The 2018 playoff opener for the defending-champion Golden State Warriors is one day away. Their Game 1 showdown with the San Antonio Spurs (3 ET, ABC) is what they hope will be win No. 1 of the 16 they need to land their third NBA title in four seasons.

To be sure, this playoff run starts with a decidedly different tone for the Warriors as they will enter the Spurs series without former Kia MVP Stephen Curry. That missing star, though, hasn’t caused the Warriors to have any trepidation or doubt about what the goal is right now — another title banner in the rafters at Oracle Arena.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr made that much clear in his address to the media yesterday as his squad gears up for its playoff opener. Mark Medina of The Mercury News has more from Kerr:

“We are going into the playoffs with the idea that we’re going to accept every challenge and going for it. Our intention is to hang another banner,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s our goal. That’s what we think is going to happen. I’m confident in that.”

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Though Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala will play in Game 1 after missing seven of the past eight games with a sore left knee, Kerr reiterated both Curry and McCaw will sit out for at least the first round of the playoffs.

“I doubt it,” Kerr said about Curry’s chances of playing after being reevaluated on Saturday. “I don’t expect him.”

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Though Kerr said the Warriors “didn’t really ramp it up physically” on Thursday, the Warriors had a two-hour practice that focused on defensive schemes regarding switching and pick-and-roll coverages. Green called the effort level “great.”

“It’s easier to prepare for a team that you know who you’re going to play for a week,” Kevin Durant said. “I wouldn’t call it flipping a switch. It’s knowing to lock in on certain sets, certain players and certain tendencies.”

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