The Warriors’ decision to stick with their Hall of Fame quartet and their conviction that those four belong together at the deadline may not have come as a surprise. Steph Curry states, “This is a story that’s still kind of unfolding, and it’s important that we see it through to the end until it’s proven that we can’t win.”
Three hours before Monday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, in the east tunnel of Barclays Center, Stephen Curry makes his grand entrance. Following that, he warms up, which throughout Curry’s 15-year career has become a famous spectacle that halts all activity in the lower bowl. Children, their parents, and everyone in between wander toward the court, mesmerized, as Curry spins around Warriors assistant Bruce Fraser, making layups with both his left and right hand. In an attempt to break out of a recent shooting slump, Klay Thompson enters from the same tunnel five minutes later and is met with a similar reaction. At last, Draymond Green makes an appearance, capping the Beatles-esque display. Coach Steve Kerr will join the three players at tipoff in an effort to lead the Warriors out of their recent slump of inconsistency.
That quartet has been the most decorated touring act in the NBA for the last ten years. The Warriors returned the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the Bay Area for the first time in forty years, thirteen months after Kerr’s hiring in the spring of 2014. After setting an NBA record with 73 regular-season victories in 2016, they signed Kevin Durant as a free agent and won two more championships. This same quartet cemented their place in the league’s dynastic legend two years ago by leading the Warriors to 53 wins and an unlikely championship—their fourth in eight years—without Durant in the mix.
But Golden State has taken a different approach this season. The Warriors have found some momentum again after four straight victories, but they are only 25-25 overall and tenth in the Western Conference. A string of disappointing defeats and patchy performance have exposed this roster’s shortcomings and forced this illustrious dynasty to confront its own death.
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