For the first time in the Steve Kerr era, the Golden State Warriors on Monday opened a playoff series on the road. They handled the rare adversity just fine, with Kevin Durant’s 37 points leading the way in a 119-106 victory over the top-seeded Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Golden State’s decrying a lack of respect has become something of an inside joke over the last four seasons, with the team’s players constantly convincing themselves that the world has doubted them despite two championships in the last three seasons. But the Warriors came into Game 1 as a legitimate underdog, which Kerr joked about in his pregame news conference.