Warriors’ Embarrassing Loss to Bobcats May Be a Sign of Things To Come
This was supposed to be an elite team coming into the 2013-14 season and best most talented team in recent memory but the Golden State Warriors are not acting like one. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA Today Sports
This was supposed to be an elite team coming into the 2013-14 season and most talented team in recent memory, but the Golden State Warriors are not acting like one.
Since they went on their season-long winning streak of 10 games, the Warriors have gone 5-7, losing to teams such as Brooklyn, Washington and Denver. But Tuesday night’s game may have been their worst game of the season, losing to the Charlotte Bobcats, 91-75.
The Warriors had absolutely had no offense in this game, and that is becoming a trend. The Warriors shot a mind-numbing 31 percent from the field, their lowest shooting percentage since 2004. This team should be able to score at least 90 points in their sleep, especially with the firepower they have on offense, but that was nonexistent on Tuesday night.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were the only players to score in double figures, combining to shoot an “Unsplash Brothers”-like 13 of 31 from the field and 3-of-11 from three-point range. This is supposed to be the best shooting backcourt in the league, but Thompson is not living up to his end of the bargain.
Thompson is in a terrible shooting slump right now, shooting just 29 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range in his last five games. He has lost his confidence in his shot and is getting worn out on the defensive end, guarding the opponents’ point guards. He looks fatigued and should not be playing almost 40 minutes per game with the production he is giving on offense.
The rest of the team is not doing much either to stop this trend. The Warriors continue to get off to slow starts against bad teams and for the rest of the game, they are playing catch-up. This method would be fine if they were winning these games like they were earlier in the season, but they are not. They have resorted to Warrior teams of the past that would get up for good teams, and not have the energy for the inferior teams. How else can you explain the Warriors wins over Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers and losses to Washington, Minnesota and Charlotte, all at home.
In the games against Portland and Los Angeles, the Warriors got off to fast starts and played great team defense, looking like they could become an elite team. In the losses, the Warriors got off to slow starts, turning the ball over way too much and not sustaining their energy for 48 minutes. The scary part about all of these games is that it is happening in their building. Oracle Arena is where the Warriors are supposed to play their best basketball, in front of the best fans in the NBA but right now, they are disappointing each and every fan.
The Warriors are just 14-9 at home, which is the worst among Western Conference playoff teams, losing five of their last seven at home with the loss to Charlotte being rock bottom. The Warriors need to figure out how they can bring that consistent energy to the court each and every day on defense and executing on offense. They can’t lose to teams like Washington and Charlotte if they want to be considered an elite team or even a playoff team.
They are currently in the seventh seed with Dallas one game behind and Memphis just two as the ninth seed, playing great basketball since Marc Gasol came back from injury. If the Warriors continue to play with this same energy, they may be on the outside looking in at the postseason, something no one could foresee this season.