Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala added a fourth ring to their collections.
The next generation of Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman got their first fitting.
Head coach Steve Kerr needs a bigger safe now that he has nine.
Tuesday night’s pregame ceremony featured smiles, screams and not one but two video montages. General manager Bob Myers, Thompson and Curry made brief speeches. It was the Warriors’ first celebration in the Chase Center, and the state-of-the-art arena lit up the court with pyrotechnics as the banner rose to its rafters.
“I’ve never had a bad ring night, I can tell you that,” Kerr said pregame. “They’re all awesome.”
Kerr’s ring night streak continued, as the Warriors (1-0) punked the Lakers, taking a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter and coasting to a 123-109 win. Curry finished with a game-high 33 points to go with six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Wiggins added 20, building off his strong playoff performance from the summer.
Here are three takeaways from Golden State’s season-opening victory.
Steph Curry, Face of the Franchise
With Tuesday’s game, Curry began his 14th season with the Warriors — passing Chris Mullin for most in franchise history.
Curry’s four titles, two MVP awards and eight All-Star selections will never do his legacy in the Bay justice. There are no accolades that could capture the effervescent personality, the leadership behind closed doors, the joy with which he plays. His unmatched 3-point numbers alone don’t even tell the complete story of how he changed the game of basketball.
Curry is the model face of the franchise in team sports. He performs at the highest level on the court and uses the platform that comes from for good. During the pregame ceremony, Curry called attention to Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who remains wrongfully detained in Russia.
“It’s been 243 days since she’s been wrongfully incarcerated in Russia,” Curry said. “We hope that she comes home soon, and everybody is doing their part to get her home.”
On the court, Curry’s first bucket came on a dream shake post fadeaway. But that was his only bucket in his first eight attempts. He heated up by getting to the line and taking advantage of a wilting Lakers defense.
In the fourth, as the Lakers threatened to comeback, Curry erupted. He houdini-d Anthony Davis in the lane, drilled a 3 off a pindown and canned a four-point play from the top of the key. The vintage heat check, coupled with ridiculous shot-making from Andrew Wiggins, put the Lakers away.
Bling bling
The actual rings each Warrior received were spectacular.
Sixteen carats of yellow and white diamond signifying the 16 wins needed to win a title. Seven more to represent Golden State’s seven franchise championships. On the Golden Gate bridge — the centerpiece of the jewelry — there are 43 baguettes for Curry’s 43 points in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
As Thompson demonstrated, the ring actually moves with a twist, revealing four hidden trophies; the Warriors are the fourth team ever to win four titles in eight years.
Innovation that excites.
Each Warrior — plus the released Quinndary Weatherspoon and now-Laker Juan Toscano-Anderson — got introduced and received their ring from team owner Joe Lacob. Poole’s reaction was particularly animated.
Rotation in its infant stages
The Warriors will likely tinker with their rotation for weeks, if not months. Things are especially fluid now, as Thompson and Green aren’t ready to play a full load of minutes.
In the first half, Kerr played 11 players. He said pregame that would be a possibility, and the Warriors’ depth should allow that to be somewhat sustainable throughout the year. The reality is that injuries will pop up inevitably; Kerr likes to tell his teams that everyone always gets a chance in an NBA season.
Every non-rookie on the Warriors played at least five minutes in the first half. James Wiseman (8 points, 7 rebounds) impressed, playing most of his minutes while sharing the court with JaMychal Green or another big to try to slow down Anthony Davis.
In the third quarter, when Golden State turned a seven-point edge into a 20-point blowout, the Warriors went with mostly their starters. Poole, Wiseman, Kuminga and Green played meaningful minutes, a sign of a burgeoning nine-man rotation.
Donte DiVincenzo factored in more in the fourth as the Warriors had to weather a 22-9 Lakers run.
No matter which directions the Warriors decide to go with their bench, they can operate knowing they’re in a significantly better spot than the Lakers and their Matt Ryans and Austin Reaveses.
