late last season.
The Warriors' top six players have so many options, so many ways to attack.
They can put Livingston or Iguodala at point guard and have Curry, Durant, Thompson and Green running off screens and setting them.
They can run their trusty pick-and-roll with Green and Curry, and have Durant on one side and Thompson on the other, forcing the defense to stay home or help and give them open shots.
They can run the offense through Durant and flank him with the two best shooters in the game, giving him space to drive because defenses are terrified of the Splash Brothers catching fire.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Super Team by Bay Area News Group. Copyright © 2016 Bay Area News Group. Excerpted by permission of Triumph Books LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,Full-Court Press,
Ready to Roll,
Back to Business,
Locked In,
Motivation,
The Durant Dream Comes True,
The New Villains,
Brotherhood,
Shooting for Greatness,
The New Eddie D,
Uniting a Nation,
Defensive Stopper,
A Meeting of Megastars,
Coach's Approval,
Red, White, and Green,
Just KD Being KD,
Golden Boy,
Camp Warriors,
Generation Steph,
Team-First Tone,
Smiling Through the Pain,
Proven,
Ring in the New Year,