Stephen Curry and the Warriors prove their mettle in a big test against the Celtics

For his final shot, Stephen Curry used a screen from Draymond Green to draw Al Horford toward him. Way out on the midcourt line, Curry leaned forward and dribbled, the Boston Celtics center on his hip, waiting for the space to clear.

Horford has been to this island before.

Curry took off suddenly and effortlessly shot past Horford as the clock dipped below 50 seconds. Boston worked hard to take away his three-pointer. But Curry's drives did damage. Derrick White, the Celtics' standout guard, left his man to cut off Curry in the paint. Jayson Tatum stood on the left wing the entire time, watching Curry. Rightly so. The Golden State Warriors had a four-man lead and needed a basket to secure the win. This is the time to focus on curry.

Tatum had seen this movie before.

What Tatum didn't see was the man he was defending drifting down the sideline. Curry's ninth assist was easy. Buddy Hield was wide open on the right wing. Ball game.

Buddy HIELD
COUPLING!!!!

📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/CvQGhKrie0

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 7, 2024

For Boston fans, it certainly felt like a familiar scare. Curry terrorizes her team. Some of the advantage has been lost since the Celtics captured the banner he denied them in 2022. Still, Curry taunts the Celtics in particular ways, most recently in a 118-112 Warriors win on Wednesday at TD Garden.

Anyone who disparages a man's wife's culinary skills deserves a nemesis.

In this sense, Boston was the perfect opponent in the Warriors' first “real” game against a truly elite opponent. Their 6-1 start, as surprising as it was, lacked the seriousness of a major victory.

But on Wednesday night, Curry delivered one to his cohorts. His 27 points were typical. More importantly, he finished a game that confirmed the Warriors' start to the season.

It was a stifling defensive performance from the Warriors that contained one of the league's most potent offenses. It was a fast-paced offense as the Warriors backed away from the 3-point line to apply transition pressure. The Celtics, as they tend to do, made a lot of threes. They made 19 of 54.

But in the end, when it came time to win, the Warriors had the best player on the field. And if they get him to that point, he can still deliver at 36.

The Celtics helped the Warriors prove their theory in their biggest test so far this season. Their defensive aggression, their ball movement, their movement and most importantly their depth make them viable.

The warriors come in waves. They have two units that they can throw at teams. There are variations they can conjure up – from tall and defensive to athletic and long to quick-shooting. Your style of play requires commitment. Firstly, to be happy with the role, at least for now. Second, there is nothing left to show up. Your hunger is palpable.

“That’s how we have to play it,” Curry said. “And we talked about it. Coach (Steve Kerr) talked about it until he was blue in the face. Like every practice, every film session, every pregame conversation – it's the same message. So that's where we are at the moment. That’s how we have to be.”

The Warriors did it with their new cornerstone – perimeter ball pressure – and a captivated response to their individual aggressiveness. Not only do they get beyond the 3-point line and apply pressure, they also rotate with a distinct desperation. The assistant defender in their scheme comes down with the thirst of a vulture, taking advantage of the league's longer leash in terms of physicality.

They can play like that because they have the bodies. They can play like that because they've bought into the mentality. They can play like this because they have a prominent quarterback on both ends of the field.

On defense, Green orchestrates a pack of wolves. One of the best evidence of a defensive mindset is closeouts. The Warriors rarely run out of 3s. Even when they're late in the rotation, even when an assignment is botched, Green or Andrew Wiggins or Gary Payton II or Kyle Anderson always sprints to the contest.

The defensive identity is visibly forming.

“Just our activity,” Kevon Looney said. “We flew around. We were really physically active. They missed some shots. They missed some 3s. But we made it uncomfortable for them. I feel like we managed to push them out of their spots and they didn’t find a rhythm.”

You also notice this with curry. Because of the depth, he can be fresh enough to play both sides with concentration and relentlessness. Because he doesn't have to force the action and can let the offense go where it wants, he can pick his spots instead of feeling the need to bail them out.

When the game was over, he was able to do with Boston what he does with Boston.

With just over six minutes left, the Warriors trailed 95-88. A Curry steal led to a layup by Wiggins on the other side. The next time, Curry fought for a screen to hold on to White, leaving Wiggins on Tatum. Curry didn't just accept the move the Celtics wanted.

Tatum missed a 3 and Curry was then fouled on a 3-pointer. The next time, Curry hit an open three-pointer from the left wing after Boston botched a defensive assignment. Moments later, Curry's rebound and quick release led to a layup from Hield.

It was clear what was happening. A repetition of a scene, even if the parts are different. As Curry prepared the final dagger, he dropped the ball and watched as if he knew it was going in. It wasn't Klay Thompson. It was Hield who put out the lights.

White's response was as if it were Thompson. After cutting Curry off in the lane, he saw what was developing and covered Tatum. Using all his strength, he ran towards Hield and jumped into the air, hoping to distract the gunman. But White was too late. The splashing of the net was almost inevitable.

White had sensed this inevitability before.

Go deeper

The Warriors are setting an example in Boston with concentration and discipline

(Top photo of Buddy Hield and Stephen Curry celebrating on Wednesday: David Dow / NBAE via Getty Images)