The Golden State Warriors Are Their Own Worst Enemy

The only team that can stop the Warriors is themselves, with careless and lackadaisical play.

On Friday night, the unthinkable happened at Oracle Arena: The Golden State Warriors lost a home game, snapping their NBA-record 54 game home winning streak and then lost a second home game in the span of less than a week. The Warriors played well in almost every aspect of the game against Boston except for one: turnovers. The Warriors committed 22 turnovers, which led to 27 Celtics points in a 109-106 loss.

On Tuesday night, the Warriors were their own worst enemy once again, committing 24 turnovers against the young and athletic Minnesota Timberwolves. This led to 31 points off those turnovers and 28 fast break points. But this game was a little more concerning because the Warriors were not playing with the same energy and passion they played with against Boston. Instead, they let the Timberwolves pretty much do whatever they wanted and the turnovers were a big reason why this happened.

Turnovers have been a constant problem all season for the Warriors, committing almost 15 per game, good for 25th in the league. Most of the time, the Warriors can get away with high turnover games because of their outstanding shooting, overall skill and lockdown defense. But on Friday and Tuesday, neither the Celtics or Timberwolves were not intimidated by the Warriors’ skill because they are two well-coached teams and will be problems for the entire NBA in the next couple years.

In the Warriors nine losses this season, they have turned the ball over an average of 16 per game, with four games over 20. The Warriors’ style of play is quick, influenced by ball movement and contains lots of flare. This quick pace will garner the occasional turnover but many of them have been unforced. Stephen Curry probably has the most flare in the league, which consists of him dribbling behind his back or through his legs on almost every possession. Curry is a terrific ball handler with the ultimate confidence that can get anywhere on the floor and this is where he can get into trouble.

We have all seen Curry’s wizardry where he can make space for himself for a step-back three or drive the lane for an easy layup or dunk but we have also seen where he can try to do too much. A prime example of this was at the end of the most recent road game in Utah where he tried to crossover Gordon Hayward and lost the ball. The Warriors ended up winning the game in one of the gutsiest wins of the season, but it all could have been avoided if Curry makes the simple play and passes it to an open teammate and then get the ball back in a better position.

Curry’s passes can also be a problem for the same reason his dribbling is: he feels that he can make every pass too. Most of Curry’s turnovers off the pass come when he throws a one-handed pass cross court that is easily intercepted and ends up as a dunk or a three-pointer for their opponent. These are called “live-ball” turnovers, meaning the turnover committed occurs in the flow of the game. It would be much better for Curry, if he were to commit a turnover, to throw it out of bounds. That way the Warriors can set their defense, giving their opponent a much more difficult task to score in the half-court, as opposed to transition.

The other culprit of the unforced turnover is Draymond Green. Like Curry, Green has the ultimate confidence that he can make every play with the exception he does not have nearly the handle that Curry has. The opponent’s primary objective against the Warriors is to stop Curry so because of this, Green has the ball more than Curry throughout a game. The Warriors best offense is when they run a pick-and-roll with Curry and Green because both can shoot and get to the rim. Many times this becomes a double-team on Curry, leaving Green open and giving the Warriors a 4 vs. 3 advantage.

Green leads the team in assists and generally he makes the right read. But there are times where attempts to throw a lob to Andrew Bogut that is well defended or tries to find a cutting Klay Thompson for a layup but there is too much traffic in the paint. This is what Green needs to eliminate, the careless passes that are not there due the opponents’ defense. Teams have learned what types of plays Warriors run throughout the season and sometimes Green makes a pass without even reading the defense and this can be a problem.

All these suggestions are great on paper but it is that flare that makes them so much fun to watch. The Warriors are this good because they take chances and play with a fearlessness that no other team exhibits.. There is a reason the Warriors lead the league in almost every offensive category and that reason is they play with more fluidity than any other team. The Warriors average almost 30 assists per game and have reached that number in more than half of their games with a resounding 41. By comparison the team with the second highest number of 30 assist games are the Atlanta Hawks with a measly 17.

There is not a team in the NBA that can beat this team when they are hitting on all cylinders and are turning the ball over at a low rate. The Warriors offense and defense are just too good when it is flowing and why this team may go down as the best team in NBA history. This team can still play with flare but it just needs to reign it in a little as we approach the postseason. The Warriors need to realize that it is fine to make the simple play.

Many times, the simple play leads to the spectacular, which is exactly what all Warriors fans want to see from a team looking to win back-to-back championships.