Stephen Curry acknowledges Warriors might need shakeup
The same thing happened two days before. That time it was on their way to a routing by the Toronto Raptors.
Two consecutive games in which they got blown out. Two consecutive games in which they never held a lead. Two consecutive games in which their stature got more and more rattled.
The Warriors went 2-5 during a home stretch they hoped could swing their momentum after their choppy, inconsistent first quarter of the season. Instead, they now head on the road continuing their season-long search for answers.
At this point in the season — with a 17-20 record and in 12th place in the Western Conference one month from the trade deadline — those answers might be found only by a shakeup.
“It’s pretty evident that if things stay the same, that’s the definition of insanity, right? Keep doing the same thing but expecting different results,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said.
Following the indefinite suspension of Draymond Green on Dec. 13, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said the next 15-20 games would be crucial in determining what decisions the team would make moving forward.
Wednesday’s game was No. 14, and so far no lineup combination is working, no adjustments are helping and the list of problems is getting longer.
“You get to a point where you’re trying to explain it, trying to figure out what can change specifically that can help us,” Curry said. “Those conversations are happening in between games, in film sessions, in the locker room. But it’s headed in the opposite direction. I don’t know what to say about it. We’re not used to this vibe around our team. … It all sucks.”
The Warriors have a long list of gut-wrenching losses — close games that turned into late-game defeats. The Warriors have played in a league-leading 28 games decided in clutch time.
They blew a 24-point lead to the Sacramento Kings. They blew a 22-point lead to the LA Clippers. They fouled a shooter on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final seconds of two different games to end up with losses. They blew an 18-point fourth-quarter lead to the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
Curry categorized those losses as “what if” games that didn’t leave them losing hope because at least they were competitive.
The two blowout losses exposed a more dangerous reality.
“We are lacking confidence,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “You get to a stage where you lose your belief.”
The Warriors allowed 46 points to the Pelicans in the first quarter — the most points they’ve given up in any quarter this season — and gave New Orleans 39 uncontested looks, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The eight different players to score in double digits for New Orleans were the Pelicans’ most in a game this season and tied for their second-most in a game in franchise history, per ESPN Stats & Information.
In the third quarter, the Warriors trailed by 41 points, their largest deficit of the season. The 36-point loss is their worst home loss since March 2007, when they lost by 37 to the San Antonio Spurs.
“One of the coaches said we are the quietest team ever,” Kerr said. “We need guys who can rally the troops right. When you’re going through it like this, there is only one way out. And that’s to fight together, to compete together.”
But, according to Klay Thompson, the mood surrounding the team has been “deflated.”
There is some hope that Green’s imminent return — which they hope will happen over their four-game road trip — will galvanize the group and bring a new level of energy and vocalness.
The Warriors maintain the hope that as long as they have Curry, Green and Thompson, they can stay competitive.
But as Dunleavy warned back in December, Golden State would “have to creep past .500 and start winning some games. And if not, we’ll have to reevaluate.”