Warriors, Curry face challenge of being NBA's biggest target

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OAKLAND – Steph Curry says he knows that this Warriors season will be unlike any ever before, that being the target means being on high alert at all times because when you win a championship, every opponent really is out to get you.

“Last year, we wanted to play the Spurs well because they were the champs,” Curry said after practice Sunday. “The year before that, we wanted to beat the Heat because they had that tag. So we’ve been on the other side of it. We know, as an up and coming team, what it meant that night when we were playing the champs." 

It’s an entirely new role for a team that spent the better part of four decades as an NBA doormat. But as the Warriors go through final preparations in advance of opening night on Tuesday, they realize there is a burden and vanity that comes with being the champion.

The burden is the weight of the crown and the X on their backs.

The vanity is the jewelry and the trophy and an exalted status earned on merit.

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“If we play our A-plus game, we feel like we’re going to win every game we play,” Curry said. “But we expect that whoever is suiting up against us is going to have their A-plus night, whether it’s at home or on the road. They’re going to be hyped up and ready to go. We even saw that in the preseason.”

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The Warriors saw preseason opponents ratcheting up their games as if to make a statement. It was particularly noticeable in the abbreviated game against the Lakers and against the Clippers. Both teams charged hard while doing considerable barking throughout. It’s part of the deal when you’re the last team standing.

But there is the other side. Clippers coach Doc Rivers suggested last week that the Warriors should be better simply on the basis successful experience, that winning a championship provides an ego boost that simply cannot be received any other way. It means, in short, you no longer have to wonder if you can.

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The Warriors will be without head coach Steve Kerr, on indefinite leave of absence while he recuperates from two back surgeries. Assistant coach Luke Walton will serve as interim coach, resulting in an element of the unknown.

“This is definitely a hiccup that we didn’t see coming,” Curry said of Kerr’s absence.

It’s the hiccup they’ve been given, and one more reason to be on notice beginning Tuesday night.

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