24 golden memories of Warriors' 24-game win streak
— -- The Golden State Warriors' record-breaking streak has ended at 24 wins to start the season, but its memories will endure. Here's a game-by-game look back at some of the best.
A rude reunion
Oct. 27: Warriors 111, Pelicans 95: New Orleans Pelicans coach and former Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry returned to Oracle on opening night. He received a ring, a warm ovation and a 40-point reminder from Stephen Curry that Gentry may have been premature in declaring Anthony Davis, "the best player in the NBA not named LeBron James."
As an aside, the ring ceremony was delightfully emblematic of the Warriors as we've come to know them. The rings themselves were giant, ostentatious monuments to the imagination of 20-somethings. After receiving their prize, the Warriors danced to "Big Rings," by Drake and Future. The Spurs, these aren't.
Rocking the Rockets
Oct. 30: Warriors 112, Rockets 92: There was plenty of motivation to set up Golden State's visit to Houston. James Harden stated that he should have been MVP. Ty Lawson said Curry was "just chillin' on defense" back in the playoffs. Whatever the fuel, the Warriors crushed the Rockets en route to a 20-point victory. Harden was swarmed by Andre Iguodala and others, going 4-of-18 for 16 points.
The Falcon rises over Dwight
Oct. 30: Warriors 112, Rockets 92: Harrison Barnes was once rumored as a trade piece for Dwight Howard. This is mostly forgotten, but Barnes certainly remembers. Actually, who could remember anything when Barnes threw this vicious dunk over Houston's center? It was temporarily mind-obliterating.
Steph gets 53
Oct. 31: Warriors 134, Pelicans 120: On Halloween in New Orleans, Curry returned to haunt the Pelicans. He set up the evening with a deep 3, after Anthony Davis knocked the ball from his hands. He eventually used an array of shots to score 53 points, 28 of which came in a scintillating third quarter. Surely, 28 points in a third quarter is a feat Curry would never repeat. No way it could happen again. Not at all.
Bear brutality
Nov. 2: Warriors 119, Grizzlies 69: The Grizzlies showed up to Oracle, and got absolutely slaughtered. The main takeaway was "50-point blowout," but check this stat out: Memphis took 96 shots and scored 69 points. This was a defensive performance that might have made even stoic assistant coach Ron Adams smile. Draymond Green was especially brilliant in this one, guarding the rim and perimeter with equal aplomb.
#DidntLoseBy50
Nov. 4: Warriors 112, Clippers 108: The Clippers visited Oracle, clawed their way to a 10-point lead, lost on account of some Curry magic, then tweeted #DidntLoseby50 from their social media account. It results in a controversy with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Festus blocks Blake
Nov. 4: Warriors 112, Clippers 108: In the #DidntLoseby50 game, Festus Ezeli introduced himself to a national audience with a vicious rejection of Blake Griffin's dunk. We're all just fortunate that the combination of forces didn't result in nuclear fusion. That's now the signature Festus moment.
Festus' amazing 25 seconds
Nov. 6: Warriors 119, Nuggets 104: It's amazing how Ezeli keeps dunking over the massive piles of cash that fly at his feet. If Ezeli's "You shall not pass!" block on Griffin was his greatest moment, this 25 seconds versus Denver was his greatest sequence. Dunk, volleyball spike swat, alley-oop. Festus fever: Catch it.
Steph's play of the season
Nov. 11: Warriors 100, Grizzlies 84: Part spellbinding skill, part, well, luck, Curry turned chaos into magic in Memphis. First, he stole the ball, then spun away from a defender, then attempted to draw a foul while falling near the half-court logo. The result was a 40-foot bank shot that half looked like a warped layup.
Déjà blue (bear): Curry shocks Memphis again
Nov. 11: Warriors 100, Grizzlies 84: Some might recall Curry's 62-footer to close a quarter in Game 6 against the Grizzlies in last season's playoffs. After his "play of the season," Curry evoked that older memory with a third-quarter steal that led to a smooth 40-foot buzzer-beater. Apparently, Memphis should work on denying Curry impossible-to-make shots.
Andre Miller blocks Steph's shot, except not
Nov. 12: Warriors 129, Timberwolves 112: Curry hasn't had a regular 3-pointer blocked since March 18 against the Hawks. Minnesota's Andre Miller nearly broke that streak when he stripped down on the ball as Curry began his shooting motion. One small catch: Steph made the shot anyway.
Iguodala ties the game
Nov. 14: Warriors 107, Nets 99: Iguodala seems to have a knack for buzzer-beater glory (as the Hawks and Thunder can attest). With Brooklyn up 3, and the clock winding down, Green shoveled a pass to the savvy veteran wing. Iguodala pumped once, then, as if galvanized by electric shock, spasmed in a tying 3. With the streak on the line, the Finals MVP came up huge.
Clippers comeback
Nov. 19: Warriors 124, Clippers 117: The Warriors visited the Clippers this time, only to find a new means of demoralizing their rival. Golden State trailed by 23 before roaring back to win by seven. Credit, among other things, Golden State's "Death Lineup" of Draymond-Harrison-Andre-Klay-Steph, which outscored the Clippers by an incredible 17 points in the final six minutes.
