Are The Golden State Warriors Burned Out?
After seeing their lackluster effort in Tuesday night’s blowout loss, one can’t help but wonder if the Golden State Warriors have anything left to give.
It appears the unthinkable has happened in the Western Conference Finals. A Golden State Warriors team that was once invincible, unbeatable and a virtual lock to repeat as NBA champions is looking the most vulnerable they have throughout their two-year run.
Following another drubbing at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4, the greatest regular-season team of all time is on the ropes in a way that they’ve never been before, facing a 3-1 deficit against a team that just seems hungrier and more determined to win than them.
Their once unstoppable All-NBA trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green has been thwarted at every turn as the Thunder seem to have found a way to finally contain the league MVP and render the Swiss Army knife that is Green ineffective altogether.
In addition to these things, a team that prides itself on team ball and stifling defense hasn’t succeeded in either realm, as their role players have been thoroughly outplayed by the Thunder’s and they’ve given up 112.5 points a game in the series, including 72-point first halves in each of the last two games.
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While the Thunder have played tremendous basketball over the last two rounds, it’s been rather obvious that the Warriors have been incredibly devoid of energy this series.
Could it be that the once incredibly popular decision the team made to pursue regular-season greatness and put all hands on deck to win a record 73 games has come back to haunt them?
One could argue so.
As the Warriors neared closer to regular-season immortality, there was immense debate as to whether or not they should pursue the record or rest up for the daunting task of repeating as champions.
Coach Steve Kerr left it up to his players and they decided — perhaps to their detriment — that they understood the risks at hand and were willing to take them in order to etch themselves in basketball history.
For a while it was celebrated and it seemed to be having little effect on their energy and dominance, but now the wear from their incredible run seems to be catching up to them.
The reigning champs have been tremendously flat from an emotional standpoint over the last two games, and no one can figure out why.
One could attribute it to being away from the Oracle, where the Warriors went 39-2 in the regular season and were undefeated going into this series in the playoffs.
The stats back this notion up, as the team has dropped four out of six contests on the road this postseason.
However, the Warriors looked deflated in a way they haven’t in those losses in Game 4, which will inevitably raise questions on whether or not the energy exerted during their regular season effort has finally taken a toll on them.
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The team currently finds themselves in a place they never have before — on the brink of elimination at the hands of a team and coach in Billy Donovan that seems to have found the solution to the problem that has long been Golden State’s small-ball lineup.
Emotional leader Draymond Green has been rendered ineffective on the court (11.3 ppg on 28.7 percent shooting for the series) which has dramatically affected his swagger and thus the team’s.
On court leader Stephen Curry has cooled off since scoring 28 points in Game 2 as he has only made 13 of 37 shots while going an abysmal 5-of-21 from three in the last two games. Klay Thompson has been hot and cold and the role players have been virtually nonexistent.
Stranger things have happened, but for some reason it just felt like the end of the road for the world’s greatest Tuesday night.
If the Warriors battle back from a 3-1 deficit and win the series and the Finals as some are hoping they will, it will only add to their legend and build their case as one of the greatest teams of all time.
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However, if the Thunder finish the job and eliminate them, it will only be a matter of time before questions arise about whether or not their quest for 73 was worth it and if it ended up being their downfall in the long run.