As if it were a Shakespeare play, Golden State Warriors had a poetic end to the current season against an old acquaintance. A showdown that had a tailwind and a vendetta flavor. Last year, the surprise package, the Sacramento Kings, was harshly eliminated in the first round by Steve Kerr's team.
The team had not been out of the playoffs since 2012. We can begin to think that this is the beginning of the dismantling of a dynasty that has terrorized the rest of the teams in the NBA.
The end of a dream
For the San Francisco Bay Area, their team is one of the best in history. A dynasty after achieving a total of 4 rings in less than a decade that made it difficult to think of a premature end of an epochal team.
Both Draymond Green, Kevin Durant (he left the team to pursue glory alone), Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were shaping up to be the best team in history . They don't say it, the data says it after achieving the 2015 season ending the regular season with 73 wins and 9 losses.
A thirst for victory and ambition to achieve rings that had no limit. But like everything in life, the dream ended up expiring based on acts that were sinking more and more the hopes of a team that maintained the balance of the entire competition.
With this debacle, it is confirmed that the era of terror of Stephen Curry and his teammates in the world of basketball ends. A new era opens in the league landscape after failing to qualify even in the playoffs. Sacramento Kings has been his executioner winning with more than 20 points of difference.
Act 1: Draymond Green's hysteria
The team's star point guard has been full of controversies and scandals during the season. With different opponents he has shown an unprofessional attitude that has cost him more than one ejection. This has generated frustration within the team because he is a key player. Not only does it happen with other rivals, within his own team a file was opened with Jordan Poole.
To many, he was the successor to Stephen Curry. The team was treating him like a true star and to San Francisco's No. 30, he was like his little brother. In several interviews, he said that during the summer they would meet for lunch and practice together with their minds set on the regular season.
One punch over a minor verbal altercation was the beginning of the end for the team within the league. The distrust and lack of justice for the non-existent sanction for Draymond caused an excision within the team. Many saw it as disproportionate and even more so in the final stretch of the preseason.
His losses of control, and tantrums have led to a distrust and lack of focus that produce chaos in such important moments of the game. His resignation to the NBA, stopped by commissioner Adam Silver, produced doubts within the coaching staff. In the end, he remained in his position and has not been able to achieve the initial objective.
Act 2: the end for Klay Thompson
The twilight has come for Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry 's traveling companion in this adventure. Something more than a partner on the court, a brother who has always been a great support to win rings. His case has been very well known in the international scene. A drop in physical performance and efficiency in front of the basket that has cost more than one defeat.
The point was already different. It hadn't looked like it did a few years ago. A serious knee injury that has had him out of action for two years that has led to progressively bad numbers. So much so that in the play-in game he has accumulated a very negative record. A total of 32 minutes, 0 of 10 from the field and 0 of 6 in three-pointers . The need to fulfill the team has led him to sink into his own nightmare.
An absolute Golden State Warriors legend who has been unique with respect to three-point shooting. Now that he is at his lowest point, he accumulates a lot of criticism. There are more and more incidents with players, the most resounding with Jaden McDaniels of the Minessota Timberwolves.
His end is near. They don't want him on the team and he's proven it with his performance. It was the last game with his best friends on the court. A sunset for the dynasty that Klay Thompson himself was the author of. In the end, he will decide whether to retire with a great career or continue in a franchise with less demanding goals.
Act 3: Team failure
Steve Kerr has not been able to control his team's performance. Key players in the playoffs in other seasons have also failed to show their level. Kevon Looney, Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul? reference players who have not shown enough level to stay in the playoffs.
The numbers during the regular season show that in the western conference they have 26 wins and 26 losses . At home they have won 21 games and lost 20. Away from home they have posted 25 wins and 16 losses. They have not kept pace with their most direct rivals within the NBA.
The Sacramento Kings final blow
Last year Stephen Curry sank the Sacramento team's aspirations with a game with more than 50 points. Now, in a new face-off, head-to-head to a single bullet, they received the hardest possible blow. A tough defeat with the thirst for revenge of their biggest rival.
Their season-long journey comes to an end and it's time to change many aspects within the team. So much so, that all of your players are starting their vacations prematurely. It is necessary to sell players and sign in the summer market to reinforce a squad for its top star, Stephen Curry.