Kurtenbach: The Warriors can spark a new rivalry with the NBA’s
second-best team this week
The NBA's two best teams — the Warriors and Suns — could set the
foundation for a rivalry this week with a home-and-home series.
>CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: Stephen Curry #30 of the
Golden State Warriors looks on during the second quarter against the
Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on November 14,
2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
>CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: Stephen Curry #30 of the
Golden State Warriors looks on during the second quarter against the
Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on November 14,
2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: November 29, 2021 at 1:03 p.m. | UPDATED: November 30, 2021
at 4:34 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/11/29/kurtenbach-steph-curry-the-warriors-have-a-new-rivalry-it-could-be-truly-special/

There are the Warriors and there are the Suns. Then there’s a big gap
between them and the NBA’s 28 other teams.

So thank goodness the NBA’s two best squads are finally going to play
each other this week.

For the Warriors (18-2), who have aced every test they’ve faced through
a quarter of the season, back-to-back matchups with the Suns (17-3) on
Tuesday and Friday in Phoenix and San Francisco represent the toughest
tests yet.

There’s no question that the Warriors are an exceptional team, but are
they the best?

At this point in the season, only the Suns — winners of 16 straight
games — could make a more than fair claim on that favorite status.

And while the season is still in its early days, this checkpoint for
both teams will establish a pecking order heading into the
true-but-unofficial start of the NBA season: Christmas, when these two
teams will play again.

The Warriors and Suns are — for the first time in a long time and
probably for the first time ever — worthy adversaries atop the league.
Two budding rivals that could define the 2021-22 NBA season.

“Nobody’s going to just walk in there and walk out with a win,” Draymond
Green said after the Warriors’ win over the Clippers Sunday. “You’ve got
to go in there and earn a win, take the win.”

That’s not normal regular-season talk. No, you’d expect to hear
something like that during the playoffs.

And perhaps we will in a few months.

In the meantime, pride is on the line, and for both teams, that’s enough.

It’s one of the reasons I’m excited that that these two franchises are
representing the league’s best, because on the court, these two teams
were built to play the game the right way and execute that on a nightly
basis.

They’re actually trying to entertain and win. It’s a shame that concept
has been so eschewed by some of the best teams and players in the league
over the last few years.

The Warriors are playing as if their five-year dynastic run never ended.
They’re first in the NBA in defensive rating (points allowed per 100
possessions) and second in offensive rating. In all, they’re outscoring
their opponents by nearly 14 points per game.

They’re a juggernaut. All while Klay Thompson and James Wiseman sit on
the bench, awaiting returns from injury.

The Suns started the season in unimpressive fashion, allowing just a bit
of doubt about their splendid 2021 playoff run to materialize in league
circles.

They’ve quieted that.

The Suns are now replicating that exceptional playoff formula in the
regular season, putting them one win away from their longest winning
streak in franchise history.

Devin Booker has been leading the way, averaging 27 points and making
more than 50 percent of his field goals (53 percent from beyond the arc)
over the last five games.

The Warriors do have a rivalry with Suns point guard Chris Paul, one
that has been comically lopsided since the Warriors hired Steve Kerr as
head coach before the 2014-15 season.

But with Paul’s ability to conduct his team (and annoy his opponent),
Booker’s sharpshooting and the rim running and rim protection of big man
Deandre Ayton, the Warriors are in for a massive challenge.

The Suns are the kind of team that can not only find weaknesses the
Warriors might have — they can punish them.

The switch-everything Dubs will try to defend Booker with Andrew Wiggins
and Paul with Curry or, better yet, Gary Payton II. The Suns’ and
Warriors’ excellent depth might cancel out.

But Ayton is the X-factor. He’s a handful.

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Without Wiseman (and even with him) the Warriors lack a true big man for
their lineup. Going into Tuesday’s game, Otto Porter should be
considered the Warriors’ tallest player, though media guide tomfoolery
undercuts the human eye there.

Kevon Looney —who gives up several inches to Ayton — will be asked for
his best games of the season Tuesday and Friday. Looney has proven
neutralizing to some of the best bigs in the league before, but his
minutes against Ayton will likely determine the game. Green will do his
part when he gets the chance, but if Ayton does not dominate against
Looney, the Warriors are in a great position to beat their new top rivals.

I won’t lie: It feels strange to call the Suns the Warriors’ rivals.
There’s not much a rivalry between these two teams. The Warriors and
Suns have both been generally bad throughout their history, and when
they’ve been good, rarely have such seasons coincided.

But this season, it’s happening. This Suns-Warriors matchup has the
makings of something special, something that can last.

These teams are good enough to make up for lost time.