The Golden State Warriors are focused on bouncing back after missing the playoffs last season. It won’t be easy for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, especially now that Klay Thompson has joined the Dallas Mavericks. The team’s struggles over the past two years have led to increased criticism, and recently, an anonymous coach made a pointed comparison that didn’t sit well with the team.
“I was thinking about this the other day,” the coach told Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett. “They’re like one of those rock-and-roll bands that’s still touring. They’ve still got their lead singer, and he can still crank it out at a high level. But it’s not the same band as before — and they haven’t had a hit record in a few years.”
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski didn’t hold back in his response. In an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Laura Britt, Podziemski fired back at the unnamed coach.
“We don’t love to hear that, but we love to hear that in the fact that we’re going to do something that no one expects us to do,” Podziemski said. “They don’t think we’re the Warriors we were before, and for us, I think it’s just the best feeling when you don’t have anything to lose, and you just go out and prove people wrong.”
“I think there’s a bunch of guys with that mentality that thrive off proving people wrong, and I know Steph is one of those guys,” he continued. “So just to be alongside him in the backcourt, and with all our other guys, we’re just excited to prove people wrong.”
Stephen Curry shares Warriors’ championship ambitions
Despite the setbacks, Stephen Curry is still confident in his team’s ability to compete for championships. In an interview with People’s Natasha Dye, Curry reiterated his commitment to keeping the Warriors in the title conversation for as long as possible.
“You can’t play this game forever, but the fact that I’ve been with the Warriors for this long and that we’ve had this championship window, you want to keep it open for as long as possible,” Curry said, reflecting on his tenure with the franchise.
Curry also sent a message to the rest of the league: “I love the fact that people don’t think we can keep pace with some of the other teams that they’re picking in the West. And I just love that challenge of stepping into training camp and being able to create your success — that gets me going.”