NBA 2018-19: Things are not looking good for the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors entered the 2018-19 season as back-to-back NBA champions and were heavily favored to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the season for the third straight time. However, things have not gone as per plan so far.
The reigning champions started the season in familiar fashion, just like their previous two seasons, winning their first two games. They then lost a close one to the Denver Nuggets, but after that the Warriors really got into their groove and went on an eight-game winning streak. Both Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry were looking absolutely unstoppable.
If the two had a bit of an off night, then the other players took the scoring load on their shoulders and stepped up. Sharpshooter Klay Thompson had that historic 52-point performance against the Chicago Bulls, where he nailed 14 three pointers to break the previous record set by Curry himself (13 three pointers) for most three pointers made in a single game.
All was well for the Warriors until their captain Curry went down with a groin injury in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Curry was evaluated, and it was established that he would be missing a considerable amount of time - a big blow to the Warriors.
The Warriors' next game was against the Brooklyn Nets, and Quinn Cook was inserted into the starting lineup. He did a great job as his 27-point effort along with Durant's 28 was enough to win the game 116-100.
What followed next was something the NBA world did not see coming.
In their next game, the Warriors faced the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles. The game went right down to the wire and with eight seconds left on the clock in regulation, the score was tied 106-106.
Lou Williams of the Clippers had a great chance to give his team the lead with a potential game winning opportunity, but came up short on his jump shot after some great defense from Andre Igoudala.
Draymond Green grabbed the rebound but instead of taking a timeout or passing the ball to one of the most clutch players in the league in Kevin Durant, ran up the court and tried to create a play himself. He ended up turning the ball over, much to the displeasure of Durant.
The game would go into overtime as the players headed to their respective benches. A visibly frustrated Durant expressed his discontent at Green's decision, who did not back down and jawed right back. Green apparently questioned Durant about his impending free agency, and even told him that the Warriors did not need him and could win without him.
DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Igoudala had to get in the way and separate the two players before things got out of hand. The Warriors ended up losing the game 121-116 in overtime, and after the game Durant left his locker room early, way before the media could arrive to ask him some questions.
The drama did not end there as Green was suspended for their next game without pay. Both Durant and Green have either avoided talking about the issue or have simply asked the media to ask them something else while giving interviews.
All the off-court tension coupled with Curry's injury has seen the Warriors lose four of their last five games.
Internal issues are the last thing the Warriors would want in their quest for a three peat. Can the Warriors get past this hurdle and be great once again? Is not having Stephen Curry in the lineup the real cause for their struggles?
The Warriors need to address these issues as soon as possible, or we could be in for a really interesting free agency period come summer time.