SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors’ new championship rings are gorgeous, however their lopsided win Tuesday evening wasn’t notably fairly.
Many of the ugliness stemmed from the Los Angeles Lakers’ play and the Warriors’ wonky rotations given minutes restrictions for Draymond Inexperienced and Klay Thompson. However Golden State nonetheless earned a 123-109 win over the Lakers to open this 2022-23 season — nonetheless an announcement win for a Warriors staff hoping to defend their title.
After just a few chaotic weeks for the Warriors, ring evening healed some wounds and reset the vibe again to the purpose at hand. With that, listed below are some sights, sounds and quotes from the Warriors after their first win of the season with 81 video games left to play.
A bunch of Warriors get their first ring
Ring ceremonies are previous hat for guys like Steph Curry, Thompson, Inexperienced, Steve Kerr and Kevon Looney. However Tuesday introduced a brand new expertise for a bunch of youthful Warriors.
Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman have been among the many gamers to expertise their first ring evening.
“It was wonderful. I used to be excited all day. It was exhausting to sleep final evening enthusiastic about right now,” Wiggins stated. “I've all my household right here to be right here and benefit from the second with me. It’s a dream come true.
“Felt wonderful. Want so as to add some extra. That’s the purpose.”
Together with his efficiency in final yr’s playoffs, Wiggins shed a “bust” label he carried with him to Golden State when the Warriors traded for him in February 2020.
“I’m simply pleased for him, as a result of I keep in mind March of 2020, the commerce occurred and (I used to be) feeling very assured that he may slot in,” Curry stated postgame. “Not simply slot in, however he may rewrite his story as an elite wing at this stage, contribute to a championship staff and I believe he’s made the largest strides from that second to now.”
Wiggins and Poole each signed profitable contract extensions the weekend previous to opening evening and delivered robust performances on Tuesday. Poole scored 12 factors and flashed his playmaking with seven assists. Wiggins pulled his playoff depth into the opener, scoring 20 factors with six rebounds. Plus a brand new ring.
“I used to be simply actually excited,” Poole stated. “To form of see it. To be part of one thing so particular, so historic, it's a tremendous ring, a ravishing ring. Everyone who labored so exhausting on that, credit score to them. It was only a actually dope alternative.”
What do the championship rings seem like?
Kerr known as this yr’s championship ring “mainly a medallion.” The ring is 16 carats, the Warriors’ Bay Bridge brand entrance and middle with a lure door characteristic — twist the facet of the ring and it'll reveal 4 Larry O’Brien trophies subsequent to the bridge, representing the 4 titles this core has received collectively since their first in 2014-15.
Juan Toscano-Anderson will get his ring, too
Toscano-Anderson, visiting with the Lakers, acquired a loud ovation when launched to get his championship ring.
The Oakland native who received his first title with the Warriors final yr bought ground seats for his mother to look at the ring ceremony, he informed reporters throughout Lakers shootaround. He stated he took teammates’ tickets for the remainder of his household and buddies, too.
The Warriors empty the bench
Each energetic participant besides rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr., coping with an injured finger, performed a minimum of two minutes on Tuesday.
That will not occur a lot this yr, but it surely speaks to the depth of this staff. Kerr stated the depth reminded him of the 2014-15 championship Warriors that featured Leandro Barbosa, Shaun Livingston and Mo Speights as key gamers off the bench who didn’t play each day, relying on the matchup.
This roster skews a lot youthful than that yr’s group, however the ideas stay the identical. Like throughout that first title run, the Warriors can use that depth to their benefit.
“It’s the exhausting a part of, once more, 11 guys you possibly can throw on the market. There’s going to be totally different lineups each evening, particularly early within the yr,” Curry stated. “Clever (Wiseman), being out all final yr, we’re going to should develop that chemistry as we go.”