Warriors are scared of Anthony Davis, and that's good

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors are afraid of Anthony Davis.

And that, make no mistake, is exactly how Steve Kerr likes it.

Of all the things the Warriors coach learned from the great Gregg Popovich over the years, the concept of "appropriate fear" and the vital role it plays in the championship journey is clearly on his short list. As Kerr wrote in 2007, it's "the theory that unless you are a little bit afraid of your opponent, you're not going to have the necessary edge to win a basketball game."

Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans' star whose 35 points, seven rebounds and four blocks weren't enough in a 106-99 Warriors win to open this first-round match-up, scares the hell out of these Warriors. As well he should.

While most of Game 1 supported the argument that this will be a one-sided series, Davis' 20-point fourth quarter was enough to remind Kerr & Co. that he's not the kind of talent you want to antagonize. Davis, who was contained by Warriors forward Draymond Green through three quarters (15 points on 6-of-13 shooting and one rebound) of his playoff debut as the Warriors led by as many 25 points, woke up in the kind of way that the Warriors simply don't want to see.

This is why Andrew Bogut went to such great lengths to explain the infamous "scrimmage" comment that seemed to motivate Davis in the Pelicans' April 7 win against the Warriors.

This was why Kerr was so quick to jump on Green in the second half, when he backed down Davis and celebrated his basket with a double-armed flex and staredown session that drew the Warriors coach's ire. (Green, for what it's worth, came up with a hilariously humble explanation afterward, saying, "If you scored a bucket over Anthony Davis, you better pound on your chest too, because it ain't happening often.")

Davis' late surge was exactly the kind of thing Kerr is trying to avoid, and his don't-wake-the-sleeping-giant approach has clearly made its way throughout his locker room.

When Bogut was asked to discuss whether Davis' late outburst was the product of his improved play in the fourth or the Warriors' collective relaxation when they held a huge lead, he smiled and said, "Yeah, I wouldn't go that far. I'm not going to give them any bulletin board material — nice loaded question, by the way (laughter all around). He's going to get his points. We're not going to keep Anthony Davis to zero points or five points. He's going to get his numbers. He's an All-Star. He's one of the best players in the league. ... He's a top five player in this league, up there with LeBron and those guys."

On the topic of Davis having just one rebound through three quarters: "Yeah, I can't really comment too much about that," Bogut said, as if the Warriors' efforts had nothing to do with it. "We do a great job on the boards, (but) I'm not sure. He was floating around on the perimeter a whole lot more, so maybe that's why."

Bogut, who is typically the most forthright voice in the room, sounded like Davis' personal PR man as he broke down the game. It makes sense in every way, though, if only because the Warriors don't want Davis to find the fury in his game.

The rub here, of course, is that the one player most responsible for guarding Davis isn't exactly the type to buy into the "appropriate fear" way of Kerr's world. Green's game is a beautiful blend of swagger and skills, and no one could blame him for puffing his chest a bit after this one.

Just two days after TNT analyst Charles Barkley told the basketball world that the Warriors' undersized frontline would struggle against talents like Davis, the 6-foot-7 Green dominated the match-up when it mattered most while getting quality help from Bogut. To that end, it took just one game for a Warriors team that is often labeled as fun-and-finesse to win with the kind of gritty defense (New Orleans shot just 42.2%) that earned them the league's top defensive ranking this season. And one day after making the kind of headlines that Kerr would prefer they avoid — "Draymond: Anthony Davis has no go-to move," it read — even Green seemed to be on board with the let-sleeping-dogs-lie approach.

"It's a great challenge," Green told USA TODAY Sports about facing Davis. "Obviously you don't always get a chance to line up against an All-Star, an All-NBA player, so when you do, you take that challenge head on. I was definitely excited about the challenge and idea of playing him possibly seven games. You want to get the better of that match-up. He's a great player, so I look forward to (the match-up)."

If anyone can appreciate a player finding motivation in any form, it's Green. Barkley's commentary is the latest example, but it seems as if something is said on a weekly basis — at least — that becomes fuel for his fire. The tables were turned when it came to the "scrimmage" situation, and Green — like Bogut before him — was quick to clarify that perception didn't meet reality on that front.

As the story goes, a Pelicans ball boy heard the Warriors say the game in New Orleans was a scrimmage. That message was relayed back to the home team, and Davis deemed it a serious enough offense that he mentioned that it was added motivation in his postgame television interview. Most assumed it had been Green who made the comment, but he said that wasn't the case.

"Our team was joking," Green said. "Their ballboy likes to talk a lot of junk, and we'll talk junk back. But there's this belief that I was the one who said it. I'll take the credit for it, but I'm not. I'm not one to throw someone under the bus.

"They were saying some things. We were saying some things. I wouldn't necessarily say we called it a scrimmage, but there were some words back and forth. It happens every time we play them. ... They just felt the need to try to motivate themselves."

Davis can't beat the Warriors by himself any more than Russell Westbrook would have been able to had Oklahoma City found its way into this series, and the Pelicans' task gets even harder now that his pick-and-roll partner, guard Tyreke Evans, is dealing with a left knee problem that limited him to 12 minutes in the opener.

"I think we can (do it throughout the series)," Green said. "I think coach has laid out a good gameplan, and we'll continue to defend (Davis). Obviously he's going to continue to make shots, tough shots. That's who he is as a player. We just want to make him continue to take tough shots."

The Warriors and their aw-shucks defense, in other words, are on their way in this title march.

Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @sam_amick.

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