This is starting to look like a bad habit for the Warriors. In “Clutch City”, against the Rockets, Golden State collapsed in “money time”, letting slip a victory that seemed within reach, or even more. Wednesday, the Bay team still led by 6 points with less than 80 seconds remaining. But poor management of the last attacks, then a confusing situation which sent Jalen Green to score the free throws for victory (and make Steve Kerr mad with rage) weighed down the hopes of Steph Curry and his own.
The “most decisive player” of last season was unable to avoid another frustrating setback for his team. Golden State led 90-84 after a free throw from Jonathan Kuminga 3:03 from the buzzer. Before no longer scoring a single point in a basketball mush on offense. The Warriors ended the game with three missed shots and four lost balls, including two 24-second violations in quick succession!
“ It's our fault » assumes Steve Kerr at a press conference. “ We failed to score, we lost a ball on a pass from Draymond. We did a great job paying attention to our passes after the first quarter and a half where we were disastrous. Draymond needs to make a good decision on this, he tried to find Jonathan Kuminga, he should have just given the ball back to Steph, and he knows it. He feels really bad. »
The risk of being just a “mediocre team”
Even so, the visitors were still in control with possession and enough to keep the clock ticking until 3 or 4 seconds remained. But Stephen Curry tried his luck from afar after creating space against Dillon Brooks, without success, before this messy rebound and this whistle of discord.
“ Did I pull too fast or think it was a good position? Both » said Stephen Curry. “ It was probably a few seconds too early, but I'm okay with that shot. If I put it on, we're on the plane to Vegas. I can live with that. »
The consequence is serious, with this elimination at the gates of the last four of the NBA Cup and a seventh defeat in the last nine games. Among them, five were decided in the final minutes, most often while Golden State was leading, sometimes largely. Very serious during the first fifteen matches of the season, the Warriors are now worrying.
“ This habit of not being able to score late in games needs to be fixed or else we will be a mediocre team » said Stephen Curry. “ I have my share of responsibility for not being able to put things in place or finish the actions. The ball is in my hands, I have to make these shots. But we can all fix that, find systems that can give us better positions to create our shots. »
Catastrophic offensive figures in the final minutes
Steve Kerr shares his star's sentiment about the “best work” that he must operate to put his players “in better conditions to release Steph or Jonathan” he explained at a press conference. “We are all responsible for this defeat” he blurted.
Will the three days of rest “offered” by this defeat be used to be able to work before the match against Dallas on Sunday? “I’m not ready to answer this question, I’m furious” continued the Warriors coach. “I wanted to go to Vegas, we wanted to win this NBA Cup. »
The figures are in any case alarming. Here is Golden State now with a negative balance sheet (seven victories for eight defeats) in the matches judged in the “clutch” according to NBA criterianamely with a gap of five points less five minutes from the end. And the reason is not difficult to find: the Warriors are 28th in points scored, 27th in overall address, 24th in the number of 3-pointers scored and 25th in distance percentage, 27th free throw percentage, or even 2nd most countered team in these last minutes.
“ This is going to be a crucial moment in our season if we can resolve this because we are playing well enough to win most of our games » envisages Stephen Curry. “ And that's both a good and a bad sign. » They have three quarters of the season left to know which way to land the coin.
