Golden State Warriors showing massive lack of heart

A week ago, the Golden State Warriors were rolling into the final month of the season on a tidal wave of momentum. But what once looked like a tsunami headed for the NBA Playoffs has become a minuscule ripple in the water as the Dubs are stumbling across the finish line.

There’s no reason to beat around the bush, the Golden State Warriors’ recent struggles have come from a massive lack of heart.

Not too long ago, it felt like the Warriors had a real chance to climb the standings all the way to sixth in the Western Conference. A 7-2 run in the middle of April set them up perfectly to run the table and push themselves deep into the playoff picture.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, all hope was gone. The Dubs got spanked by Dallas in a pivotal game, allowing a 28-0 scoring streak from the Mavericks to end the game before it even really started. They soon blew a chance to spark their fire against Minnesota, losing 126-114 and allowing the Timberwolves to haul in nearly double their amount of rebounds.

It’s a theme that has remained consistent throughout the season — this team lacks heart. Steve Kerr criticized the team earlier in the year and had this to say after their loss to Minnesota:

"“Because most of these guys didn’t have a high school and college coach yelling at them for a combined eight straight years. It’s a different world today, and players grow up in a different way in terms of just their basketball background, and the detail is often the thing that is lacking.”Via Clutch Points"

Stephen Curry had similar thoughts, saying “I’m trying to give you as much as I can about what’s wrong, but it’s on us to figure that out if we want to make this season mean anything.” (Mercury News)

Curry is right. The Warriors will decide their own fate and their effort level is going to directly determine whether or not this season was worth anything meaningful. Golden State has three crucial games approaching against the New Orleans Pelicans — hopefully, the team will play with more fire than they have been.