5 reasons the Golden State Warriors won’t three-peat in 2019

The Golden State Warriors may be two-time defending champions, but certain things may keep them from three-peating next season.

2017-18 was a magical season for the Golden State Warriors, culminating in their third championship in four years, all at the expense of their archrivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite ending up on top, it was a bumpy year for a team so accustomed to dominance. Throughout the regular season, the Dubs struggled at times with inconsistency and a lack of motivation that manifests after three consecutive trips to the Finals.

Their effort got so bad that Steve Kerr let the players do the coaching in a mid-February game against the Phoenix Suns, clearly willing to try anything in the hopes of rebooting his star-studded roster.

Credit to the players though. Once the second season rolled around, they snapped out of their funk, fought hard, and wound up as back-to-back champions.

However, this title run wasn’t the same as 2017’s, where they amassed a 16-1 playoff record, the best in league history. If anything, it showed that there are in fact cracks within the Warriors’ defenses — ones that can be pried open under the right set of circumstances.

They should celebrate this championship, but also savor it, because that time may be coming sooner than they’d hope.