These aren’t the “Strength in Numbers” Warriors of the past.
A couple of years removed from winning the 2022 NBA title, the Golden State Warriors no longer resemble the dominant team they once were. This is evident from their 36-34 record that puts them in ninth place in the Western Conference, half-a-game ahead of the surging Houston Rockets.
Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas recently took aim at the Warriors, especially after their horrendous late-game collapse against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In that game, they lost a double-digit lead, sat down superstar guard Stephen Curry for nine minutes between the third and the fourth, and eventually lost 114-110.
No longer the same squad
The Warriors may still have familiar faces like Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, and veteran guard Chris Paul. Still, according to Arenas, Golden State is clearly no longer the same team that won the NBA crown a few years ago.
“It ain’t the same team,” Arenas emphasized on the Gil Arenas Show.
He furthered that Curry and Draymond Green are the only players showing semblances of consistency. As for the others? A look at the loss against the Wolves proves Arenas’ sentiment; when Steph was on the bench for 18 minutes, the Warriors got outscored by 10 points.
“Only player out there doing what they do is Steph and Draymond. That’s it. That’s all we can count on. Them two,” Arenas said.
The Warriors are traversing a slippery slope at this crucial juncture of the season. Golden State has 12 games remaining on their regular season slate, with eight on the road. With Houston winning 11 of their last 12 games, the Dubs could find themselves out of the Play-In Tournament if they don’t turn things around quickly.
Other Dubs have to step up
After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr defended his decision to give Curry an extended rest, saying the two-minute difference between when he usually returns to the game was insignificant. However, it’s clear that without Steph on the court, the Dubs struggle to find their rhythm and generate offense.
Arenas messed around and expressed what he thought was on Kerr’s mind in the postgame presser.
“I f—d up. I should have put him in earlier. Sh–, I thought I can count on these mother—– but I did. I f—-d up. Is that what you want me to say? I can’t count on none of them. If I can put in Steph, Steph, Steph, all five, I would have. But we can’t go out there and do that,” Arenas said with a hearty laugh.
Steve Kerr: “If you want to say (Steph Curry) playing 30 or 32 minutes was the difference in a win or a loss, I totally disagree.”
Full soundbite pic.twitter.com/otPdyyT4gr
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 25, 2024
