Past failed experiment shows new life
Golden State used to be chaos agents, now they must take a step back
SAN FRANCISCO >> The ball was in Steph Curry's hands. Draymond Green was open at the top of the key off the pick-and-roll, the trap on Curry leaving feet of space in front of him to work with. Five seconds remained, the Warriors were down one point and the Kings' defense wasn't quite set.
It could have been Sacramento's worst nightmare.
That's because these Warriors have always feasted on defenses caught off-guard. A Curry-led offense is most lethal in mayhem and can be neutralized by order. So hope in Chase Center was high and taking that last timeout seemed foolish as Curry took his two defenders across the court, final seconds ticking.
But all that hope crashed when Curry succumbed to the trap, bounced the ball off his leg and De'aaron Fox scooped it up to seal Golden State's loss. It served as another reminder that what worked for these Warriors at their highest peak won't always cut it now. In the cold, harsh light of Golden State's new reality, taking that timeout might've been a good call.
“These guys have been together for so long,” Kerr said. “I prefer the scramble situations at the end of games where defenses can't get set up and make subs. This is one that keeps you up at night.”
Kerr and his team have had a few sleepless nights this year. Blunders and what-ifs are magnified by the 31 games they've played in crunch time. This identity crisis — the league is adjusting to neutralize everything that made Curry's Warriors unstoppable — gives them a completely new challenge to work with as they still vie for a playoff run.*