SALT LAKE CITY – With 3:24 remaining and the Golden State Warriors leading the Utah Jazz by 30, Warriors reserve guard Brandin Podziemski picked up his dribble after a spin about 8 feet from the hoop and proceeded to execute a combination of four pivots, sliding into a sweeping right hook.

It was a movement straight out of the 1970s. Here is the order.

Thirty seconds later, a whistle led to an automatic timeout. During the break, Stephen Curry went to where Podziemski performed the move and spent two minutes recreating it with any teammate who wanted to discuss the mechanics.

Trayce Jackson-Davis said they were thinking about whether it was a trip. Curry said he concluded it was a legal move. Podziemski said Curry then came to him to figure out the exact footwork.

“He was smooth with it,” Curry said. “That’s not easy to do.”

Steph Curry spent the last timeout figuring out exactly how Brandin Podziemski got to that right hook shot a few minutes earlier pic.twitter.com/Evk90MDk3t

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 26, 2024

That glimpse, which captured about half of Curry’s recreation, exemplifies the early-season atmosphere of this 2-0 Warriors team. They just defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 140-104 in Portland and the Jazz 127-86 in Utah, a cumulative two-game margin of 77 points, becoming the first team in NBA history to win the first two games won by at least 35 points.

That lack of competition allowed Curry and Draymond Green to rest for the entire fourth quarter of both games. Warriors coach Steve Kerr is not only going 12-deep in his rotation, but he has been able to distribute the minutes fairly evenly. Everyone gets at least 13. No one has played more than 27. They have 151 bank points. No other team has more than 113.

This low-stress, with everyone contributing to the success – following a dominant 6-0 preseason – has led to a celebratory bench and locker room atmosphere, giving the first impression that this team’s chemistry is at an all-time high.

Buddy Hield is central to this. The Warriors found a way to tie him into their last remaining cap space this summer and brought him in as an instant, high-volume offensive bench shooter, believing he was at a stage in his career to play that type of role to embrace it in an attack that was suitable for this purpose. his skill.

It went perfectly for two games. Hield scored 22 points in 15 minutes in the opener and followed that with a 24-point first half in Utah, where he finished with 27. Overall, he has 49 points in his 35 minutes this season, making 12 of his 16 3s and , When he doesn’t turn off the lights, he makes fun of his teammates on the bench and in the locker room with nonsensical comments and reactions.

“He’s just an incredible person,” Kerr said. “Full of joy. Bench always laughs with him.”

Buddy Hield said he “studied” Steph Curry for years and now picks his shooting brain as a teammate: “He has a great arc on his ball. That’s what I’ve been working on.”

Full soundbite pic.twitter.com/Xn0Y56DFhm

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 25, 2024

Hield has thrived in transition and has also shown some higher level play than his reputation suggests. He had six assists against the Jazz and two of them were top-tier: the first, a creative drive and return to the spot he had just vacated for an Andrew Wiggins 3, the next, a left rocket through traffic to Curry for a wing. 3. Here they are:

Among the many other positive developments: Wiggins appears committed. He had 13 rebounds in 23 minutes, which is usually the best sign of his activity level. Trayce Jackson-Davis looks strong to open his sophomore season. He didn’t miss any of his eleven shots. Moses Moody scores on volume during his short playing time. Draymond Green was great on Lauri Markkanen (4-of-17 shooting) and De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Gary Payton II were all part of a strong defensive start.

“The overall athleticism of this team stands out,” Kerr said. “We didn’t have that last year. Push the ball, with the addition of De’Anthony and a healthy Gary. Wiggs and (Jonathan Kuminga) are just big and athletic. Kyle is an incredible defender.”

But the two-game rush was not without flaws and lingering questions. The most obvious is the basic setup. Kerr tries to get a large group with Kuminga, Wiggins, Green and Jackson-Davis to Curry. They fell 13-6 in Utah after falling 12-5 in Portland.

“We’re going to continue with it,” Kerr said. “Obviously it’s not ideal from a distance point of view, so they’ll have to find their rhythm and how to play. We will have to help them with actions. But the whole point of it is for defensive purposes.”

Kuminga in particular has struggled, failing to get a clean runway to the rim without the necessary space and failing to translate his success as a shooter in the preseason to the regular season. He has just 12 points from two games and is 4 of 13 from the field.

But that lineup jumped to a 22-10 start in the second half, putting the game out of reach. They had a similarly effective run in the third quarter in Portland, led by Green’s defense. In total, that group is plus-three in 22 minutes.

“That unit is still learning how to play (together),” Green said. “We didn’t have Wiggins all training camp… Now this lineup gets a chance to get minutes together. What you’ll see as we establish ourselves offensively. We come out in the first quarter and everyone is trying to get in: Go. To go. To go. Because we want that lineup to do that bad. Everyone comes out urgently. But once we settle down, that attitude takes over.”

Draymond Green in the big starting group with him, TJD, Kuminga and Wiggins: “We want that lineup to do so badly that everyone comes out urgently. Once we settle down, that attitude takes over.” pic.twitter.com/FzZ1AU5M4Y

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 26, 2024

The other looming question concerns this rosy atmosphere. Everyone is usually happy when you beat teams by 40 points and everyone gets the minutes and statistical opportunities they need. But there are tough games, losses and tough rotation choices ahead that will better test the true camaraderie of this team.

“That’s our job as coaches,” Kerr said. ‘That’s about the experienced players: Draymond, Steph, Kyle, Melt, Loon. There will definitely be times when it’s not as fun, when we don’t win these games and not everyone plays for 15 minutes or more. We know that’s coming. The message is: ‘Things are happening.’ There are injuries. There are breaks. There are line-up changes. We just all have to be in it together.”

Green expressed a similar sentiment.

“We are all for each other. We all have a common goal: to create a special team that can do special things,” he said. ‘The minutes don’t go to everyone every evening. I would have liked to have played more minutes the last two nights. It is what it is. Just roll with it. We have great guys in that locker room. That’s a credit to Mike Dunleavy and the work he did to put the group together.

‘You don’t have many whiners in that dressing room. That makes a big difference.”

(Top photo of Buddy Hield and Steph Curry: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)