Draymond with the slip, Andre with the dance
Nov. 19: Warriors 124, Clippers 117: In Golden State's fourth-quarter blitz against the Clippers, few baskets were bigger than this Green layup with a little over a minute left. It was a side elevator doors set for Curry, and the Clippers were antsy to contain it. Green smartly read the defense, and slipped in the opposite direction for an easy 2-pointer. The ensuing Iguodala celebration was incredible. Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser described the impetus for that dance: "Andre likes when he outsmarts anybody. Not just in basketball, but in the world. If he can outsmart you, he takes joy in that."
Bogut dance (Lakers)
Nov. 24: Warriors 111, Lakers 77: Amid a poking of the rotting corpse of the Lakers' season, Iguodala scaled some invisible stairs for an alley-oop from Klay Thompson. In response, Andrew Bogut did a dance unlike any we've ever seen. For whatever the reason, he looks like he's traversing an imaginary jungle gym.
Phoenix triple move
Nov. 27: Warriors 135, Suns 116: In the Valley of the Sun, Curry outshined everyone, scoring 41 points. His best sequence was a behind-the-back dribble to escape Ronnie Price, a pump fake to toy with Price, and a 3-pointer to finish him. It was difficult to choose between this and a four-point play Curry hit with negative space.
Elevator Doors for BRush
Nov. 28: Warriors 120, Kings 101: A blowout against visiting Sacramento turned inspiring and whimsical when Brandon Rush hit four 3-pointers in a row. Rush has struggled since tearing his ACL back in 2012. This was the best stretch of his career since, commemorated with a shooter's play call. After he hit his first three 3-pointers, Luke Walton called up "elevator doors," a converging double screen that frees up sharpshooters. Rush rewarded the set with yet another trey as Oracle lost its collective mind.
Draymond's high-altitude rebound
Nov. 30: Warriors 106, Jazz 103: The Warriors won a close one in the thin air of Utah, with Green sealing the victory by snagging a rebound from the massive Rudy Gobert. "It was amazing," Curry said of Green's rebound. "Quote end quote." Steph wasn't so bad himself down the stretch with 10 points in the fourth quarter and 26 for the game.
Livingston hits his first 3 as a Warrior
Nov. 30: Warriors 106, Jazz 103: The Warriors' bench had been gearing up for months to go nuts for Shaun Livingston's first 3-pointer. Livingston had been practicing the shot at the facility, but hadn't incorporated it into his game just yet. Finally, in Utah, a breakthrough, as Livingston hit a corner triple. The bench was almost muted in its reaction because the moment was meaningful -- Warriors down by 1, 5:39 left. Time will tell if this is the first of many.
Steph scores a 28-point quarter on Dell Curry night
Dec. 2: Warriors 116, Hornets 99: Original Hornet Dell Curry was to be honored the night Golden State visited Charlotte. Pregame, Dell told Steph, "Love you, and hey, don't spoil my night." Spoil it, Steph did, posting his second 28-point quarter of the season. The final 1:53 of that quarter was the best, with Curry tossing in a layup, and three 3-pointers that averaged a distance of 28.5 feet. The sequence inspired Mo Speights to say of Steph, "He had them red killer eyes." I suppose, if you're Dell, there are worse people to be overshadowed by.
Stop and drop
Dec. 5: Warriors 112, Raptors 109: Curry had a dominant visit to Toronto, exemplified by this particular display of seemingly effortless skill. On his way to 44 points on 24 shots, Curry was sprinting with Kyle Lowry, who was doing well to keep pace. Suddenly, Curry hit the brakes and, in an instant, hit the shot. Few players make effort look so futile.
The home game in Brooklyn
Dec. 6: Warriors 114, Nets 98: This game may have marked Golden State's arrival as a national event. A big Barclays crowd teemed to watch Stephen Curry's pregame shootaround and cheered the Warriors as though they were the home team. Luke Walton mentioned that the Warriors had become "a circus" in pregame.
The game itself was choppy, but the crowd eventually had its patience rewarded. In the final 2 minutes, 10 seconds of the third quarter, Curry scored 11 points and assisted on an alley-oop to Ezeli.
Volklayno
Dec. 8: Warriors 131, Pacers 123: Klay Thompson has had a relatively quiet early season, in part due to an offense that has evolved to incorporate more Draymond Green, in part due to back soreness. On a Tuesday in Indiana, he was feeling healed and happy, torching the Pacers for 39 points and 10 3-pointers.
It was a reminder of what he can do. Thompson was in All-Star form, flinging off-the-dribble 3s, 3s off the catch in transition, 3s from golf shot distances. The game was a reminder of Klay's quality for an unfortunate reason, too. With under a minute to go, he sprained his ankle, forcing him out of action against Boston.
The never-ending game
Dec. 11: Warriors 124, Celtics 119 (2OT): The Warriors have had a loud contingent on the road, but not in Boston, where the Garden was raucous for what was to be a regular-season classic. The Warriors outlasted the Celtics in double overtime. Signature play of the game: Shaun Livingston swats Isaiah Thomas' game-winner attempt.
The Buck stops here
Dec. 12: Bucks 108, Warriors 95: Not a happy memory for Warriors fans, but this game was memorable. The Bucks blasted the tired Warriors with energy from the jump. Usually Golden State can rectify a situation with a small ball burst of its own, but this one was different. When Golden State downsized, Greg Monroe beasted. This was where the streak ended, to a standing, roaring crowd at the Bradley Center.
