Warriors' First Loss Provokes Perplexing Thoughts

It is hard to break down what exactly the Warriors’ first loss means.

The Golden State Warriors’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night ended like most others: the score out of reach, Stephen Curry and the other starters on the bench, the end result all but a foregone conclusion.

Except for the first time this season — and in more than half a year — the Warriors were on the losing end. On this night, there would be neither a blowout nor a close win. No crazy comeback, no Curry flurry.

On this night, the Warriors looked — well, human. They looked like an NBA team at the end of an exhaustive seven-game road trip, playing the second of a back-to-back after a grueling double-overtime game the night before.

I wrote this before the game for a preview Q&A with Behind the Buck Pass when asked of my prediction for Saturday night:

"I could point out quite a few legitimate reasons why the Bucks could stop the streak — no team has ever gone through a seven-game road trip undefeated, the Warriors may be without two of their starters, Curry and [Draymond] Green literally played an entire game last night, and losing on the back-end of a back-to-back at the end of a long road trip is perfectly ok — but what fun would that be?Let the streak live on."

Turns out the Warriors were without one of their starters — Harrison Barnes — as Klay Thompson returned from an ankle injury but was clearly not himself, shooting 4-of-14 from the field.

As a team, the Warriors showcased the classic signs of fatigue. They made just six three-pointers and missed 23. Curry made just 2-of-8 of his threes, and made little impact late in the game with his team within striking distance when you might typically expect him to drill a couple of threes to narrow the gap. Green had 24 points, but looked a step slow on defense, letting Greg Monroe by him on several occasions. Monroe went for 28 points and 11 rebounds, feasting inside on the tired Warriors.

Dec 12, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) grabs a rebound against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

In the context of a “normal” NBA team going through a “normal” season, this would have been an entirely understandable loss. It’s one that you shrug off as a “schedule loss” and blame outside circumstances more than yourself.

The Warriors, though, are no “normal” team. And this, by all means, is no “normal” season.

What makes this loss so hard to analyze is that in the large scheme of things, it is so unimportant. The Warriors were never going to run the table and go a perfect 82-0. Even for them to go 7-0 on a road trip would have been highly unlikely. And still, they went 6-1 and managed to captivate the country everywhere they went.

Maybe it’s the simple fact that it is a loss, the first number on the other side of the dash, and having to break down why the Warriors didn’t win for once. Maybe it’s the buzzkill of the loss happening after such a motivating, gutsy win over the Celtics that had everyone thinking whether they’d ever lose again. It seems somewhat cruel — as cruel as things can get for the Warriors — that as a direct result of their hard work to keep the streak alive in Boston, the fatigue from their efforts essentially ended their streak 24 hours later.

Warriors’ First Loss Provokes Perplexing Thoughts

By Eric He | Dec 13, 2015

It is hard to break down what exactly the Warriors’ first loss means.