After years of being at the top of the food chain, the Golden State Warriors are becoming victims of their own success.
Like many other great NBA dynasties, the Golden State Warriors are beginning to feel the exhaustion of competing for a third straight championship. The Warriors have experienced more success in the last five years than any other team and they are starting to suffer from it.
There is never a time when winning is bad, but the Warriors have been at the top for so long that opposing teams are growing more and more eager to take them down.
Since the Dubs began their run in the 2014-15 season, the rest of the league has had time to build themselves up and create teams that can compete with the Warriors. For example, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors are all contending teams that have been built specifically to compete with the Warriors.
This is a testament to how dominant Golden State has been. The NBA is tired of being beaten by the same team over and over again and this is exactly why the Warriors have been having a harder time winning games lately. Opponents are no longer afraid of the Dubs and are looking to take them down every chance they get.
The Warriors have lost three of their last four games and are on pace to finish with the most losses they have had in a single season since they started their championship run.
Every single night that the Dubs go out to play, the opposing teams are fully prepared to compete with them. Furthermore, the rival star players all have the Warriors marked on their calendars and are anticipating big performances from themselves.
For these other teams, a regular season game is the best way for them to make a statement before the playoffs began. In contrast, the regular season is nothing special to the Warriors. This is why there is often a clear difference in energy and effort between the Warriors and whoever they are playing against.
The Warriors will certainly be ready to take on any NBA team once the postseason begins. For now, the rest of the NBA might have the upper hand on Golden State as it appears that their former success may be taking a physical toll on them.