Despite their struggles throughout the first-half of this season, Golden State Warriors players and coaches have often preached faith on the franchise's ability to turn things around before it's too late.
The Warriors returned to the floor in positive fashion in their back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings, yet another close loss against the latter provides little in the way of silver linings given it's sunk them to 19-23 on the season.
Chris Paul has reiterated his faith in the Golden State Warriors capacity to turn around their disappointing season to date
Joining Draymond Green on his podcast 'The Draymond Green Show', Golden State veteran Chris Paul revealed the ongoing sentiment in the Warrior locker room.
"Regardless of how this season been so far, that's where the ups, the downs, the wins and losses, they come but that's why we keep saying in our locker room, we're going to be fine, we're going to be fine."
Thursday's loss to the Kings was Paul's seventh-consecutive absence, with the 38-year-old requiring surgery after suffering a fractured hand against the Detroit Pistons on January 5.
Is Paul's comments the latest example of a media spin, or do the Warriors have legitimate faith in their championship pedigree born off four NBA championships over the last decade? There may not be a black-and-white answer to that, although Golden State have earned the right to remain optimistic given their success in recent years.
The fact the comment comes from Paul is interesting given he's been at the franchise for just over six months. Similar thoughts from Green or Klay Thompson invoke a feeling of blind faith rather than genuine belief on the ability to bounceback.
Analysis of the Warrior season has taken a backseat over the past week, with the death of beloved assistant coach Dejan Milojevic placing new perspective on their season. Their emotionally-charged win over the Hawks honored his legacy perfectly, before another devastating close loss against the Kings.
The belief "we're going to be fine" may take on a different meaning than what it indicated prior to the season -- does it mean they still hold confidence in making the playoffs, or is there remnants of belief that they can still be a championship team?