In front of 68,383 San Antonio spectators, the largest crowd in NBA history to witness a regular season game, the Golden State Warriors had a blowout 144-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
After Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, Golden State is currently 4-17 on the road, the worst in the league aside from the woeful Houston Rockets. After Friday’s game, Curry mocked his own team by noting that it took a record crowd to get a winning road performance out of his teammates.
When the curtain rises, the Golden State Warriors become dangerous to the rest of the league. When the lights shine, so do the reigning champions.
A familiar term somewhat unique to Warriors’ fans is “the switch” or “flipping the switch.” The term became commonly used to refer to the third-quarter production of the Dubs in games that were often otherwise close in the first-half. If you’ve had the good fortune to be a fan during the Warriors’ dynasty years, the term has become enduring in your heart.
The event is likened to witnessing the specular phenomenon known as the northern lights or Aurora Borealis. Only available to view under ideal conditions in the far Northern Hemisphere, “Flip the switch,” in its ordinary use, is why the Warriors have long been known as the third-quarter team of the NBA.
The term also defines the excitement of closing out a game or a run for a title. For example, last year’s unexpected fourth championship where late in the regular season, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry were seen in street clothes for an extended period in street clothes, and Klay Thompson was still dusting off the cobwebs from over 900 days away from the game he loves.
Despite ending the season with an 11-13 record over their last 24 games, Golden State “flipped the switch” and rallied to win their fourth championship in eight seasons. The Warriors will have to do a similar thing again this season, but they may have to from a much earlier point than playoff-time.
After the loss against the Bulls, Thompson re-affirmed that he has ‘zero’ concern about the Warriors future. “None. Zero. Just get us there healthy in one piece, hopefully with a decent seed”, the 32-year-old veteran said.
But if the Warriors wish to earn a decent seeding like Thompson suggests, then they’re going to need to “flip the switch” sooner rather than later. Performing well in big games, only to have a letdown straight after, is becoming a tiring aspect of their season to date.