Warriors coach Steve Kerr entered the season’s opening trip warning fans and the media not to pay too much attention to Golden State’s appearance against Brooklyn and Milwaukee.
This is a club that, after a nine-month hiatus of games, must acclimatise point guard Stephen Curry to a new supporting squad, establish an offensive identity and reshape his defense – all with All-Star guard Klay Thompson out. the season with a broken Achilles tendon and Draymond Green temporarily marginalized by a problem with his right foot. But, three days after being busted at the opening by the Nets, the Warriors seemed overwhelmed by a 138-99 loss to Bucks on Christmas Day at the Fiserv Forum.
The small sample size was sufficient to moderate the expectations of a group trying to exorcise the memory of the worst record of the last season. The James Wiseman center – the second choice in last month’s NBA draft – impressed after losing all three preseason games after a positive coronavirus test, but Golden State appears to have many shortcomings to keep up with the best teams.
A 24-9 run put the Warriors in a 23-point hole at the end of the third quarter, and they ended up on the wrong side of the NBA’s most uneven Christmas game since 1960.