SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors find themselves in the Western Conference play-in round, needing two wins to make the true playoff picture. This week’s loss brings them closer to the inevitable end of their era.
That was the anticlimactic end to Game 82: the No. 10 seed. Their latest performance is that they are playing well with their backs against the wall.
This is real. The best players on this team have had an epic playoff run and responded to the few edges they’ve been pushed to. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney — they earned credibility in this situation.
After 82 games, however, it was clear that a must-win improvement was the only hope of salvaging the season. While it’s built on the history of the moment they met, it’s also basting the season’s jumping turkey with the last remaining juices.
This is where they are now.
“It felt like we needed to win,” Green said after watching the Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 123-116 on Sunday, wearing a black tracksuit and green cement Jordan 3 sneakers. “But it’s exciting. You know, do it or die. It probably feels more like the NCAA tournament. Kind of gives you that feeling. … We have to win.
The legacy built in June doesn’t feel right in March Madness.
It’s hard to find confidence that they can pull this off, but it makes perfect sense for them to do so. Welcome to the Warriors. They always give you a reason to believe they can succeed, but evidence suggests those days are over. They’re still good enough to beat almost any opponent, especially a flawed one. At the same time, they are not good enough to play their best at will and rarely beat their opponents’ best.
The Warriors will likely lose to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, which will be a lackluster result. If they bowed out of the season so unceremoniously and fell into mediocrity alongside the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks, it wouldn’t be worthy of their resume, but it would certainly fit this particular season. Of course, they could also play the Kings, as they did in last season’s playoffs, to outdo their younger brothers to the north in the name of nostalgia.
You just can’t get enough of this team.
But we do know that exhaustive NBA seasons tend to clarify that they end the season further away from their goals than they started. The only way to change that reality now is to make the playoffs worthy of their belief.
A year ago, when the then-defending champion Warriors ended up traveling to Sacramento as the sixth seed for Games 1 and 7, That Considered off-season. When the Warriors were finally eliminated in the second round, it wasn’t normal to go home in May after six consecutive Finals appearances in years when Curry, Green and Thompson were healthy.
“It’s different, but you have to accept it,” Thompson said. “We have a chance to do that. That’s all you can ask for. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be successful on the road. We’ve been playing really well on the road, especially lately. Obviously, it’s not the same as 2022. It’s still basketball. We have a lot of experience to draw from.
After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of last season’s playoffs, the prevailing theme in the halls of Crypto.com Arena was how they maximized their roster – a double message showing just how close they were to finishing best in the Western Conference Four people, and how they need more to get there.
They entered the season feeling like they had added what they needed. They traded Paul; drafted two productive rookies, Brandin Bodemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis; and made room in the rotation for rising star Jonathan Kuminga.
In addition, Curry played 74 games, his most since the 2016-17 season. Thompson played in 77 games, his most since returning from back-to-back season-ending injuries. Wiggins only played 37 games last season and has now played 71 games.
It added two more wins.
This is their lowest finish in the Western Conference since missing the 2019-20 season due to injury. This is where they are now.
The story is incomplete. They can change the narrative. They can win back-to-back road games and make the playoffs — against Sacramento and losses to the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans. They can beat the inexperienced Oklahoma City Thunder, the top seed in the West and considered the most vulnerable team due to their youth. Such an upset would put the Warriors in a series against either the Los Angeles Clippers or the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Warriors will be at a disadvantage, it’s not surprising. Dallas has been one of the best teams since the All-Star break, and the Clippers have had the best of their roster. But both teams have flaws. Winning this series would put the Warriors into the Western Conference Finals.
See how easy it is? Confusing what is possible with what is possible. Apply the greatness of the past to the current paradigm. Provide these warriors with a better rationalization for survival.
The veteran Warriors said they played well with their backs against the wall. We’ll find out soon enough if that continues into the do-or-die play-ins. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
As head coach Steve Kerr said, this is a better team than the Warriors’ patchwork team last season. Still, they lost in their pursuit of a fifth championship as the best team in the league made more progress than the Golden State Warriors. There are nine teams in the West that are better than this Warriors. Nine. It’s a shocking conclusion for such a great team.
All season long, the Warriors have looked and hopefully found their stride. Ultimately, history declares that they will be among the contenders, as their resumes indicate. But this season is an orgy of delayed gratification.
They’ve never addressed the close-game struggles that were considered their wheelhouse. They never overcame the home disadvantage, which was one of the most puzzling elements of the season. They never found their way to the league’s sixth seed.
They eventually improved, going 25-12 after January. But when they had a chance to seal the No. 8 seed with their last regular-season win, the Warriors proved their woes had yet to be overcome. They lost another close game at home to a beatable New Orleans team.
This suggests a major upgrade is needed somewhere. The other option, certainly presented to owner Joe Lacob by finance chiefs, was to cut costs and reorganize. End this era now instead of chasing its shadow.
Another run might change that. Another Warriors-style kick could prove they’re still some distance away from returning. Of course it’s possible. It’s Curry. It is green. This is Thompson. The odds are damn good.
Their backs were against the wall. Either do it or die. Either win or go home. They are designed for a March Madness style setting. Right, Clay?
“Never played that. Can’t understand that,” Washington State product Thompson said as he concluded the interview. He took a few steps back and added loudly. “NIT though. It’s the same format.
This is where they are now.
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(Best photo of Klay Thompson from Friday’s game against the Pelicans: Kavin Mistry/Getty Images)
