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Kendra AndrewsESPN
BOSTON – In the first three quarters of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, Stephen Curry And the company look like themselves. Coach Steve Kerr went so far as to say that they looked like a championship team.
But then, in the fourth quarter and during overtime, everything they’d put together fell apart…again.
And now that they’ve lost 121-118 to the Celtics, the Warriors are sitting at 22-23 at the halfway point of the season and only 5-18 on the road.
“We’re capable, but it’s about execution and being able to maintain it,” Carey said. “There is another level to reach that we haven’t reached [to] In terms of compiling the full 48 minutes.”
Warriors are in full search mode. They have been all season. And so far, they have found almost nothing.
They are not afraid or show a great deal of concern, at least in public. Clay Thompson resting on it Their mentality has been around for a long time: If we get to the playoffs healthy, we can beat anyone.
To some extent, they still think that this is true. But there is also an understanding that this season is unlike any other.
“last year [we] We started 18-2, had some tough patches but at least you had part of the season you could say we figured it out,” Curry said after Golden State’s loss to the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 15. A game or two, but we haven’t stretched where we can consistently say we’ve figured it out. You will lose games from time to time…but a lot of it is self-inflicted or not being able to prove we have the identity we need.”
Golden State can raise its game against the Celtics under the umbrella Curry was talking about.
For the majority of their dynasties over the past 10 years, the Warriors have become known for their great third quarters. They built up various versions of closing small ball formations which they called the “death lineup”. The slogan “strength in numbers” was well deserved.
But this season, everything feels off.
Thursday’s game in Boston had one of their best third quarters in a while, but they just couldn’t close the door. Their seats weren’t nearly as productive as last season.
“There has to be a sense of urgency but I don’t think we play that way… If you don’t have a consistent level of urgency, you lose,” he said. Draymond Green he said after their loss in Chicago.
He continued, “I think that’s the point [where we’ll turn a corner] It will come, but you have to build towards it. You can’t take two steps forward or three steps back. It must be a continuous build…Continuous construction has not started.”
Golden State is far from the first team with title ambitions to march midway through the season. Just a year ago, the Celtics found themselves with a 25-25 record through 50 games played.
After losing to the Atlanta Hawks on January 28, the Celtics went on a nine-game winning streak. They lost just six games in the remainder of the regular season on their way to the NBA Finals.
The Warriors will now be looking to follow a similar script, one they are familiar with.
Two seasons without Thompson, Golden State hovered around . 500 before winning 15 of its last 20 games, eventually losing out on the championship.
The Warriors didn’t express exactly what was holding them back. They’ve said they don’t know why they can’t put good games — or even a series of good decisions, in some cases — together.
Kerr took the first step in trying to find a spark for his team by switching the starting lineup against the Celtics, something he said he would stick to for now. Jordan Paul started in place Kevon Looneyjoining Thompson, Andrew Wigginscurry and green.
“We’re over the halfway point and we’re at .500. Let’s try something different,” Kerr said.
There is still time for the warriors to find themselves. And while Curry says they can’t rest on their laurels and expect everything to suddenly click, there is a level of comfort given their experience.
This is what keeps them from worrying.
“We have a core group that has won titles,” Kerr said. “I have so much faith in all of these guys. They’ve been through everything together and have been so successful. It’s a long way to get through an NBA season… It’s not easy. But I have no doubt we’ve had enough. And these guys know how to do it.” “.