Sacramento, Calif. — The familiar sound of silence was sweet to the Champs, who felt rejuvenated after being perfect for the first time in a long time.
Along with the bluster and arrogance of a championship was real focus and determination, he found himself on the road again, facing another test from the Sacramento Kings.
And for the first time in a long time, they passed the test by doing so with the style that produced champions last June.
The Golden State Warriors marched into set form at the Golden 1 Center and headed to a throng of fans streaming down the highway, taking a 3-2 lead in their competitive first-round series with a 123-116 Game 5 victory.
There were no images of Draymond Green yelling and barking at Kings fans during a timeout, or any level of distraction that would take away from the importance of this game. They came close in the first two games but were undone by the usual mistakes that are usually made by less experienced clubs early in the season.
On the one hand, it was too vague for the team to be taken seriously.
On the other hand, they were getting closer than the illustrated 11-30 road record.
But the number that mattered most to them was 28 – the number of consecutive streaks the Warriors have gone home for at least one game, an NBA record.
It was accomplished with a style that should terrify every participant left in the playoff bracket, the Warriors have figured it out and will continue to do so into June.
“We know we’re going to ride our guys, the best two-way lineup,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “What we give up in spacing we make up for in offensive rebounding and defense. And so that’s our lineup.
Klay Thompson (25 points) goes on a random heater to keep the Warriors close, then hits one of those ridiculous leaning corner jumpers to quiet the crowd.
Kevon Looney is dribbling down every rebound, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Nate Thurmond as the only Warriors to have two 20-rebound games in a playoff series. He was aided by Gary Payton II, who again played above his height to get crucial offensive rebounds and defensive pressure that gets you out of trouble.
Stephen Curry does things like Steph, even on an imperfect night by his standards.
And Green took a step back in the wayback machine to the days where he was the big scorer, hitting a one-footer during a crucial moment in the fourth that he probably missed during practice.
He encouraged his teammates to call him “Draymond Nowitzki” as an homage to the Hall of Famer’s signature shot.
His 21 points represented the first time he broke the 20-point barrier since Christmas 2019 — before the pandemic, during the Warriors’ so-called “gap year,” when Curry was out with a wrist injury and Thompson was nursing for the first time. Injuries to his debilitating leg.
Green came off the bench, hitting 8 of 10 3-pointers while adding 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. As disruptive as he was in Game 2 for a myriad of reasons, he loved everything for the Kings for the second straight game and could barely hear the sad crowd saying anything to get under his skin.
“I am not chasing any villain title. Being a villain is not fun, it’s not fun,” Green said. “But, I also never smoke. You have to take the good with the bad. It was great to play in Game 4 when I got excited. Super special.
“On the flip side of it, if you like, if you’re interested in it and appreciate it, but you have to appreciate the other side as well. You know, we pride ourselves on not being ahead.”
He hasn’t been a front-runner, not this season, with self-inflicted problems and other circumstances beyond his control.
It has taken some of the luster off the championship, and it was slightly tarnished in the first two games of this series, when the young Kings ran wild on them, making the champions look old and tired.
De’Aaron Fox was at the helm, and despite some doubt over his fractured index finger on his shooting hand, he made 25 shots and hit his first three triples. Thompson flicked his left arm to mimic Fox’s shooting form, almost in admiration. He got into foul trouble trying his hand at defending some of those shape-shifting drives, and it was only late that Fox’s injury seemed to take its toll.
He scored 24 with 9 assists and 7 rebounds, but the NBA’s Mr. Clutch was more of a bystander in the fourth quarter as reserve Malik Monk took the lead guard spot and continued to attack the Warriors guards as they chipped away at a 12-point lead. .
That’s been the pattern for the Warriors this season — but even in the first quarter when those old bad habits resurfaced, giving the Kings eight 3-pointers, they were still within three.
They probably knew they had won the game, then.
“That’s our team with a healthy group, we can put two-way lineups out there,” Kerr said. “I thought Gary was fantastic tonight, made some big plays, gave us big minutes. So Gary returned, did [Andrew Wiggins] Come back and have a healthy roster. You can see we are a different team now.”
It might seem more sustainable if this were a curry masterpiece, but it was far from it. A couple bonehead plays can be costly, but like in Game 4 where he got his head back in the game to make a crucial stop in the final seconds, Curry put the finishing touches on a 31-point night — a 3-point play with 22.4 seconds left.
He put them eight, frustrated the Kings and just gave his teammates credit that, even though it was too late to do so, they were finding their way with each other.
“The seasons can be long, and as such, there are many ups and downs, but it all makes it worth it,” Thompson said. “When you walk off that floor victorious, especially with guys you’ve been with for over a decade. I mean, that’s pretty rare in professional sports, and Draymond and Steph don’t take [it] believe Neither I, nor Loon.”
The series isn’t really over, but it might as well be. The Kings are formidable and talented, but the Warriors are getting stronger every day.
As battered and bruised as they are, they’re sensing opportunity and, shockingly, seem as hungry as the thirstiest contenders.
Thirst for silence.
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