SAN FRANCISCO — When Stephen Curry exited the game for good near the end of the third quarter, with the Boston Celtics up by 32 en route to a crushing 40-point victory over the Warriors, he probably hadn’t felt further from the NBA championship. NBA 2022 from Golden State that on Monday.
After suffering the worst home loss of the Steve Kerr era with a 125-85 loss at Chase Center, Curry noted how the Celtics are everything the Warriors aren’t right now.
Curry talked about how Boston has the same core of its 2022 NBA Finals team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but is even more confident after winning the Finals last season.
“Yeah, obviously we have a completely different roster,” Curry said of the Warriors compared to his 2021-22 team. “Especially without Draymond [Green] out there. but you look [at what] They also have [Kristaps] Porzingis still has pretty much the entire rotation and they are the defending champions.
“So, they’re coming in with a level of confidence and arrogance, and it’s the exact opposite of what we have now. So yeah, they’re obviously great memories, but they definitely feel like a long time ago.”
The Warriors remain hopeful that they can turn this season around, get into the playoffs and surprise everyone like they did in 2022, when they beat Boston 4-2 in the Finals.
But they are 21-21 and are plagued by injuries to key players. Green did not play Monday and will be out for at least a week with a minor calf strain. Jonathan Kuminga injured his right ankle on Jan. 4 and was ruled out for at least three weeks, although he will likely need more time to return. Brandin Podziemski has been out with an abdominal injury and Kyle Anderson did not play due to a glute injury.
Since starting the season 12-3, the Warriors have gone 9-18. They are currently on a nine-game stretch with eight of those at the Chase Center.
Curry was asked if the Warriors can use this stretch to stay afloat with the injuries to Green and Kuminga.
“It’s incredibly meaningful to our season,” Curry said. “You’d expect to be a better team at home than away from home… We’ll see how we respond and if we can take advantage of this stretch. Tonight wasn’t very good,” Captain Obvio said.
“But just the idea that we can stay afloat until we get some guys back can make or break our season to be honest, to make it real… Nobody’s counting game by game, but a six” “Eight games can define where we are going to go for the rest of the season.”
The Celtics (30-13) made 20 3-pointers on Monday, with Tatum leading the way with 22 points.
Curry, with his 18 points, was only one of two Warriors to score in double figures.
Kerr is hopeful that Podziemski and Anderson can return later this week. The Warriors will play the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday before facing the Chicago Bulls at home on Thursday. The Los Angeles Lakers will visit Golden State on Saturday.
The Warriors will need to score much more than the 85 points they scored against Boston. It was the lowest production in a home game in which Curry played under Kerr. The 40-point margin also represented Golden State’s worst home loss since a 45-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 1985.
“It seems like forever ago,” Warriors center Kevon Looney said when asked how long it’s been since the 2022 NBA championship. “We’ve had many iterations of the team since then. Every season brings with it a new challenge. That year seems increasingly distant. But hopefully, we can return to that feeling of being champions. But we have a long way to go.”