Warriors pass rugged pre-playoff quiz in physical win vs. Pistons

Warriors pass rugged pre-playoff quiz in physical win vs. Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The revivified Detroit Pistons are the kind of opponent that will bring out best of the Warriors. Or the worst.

The Pistons are long, but that’s something the Warriors can counter effectively. They are bullyish, but the Warriors usually have answers for that. They are young and athletic, too, and that’s where the trouble often begins for Golden State.

All four traits combined often have been oppressive enough to stifle Golden State. But what about the newly formidable post-Jimmy Butler Warriors?

The Pistons weren’t quite enough to stop Butler himself, along with the buoyant Stephen Curry and the irrepressible Gui Santos, Saturday evening. Behind those three, the Warriors summoned enough scrap in the final minutes to wrestle out a 115-110 victory before one of the most enthusiastic sellout crowds (18,064) at Chase Center this season.

“Physicality is where I thrive the most, especially whenever they’re calling fouls for everybody,” Butler said. “I like that. I’ll never complain if the game is physical. If you want to bump into people and you want to hit somebody, I’m one of those guys. That’s how I’m going to play anyway.”

This was, for the post-Jimmy Warriors, a test passed. A mountain conquered. They’ve beaten several quality teams while winning nine consecutive games with Butler in the lineup, but they had not seen a squad as hot and rambunctious as the downright testy Pistons.

“They have a particular style,” said Curry, who scored a game-high 32 points, including 12-of-12 shooting from the foul line. “They play physical, they try to get into you from the jump. Part of the scouting report was [that] they foul the most in the league. You knew it was going to be kind of a slugfest, especially with us coming off the road trip. A very tough game.”

This is kind of game that challenges a smallish team like Golden State, which is built more around skill, savvy and precision rather than pure athletic physicality. And, boy, did the Pistons push and bang and grab. Officials called 56 fouls, with the Warriors shooting 41 free throws and Detroit lining up for 36.

The Warriors anticipated a generous measure of competitive warfare. After closing their five-game road trip on East Coast with a victory over the Nets in Brooklyn, they gathered to steel themselves against a rugged team that had won nine of 10 games.

So, this was no surprise.

“A very physical team,” Draymond Green said. “And we knew that they were going to come in and bruise us, beat us up a little bit. That’s just how they play. They kind of taken on that ‘Bad Boy’ moniker, which I think is beautiful, especially as a guy coming from the state of Michigan.”

There were 22 lead changes and no double-digit leads by either team. Golden State and Detroit never were more than three points apart over the final eight minutes until Curry’s two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining provided the final margin.

The Warriors (36-28) can come out of this feeling good about their playoff potential. They’re winning with some consistency and continuing to establish their identity as a team capable of prevailing with offense or defense.

“We probably lose this game earlier this season,” Kevon Looney said.

“This is what it’s about,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I mean, these games, most of them come down to a few possessions. If you can win games like this, and you got a chance, and we’re showing that we can, we can start closing these games better than we were early in the year.

“And that’s going to be key, because that’s what keeps your season going. And that’s what wins in the playoffs too.”

The final 18 games – 13 against Western Conference opponents – will bring more quizzes and tests for the Warriors. They have two games against the Denver Nuggets, a big team that has beaten them eight consecutive times. They’ll see the Memphis Grizzlies, a big and athletic squad, next month. They’ll see the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, and have two games against the suddenly competitive Portland Trail Blazers.

Styles make series, and the Warriors got a glimpse of what’s ahead. They survived. The NBA playoffs are not here, but this was a night when a playoff mentality was required to pass this quiz.

“A good team wins this type of game,” Curry said. “So, you’re trying to build off the identity we’re creating and just find a way to put yourself in position to win. Win ugly. When shots aren’t falling, the game’s a little choppy, you just stick with it.

“Good teams win these types of games.”

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