The Golden State Warriors Simply Refuse To Die
Ezra Shaw. Getty Images.The Kings are currently learning the lesson that my beloved Celtics had to learn the hard way last summer.
When you have your opportunity to bury Steph Curry and the Warriors, you have to do it. If you don't, they will make your life hell.
Up 2-0, it was maybe a stretch to think the Kings would take the first 3 games of this series given how good the Warriors are at home. They could have effectively ended the series with a win, but the Warriors did their usual thing and found a way to survive. In Game 4, the Kings had their chance to go up 3-1, just like the Celts did in their Game 4 of the Finals. Instead, Harrison Barnes missed
If Game 3 gave the Warriors life, Game 4 gave them momentum, going on the road and winning Game 5 may have just won them the series. I know there's still more work to be done, but honestly, the biggest chip the Kings had was the fact that the Warriors are utter dogshit on the road. That's why even after losing Game 4, they probably felt pretty good with 2 of the final 3 in their own building.
The thing about this Warrior group though is when they smell blood, their previous shortcomings no longer matter. While they had never been down 0-2 before, being tied 2-2 with a huge Game 5 is nothing new for that core. You knew at some point this team was going to figure out how to win at least 1 game on the road this series, and just like that they made history
Now they return home, where they haven't lost in the series and were 33-8 during the year. Once again these Warriors just won't go away, and now they are on the verge of closing this series out. It's all so annoying. It's almost as if they made a deal with the devil or something at this point. How else do you explain what we're seeing? I'd say 99.9% of teams lose that Game 4 after the shit the Warriors pulled from Kerr's terrible challenge to Steph pulling a Chris Webber. And yet, they survived.
The reality is, the path for the Warriors to get back to the Finals is certainly looking better and better if they are going to now find ways to win on the road. Let's say there's a potential GS/LAL series. That's not a great matchup for LA since the Warriors will most likely force them to play small, and their series against the Grizzlies has shown that playing small hasn't exactly worked out well. In fact it's largely been a disaster. Do you feel confident in DLo being able to guard anyone on the Warriors? I wouldn't.
Let's say they get past LA and face the winner of PHX/DEN. The Suns may have won in 5, but I wouldn't exactly say their series against the Clippers instilled a ton of confidence. Their depth certainly didn't look great, and I feel confident in saying the Warriors' defense is much better than the Clippers. If they face the Nuggets, perhaps Jokic is simply too much. The Nuggets do have the offensive firepower to hang with the Splash Brothers, but they're one of those teams where most people won't believe in them until we all see them actually come through. It wouldn't shock me at all if GS wins that series knowing a trip to the Finals is on the line.
The point is, we're seeing what happens when you can't close the deal and finally bury the Warriors. The more life you give them, the worse things end up for you. I am speaking from experience. The Warriors being down in a series and then never losing again to win it isn't exactly new, and that's absolutely on the table right now. The Kings may not be dead yet, there's a world where they go into GS and win Game 6, but then you have to deal with Steph Curry in Game 7 where anything can happen.
If they end up winning this series, the confidence that will give them can absolutely fuel them to another Finals run. Again.