Warriors showing poise on the road

The Warriors found themselves in a deep freeze in Boston this afternoon, but they showed why they still own the best record in the NBA. With their backs to the wall, down by 26 points in the second quarter against a sharp shooting Boston team, Golden State found their game and dug their way to a 106-101 victory.
"We fought hard, " said Stephen Curry who led all scorers with 37 points. "They came out shooting lights out. But it just shows the resilience of our team. We just had to find a way to get stops and move the ball better in the second half."
It's a formula of defense, taking care of the ball and ball movement that rookie coach Steve Kerr has been preaching all year. And his pupils are listening.  After allowing Boston to shoot 53.6 percent in the first quarter, the Dubs tightened their grip and held the Celtics to 30.9 percent the rest of the game.
As Curry celebrated the tough fought win, he shared the credit with the majority of his teammates for their efforts.

"Harrison, Andre, Klay, Draymond, I  could go on and go," explained Curry. "Everyone contributed. This is the first game we came out sluggish on the long road trip, but we just had to fight through it and be mentally tough, and do what's worked for us all year."
While not thrilled with how his team started the game, Coach Kerr praised the way they finished.
"This is what happens in the league, tons of games, tons of travel. We just weren't ready,"said Kerr. "They weren't themselves early but showed poise and composure and did what they needed to do to win."
And at the end of the day that is exactly what defines a champion. It may not be pretty sometimes, but the Warriors are working together and beating teams they should. Boston did prove they too have a fighting spirit but up against the splash brothers and company they just couldn't sustain the early momentum.
Klay Thompson helped fuel the scoring with 20 points while Harrison Barnes had 17 and Draymond Green added 14, 11 in the critical fourth quarter.
How good is this team? Just ask Boston coach Brad Stevens.
"Twenty-whatever we were up in the first half felt like three to me," said Stevens. "And 16 at halftime feels like two against those guys. They just come back so fast."
That quickness and ability to score can be assessed to the depth and quality of the Warriors bench.  Perfect case and point is Andre Iguodala.
"Andre is having a fantastic year," said Kerr. "His role has totally changed. His minutes are down, his starting job is not there but he's a phenomenal basketball player  and he gives us just what we need every time. He was brilliant tonight."
Of course when it comes to brilliance number 30 steals the show.
"Steph was Steph," Kerr said with a smile. "What he does skill-wise is shocking, but the poise and leadership he showed were the things that me the happiest tonight."
And everyone was happy leaving Boston with a  46-11 record and winning their first back to back season series against the Celtics in franchise history. The long six game road trip ends tomorrow in Brooklyn where poise will also come in handy.