Written by Sohu Sports/Sheng Zhe
After losing to the Raptors, the Warriors’ record fell below 50%, falling to 11th in the Western Conference.
On this night of a disastrous defeat to the Raptors, Stephen Curry scored only 9 points on 2 of 14 shots, Wiggins scored 3 points, and Paul missed the game to pursue his dream. They lost 133 points in one breath at their home court. For the Warriors, this game is like a microcosm of the season, and it may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
It is probably not an exaggeration to use “collapse” to describe today’s warriors. Curry’s status is up and down, Klay has been unable to renew his contract, Paul suffered a fracture, Chasing Dreams had the idea of retiring after being suspended for one game after another, Wiggins has declined seriously, and the rift between Cole and young players… this team has been in the NBA for the past ten years. Is it time for the most successful team to say goodbye to the past?
Stephen Curry, who is about to turn 36, is still the team’s main base. He averages 27.1 points, 4.6 assists and 4.6 three-pointers per game to support the team. But if you carefully observe Curry’s game this season, you can easily find that Father Time has still left his mark on him. Unlike James and Durant, Curry’s height and absolute talent are limited, so under the erosion of time, at certain moments you can feel that the hero may really be old.
In the past five years, Curry has made at least one three-pointer in every regular season game. This record has lasted for an unprecedented length of time in the NBA. But in the past month, Curry has had two consecutive 0 three-pointers in a single game, once 0 for 8 and once 0 for 9. It’s not that I’m criticizing Curry, I’m just feeling a little sad about the veteran and the years, and the sadness of competing with myself.
After losing to the Raptors, Curry said: “Obviously, I have to play better. My nature is, when things get difficult, just look at what you can do better. So I have to stay in There, responding the way I know we need to get back on our feet as quickly as possible.”
For Curry, we have never worried about his ability to adjust. For an athlete of his level, you just have to trust him. But with the Warriors’ current predicament, it may be too difficult for Curry to turn the tide on his own.
Two of the three core members of the Warriors dynasty, the two pillars around Curry, Klay and Dream Chaser are both experiencing important turning points in their careers this season.
Clay, whose competitive form declined after returning from a serious injury, has yet to receive his favorite contract renewal offer. However, he is a bit paranoid himself and continues to compete with himself and the world. At the beginning of the season, Klay was obsessed with holding the ball in isolation, using unreasonable offensive choices to prove that he was still the same athlete as before. This mentality also caused his status to continue to fluctuate, and his scoring average, shooting percentage, and true shooting percentage all dropped to freezing points.
In a podcast, Clay used this sentence to describe his current state: “I had a communication with Cole, and I relaxed a lot. Sometimes, I forget how successful I am, how lucky I am, and how lucky I was. Championship member and All-Star team. When you want to get back to that level so badly, you find yourself being held back. I’m enjoying the last chapter of my career and how lucky I am to continue playing.”
“The last chapter”, when this word comes from the mouth of a 33-year-old athlete who still averages 17.2 points per game, it is inevitably a little shocking, and then sad. You can feel Clay’s pride and happiness when he recalls the past, and you can also truly feel the loss and helplessness of today. The helplessness of struggling with fate to no avail.
Coincidentally, Chai Meng, who has been banned for consecutive games, also expressed this. During the suspension, he had an in-depth communication with Adam Silver. Chai Meng told Xiao Hua: “The suspension is too difficult for me. I want to retire. I let the Warriors down. I let the NBA, my family, myself and my friends down.”
I still remember Curry’s stunned expression when Dream Chaser threw that punch at Nurkic. All of us seem to be like Curry, unable to understand what happened to chasing dreams this season. In the past month, he has received psychological treatment and should have calmed down a lot, but what is certain is that he is still not ready to play.
When the media broke the news that he was about to return to the team, they used the statement that “he still needs a week to find game status.” Unlike Ja Morant, who came back to play immediately after being released from the ban and delivered a buzzer beater, Dream Chasing obviously did not stay with the team all the time during this period, nor did he continue to train. He was frustrated with the current situation. So how much can the game state be restored after returning?
The two most important supporting players around the Big Three, Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins, one is old and has limited energy, and then suffered a fracture, which made it even worse; and the other’s sluggish state this season has made everyone People are confused as to why this former No. 1 pick, who locked Doncic in the playoffs a year and a half ago and had two top picks against Biao, suddenly fell off the cliff.
Yes, this season, Wiggins averaged 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, shooting just over 40% from the field, and only 29.7% from three-point range. All statistics are career lows. It is hard for you to imagine that this talented forward, who is highly anticipated, suddenly declined so sharply at the age of 28 without any warning. An embarrassing statistic is that when he is on the court this season, the Warriors have a net loss of 150 points, and when he is not on the court, the Warriors have a net loss of 157 points.
Such a poor performance made Cole unable to bear it anymore and he was placed on the bench. You know, before this season, Wiggins had never played as a substitute in his entire career, and his record of 656 consecutive starts was interrupted this season. Coincidentally, Paul did the same, ending his streak of 1,365 consecutive starts with the Warriors.
Coming off the bench is not something that is unacceptable, but it is more of a signal, a signal that these days are difficult.
Wiggins went to the bench, and Kuminga, who replaced Wiggins in the starting lineup, was not too happy.
Kuminga said in a previous interview that in this team, although he can play with the ball, he still needs to put the ball in the hands of veterans. At that moment, an uneasy signal had been released. At the end of the game when they lost to the Nuggets, Kuminga, who was DNPed by Cole, completely “broken the defense.” He told the media that he had completely lost confidence in Cole and no longer believed that Cole could reach his full potential. That game also became the straw that broke the camel’s back.
While Kuminga lost confidence, another potential rookie, Mothy Moody, who entered the Warriors in the same class as him, also told the media that he was frustrated with the lack of playing time.
Indeed, as a lottery pick, Moody averaged 17.8 minutes per game this season and Kuminga averaged 22.6 minutes per game. Frankly speaking, they are not much. And their fellow newcomers Cunningham, Jaylen Green, Barnes, Mobley, Wagner Jr., including Shen Jing, etc., have all received the playing time and appropriate development space they deserve. If there is no comparison between young people, there will be no gap and no harm.
From Wiseman to Poole, from Kuminga to Moody, the Warriors over the years seem to be really unfriendly to newcomers. Steve Kerr, who stands behind the players, is facing the biggest crisis since joining the Warriors and is also facing the most severe doubts. Objectively speaking, the Warriors have been in constant trouble this season, and he also needs to bear a large part of the responsibility.
The latest news read: Cole went to visit Dream Chasing at his home after he was suspended. The moment he saw Chasing Dreams, Cole cried, and so did Chasing Dreams. There was an emotional bond between them, a bond that had been through everything, the tops of the mountains and the bottom of the valleys. Cole told Dream Chaser that he hopes he has a right ending.
We have no way of telling whether this news is true or false, so let’s just take it as true. Imagine this scene, two middle-aged men looking at each other and crying. No matter how unbearable it is, that moment is quite sad. If I hadn’t really encountered all kinds of pressure, there would have been no such emotional catharsis.
When Durant left, many people said that the Warriors dynasty collapsed, but Curry soon personally led the team back to the top of the mountain. In those years, you always had hope for them, because Curry was playing well and the young people also had a lot of room to grow.
But this time, the Warriors’ dynasty may really collapse. Their glory is gone and they are faltering. It is difficult for you to convince yourself that the current structure of this Warriors can reopen the window to compete for the championship, just as it is difficult for you to convince yourself that the lost years will come again.
