Plenty of blame to go around
Blown leads, Green's suspension, lineup issues were factors in struggles
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was a guest on 95.7 The Game's Willard & Dibs show the day after his team was pummeled by the Sacramento Kings in an embarrassing season-ending beatdown in the play-in tournament, lamenting what could have and frankly, what should have been.
“This felt like a 50-win team to me,” Kerr said on Wednesday. “Feels to me like we should be down 1- 0 in a series, not having the season finished.”
Kerr is right, the Warriors were supposed to be in contention. They constructed, albeit awkwardly, a veteran-leaning roster expecting to compete. The shame of it all is the Warriors' season didn't have to end the way it did. They flamed out and now face a pivotal offseason.
Here are three reasons why the Warriors' season ended like it did.
BLOWN LEADS >> Golden State lost 13 games while having a lead of 12 points or more heading into the fourth quarter. Losses against the Thunder (Nov. 18, Dec. 8), Kings ( Nov. 28), Clippers (Dec. 2) and Nuggets (Jan. 4) were the most notable.
What stands out is that the Warriors had the firepower and the offense to build the lead. They were unable to close these games because of a combination of turnovers, defensive lapses and attrition down the stretch of games.
Since the Warriors' motion offense is predicated on passes and cuts, a high turnover count is a byproduct. The defensive breakdowns were the biggest culprit to these blown leads. Opposing offenses tend to get good looks along the perimeter and heat up from three mainly because the Warriors' defense has a tendency to overhelp, which leads to the next point. GREEN'S SUSPENSION >> Draymond Green was suspended indefintely for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Dec. 12. The Warriors went a pedestrian 8-8 during his absence. By the time Green returned on Jan. 15, the Warriors were 18-21 and in 12th place in the Western Conference.
Withiut question, Green's presence on the floor during these games would have helped defensively in terms of roaming, helping and communication.
Offensively, his playmaking could have swung a few games the Warriors' way not only through his facilitation but also through his auxiliary scoring. Green made an effort to make defenses pay this season. He shot 39.5 percent from 3 — his highest percentage since the 2015-16 season.
When Green was available, he has been a positive. His temper was the Warriors' costliest turnover.
LINEUP MISMANAGEMENT >>
Granted, the Warriors' roster construction was far from perfect. Kerr spent most of the season trying to find combinations and rotations that work. Even in experimentation, there could have been better options than what Kerr decided to move forward with. In different pockets of the season, Kerr relied on a three- guard lineup that often struggled on defense. Kerr also at times had the right players in the rotation but utilized them less than he should have.