Golden State Warriors: Takeaways From Game 1 Of The Preseason
By Aaron Mah
Everybody Hates KD …
On paper, this was a Raptors home game; as after all, they are billed and marketed as Canada’s team.
But, as a Vancouverite myself, I can attest that the majority of the locals on the west coast are anything but.
Sure, there’s your one-in-10 Raptors diehard here-and-there, but for the most part, ever since the Grizzlies departed from my hometown in 2001, it’s been about as bipartisan of a crowd as you could find.
As such, the environment gave a nice feel of how your everyday fan feels about the new look Warriors. And, undoubtedly, the first thing you noticed, or rather heard, were the smattering pf boos that “rained” upon Kevin Durant everytime he touched the ball.
For someone who, by all accounts, is as sensitive as KD is known to be, his demanor and emotions will be something to monitor going forward as he evolves into the most hated man in the league.
On the court, although he finished the game shooting just 2-of-9 from the field in just 16 minutes of first half play, he did missed several wide open looks, including a few (of many more to come) Stephen Curry-to-Durant connections, that he should nail with regularity when the season begins in under a month’s time.
The versatility he brings, on the other hand, was evident already, as he ran more pick-and-rolls in just one half of play than Harrison Barnes did in his four years as a Warrior.
Defensively, he showed how bothersome his length can be, especially in transition and at the end of the first half when coach Steve Kerr deployed their Super Death Lineup of Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, and KD.