Golden State Warriors: Strength in Numbers — the Sequel

The underdog Golden State Warriors have rediscovered their will to win on the road in their most recent Game 6 victory. They’ve done so by returning to the “strength in numbers” philosophy that has worked for them in years past.

In the biggest game of the Golden State Warriors dynasty run, two-time MVP Stephen Curry was benched by coach Steve Kerr in the first half because of foul trouble. On the road against a starved-for-redemption Houston Rockets team, Curry wasn’t happy with himself or Coach Kerr’s decision to sit him midway through the first quarter after he picked up his second foul.

Curry didn’t hide it either as on several occasions he was up in the coaches’ huddle or faces pleading his case to go back into the game. Coach Kerr didn’t budge and Curry sat the rest of the quarter with zero points.

This was something Curry had to accept and understand it wasn’t about trying to prove a point it was all about respect for Curry and the rest of his teammates. Back in 2014, the Warriors had a slogan; it was about the “strength in numbers.” This meant that no individual was above it all — it takes a team.

This same message Kerr had to come back to again and again after Kevin Durant went down with his injury in Game 5. He wanted everyone, and I do mean everyone, to stay ready. That same slogan had been put to rest once Durant had come to the team, but it appeared Friday night in Game 6 for the Warriors.

When Durant doesn’t play, the Warriors actually have a pretty decent record as the team sits at 30-4 in games in which Durant sits but Curry plays. Kerr had to be thinking that so long as his team kept it close, they would have a chance.

Curry, when asked how he could be trusted not to pick up an extra foul, had this to say:

"“Kerr keeps it real. I didn’t want to sit, but he is the coach and we have a strong relationship. That’s built over time.”"

The Warriors have earned a lot of respect in this league and it started back when the slogan “strength in the numbers” was born. The 2015 NBA Finals was the start of it all when they won with homegrown talent and beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers who were at their peak at the time.

The last few years, however, they’ve become comfortable with winning as most champions do. It was never about the challenge of being the best anymore — they knew they were the best. That made other teams and fans jealous, some owners and GM’s bitter, and established nearly universal contempt for the Warriors.

One challenge the Warriors had was the 2016 NBA Finals the very next year when they lost a heartbreaker at home to the Cavaliers. The remainder of the league rejoiced, until that same summer when Kevin Durant came to the rescue.

Fast forward to this past summer and after winning back-to-back championships, DeMarcus Cousins joined the fray. Yes, the Warriors had lost their edge, spunk, and their will to win because they had perhaps gotten spoiled without having to face any adversity. They even lost maybe a little bit of respect around the league as this once Cinderella team had morphed into a cocky dynasty.

But something happened Friday night when Curry got into foul trouble — there was no Durant to bail them out. There was only former undrafted free agent Quinn Cook to come off the bench.

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When Andrew Bogut sat down, there wasn’t a DeMarcus Cousins coming in to replace him. Only Kevon Looney, a homegrown talent the Warriors drafted back in 2015.

When 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala went out, the Warriors brought in Alfonzo McKinnie and right after that brought in Jordan Bell — a second-round pick in 2017 — to replace Draymond Green.

There was a point late in the first quarter where only one all-star was on the court. Klay Thompson was in the lineup surrounded by players who wouldn’t even sniff a playoff lineup on the worst team in Eastern Conference. This was the Warriors team everyone could root for.

The Underdogs.

It reminded us all about why we love watching sports; to cheer in spite of the adversity and root for the underdog. The Warriors were a big underdog too.

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It got even worse when Curry got into foul trouble and had to sit down with zero points at halftime. But the Warriors never backed down. They hung in there with the Rockets even going into halftime with a tie score.

There’s a lot more work that needs to be done for these underdog Warriors, but there is no shortage of celebration after that Game 6 win. There was something in the air Friday night at the start of tip-off. It was a relief for the Warriors and their fans following the game.

It felt like they had earned back the respect that they had somehow lost along the way. They became the fun team again. They became fun to watch again. Not playing ISO, but just utilizing ball movement and having players move without the ball.

Isn’t that what basketball is all about? It’s about the fight to be champions.

This series reminded the Warriors of why they became champions in the first place. The fight. They may have already won back to back, but this is their sequel.