CRACKS IN THE CROWN?
The Warriors look out of sync and even their coach admits ‘we’re out of whack’
OAKLAND, Calif. — Maybe there isn’t a switch.
We keep waiting for the Golden State Warriors to find it, flip it, turn back into the untouchable team that can do whatever it wants on the court.
But that’s not happening right now. The Warriors are stumbling through the dark in these final days before the All-Star Game.
“We’re out of whack right now,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re not playing the way we normally do. It’s been a struggle.”
And you have to wonder, if the Warriors are this fried, this weary now, maybe this isn’t just a February problem. Because April is still a long, long way away.
Tuesday’s game was supposed to be a flipswitcher, a game that got the Warriors’ attention and snapped them back into dominance. After all, the Thunder had embarrassed the champions three months ago, the night before Thanksgiving in Oklahoma City, and this was time for payback. This is the team with bad blood with Kevin Durant. This is a team the Warriors want to beat.
Lost composure
Instead, the Warriors flopped. Couldn’t find the switch, the handle or their composure. They lost 125-105 to the Thunder for the second time this season, breaking some streaks in the process. The Warriors lost back-to-back games for the first time this season and, also for the first time, lost to a team that had beaten them. For the first time in the past eight matchups at Oracle, the Thunder prevailed.
“I was hoping that coming home would help us refocus and get some energy,” Kerr said.
The Thunder and the Warriors traded baskets and barbs and elbows, but the Thunder were the better team, by far. They had the two best players on the court in Russell Westbrook (34 points, nine assists, nine rebounds) and Paul George (38 points, three assists, five rebounds, six steals).
It was entertaining, at least for a while, and if the standings hold, could be a preview of the Warriors’ second-round playoff matchup.
And though we must provide a friendly reminder that the Warriors continue to have the best record in the league, the team is doing an awfully good job of casting doubt on its ability to cruise through a fourth long postseason to a third NBA title.
From this vantage point in February, navigating their way through the playoffs — past the Thunder and Houston and Boston, all teams that have beaten the Warriors at least once this season — will not be easy.
The All-Star “break” isn’t really a break at all for the most important players on the team, but a working vacation. And though it is a mental marker, it also means little in terms of actual rest.
Unfocused and fried
Once again, the Warriors gave away the ball, consistently. They committed 22 turnovers against the Thunder in November. On Tuesday, they had 25 turnovers, giving up 38 points in the process. Forty-seven turnovers in two games.
The Warriors look unfocused and fried. But they had enough energy to draw five technical fouls while arguing with the officials, which is becoming an increasingly tiresome look. Sure, there were some blown calls, some downright terrible, but this was not about the officials.
“This game had nothing to do with the officials,” Kerr said.
No, this was about how poorly the Warriors played, coming off two losses in three road games. It was about how they flopped on their floor in front of their fans who were paying top dollar for the privilege of watching their team barf on the court. With five minutes left, Oracle emptied.
The Thunder has been an erratic group this season, riding streaks both low and high. They were looking like one of the best teams in the league just last month, when they were riding an eight-game winning streak.
Then they lost Andre Roberson to a patellar tendon tear; their best defender was gone for the rest of the season. And as they tried to regroup and deal with new rotations, they fell out of their groove and into a four-game losing streak.
That’s what they brought into Oracle. As well as a chip on their shoulder.
The Thunder jumped on the Warriors right away. Westbrook had 21 points in the first quarter. Even though the Thunder lost Carmelo Anthony to a right ankle sprain after just six minutes, Oklahoma City took it to the Warriors, who did not own a lead.
“It’s fun, man. Adversity is great,” Westbrook said recently. “Me, personally, I love adversity. It gives you an opportunity to bring your teammates together.”
“That’s one thing about this organization, about our team: We never flinched based on what’s going on. We always stay together.”
Maybe the Warriors will take a clue from the Thunder and get it together.
Because, for this team, this stretch amounts to adversity.