Is this the end of the Golden State Warriors dynasty?
I have always been a lifelong basketball fan but as I get older and life gets busier I have struggled to stay up to date on the ever-so changing NBA. Every year new stars are on different teams and new players are coming in and shaking up the players power rankings.
One thing that has been a constant whether you’re a die hard fan or just a “casual” like I have now become is you can always rely on knowing the big three in the Bay Area. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have changed the way basketball is played and they have been dominant for a decade now. If you are a fan or not (I have not been a fan), you can rely on them to give you “Must See TV” with their reigning threes and fast pace play. They have been a spectacle to watch for all of my teen years and as I reach adulthood, they are not the same.
I got home from a busy day Tuesday night and turned on the Warriors play-in game expecting to see the experienced team blowing out the young Kings roster. I was quite surprised by the exact opposite.
Curry did his usual thing, scored 22 and kept the team in the game (sort of). Despite his age, he is still an MVP caliber player and can light up any team on any given night. But, he has to deal with the other two that make up the big three.
His second half of the Splash Bros just simply looks miserable. Thompson went an abysmal 0-10 in the field and didn’t put up a single point. With every shot he took his demeanor seemed to fade away from his body and at the end of the game, it looked like he was done. He looked defeated.
This is the man who put up 60 points on 11 dribbles. This is the guy who put up 37 points in one quarter and who was the anchor for the team through their four championship wins. And with his zero point performance, he may just be gone. The Splash Bros may be over and his time with the Warriors may come to an end.
Lastly, there is Green. Was punching Jordan Poole worth it? Are all the techs and dirty plays paying off? You got your championships but man, your teammates just seem over you. Green is a constant problem and seems to just be wearing down the team.
The Kings ended the Warriors season on a 118-94 win. Their biggest win against the Dubs since 2006. This could be their most meaningful win. The young Kings took down the old Warriors. The Kings may have ended the Warriors dynasty and ended Thompsons time with the team.
It’ll be very interesting to see what happens in the Warriors future. Maybe Thompson will put his ego aside and take a minimum contract to stay on the team. Maybe they’ll go ahead and shock the league once again and sign a big name free agent. Only time will tell.
The NBA continues to be ever-so changing and with this loss it just feels weird. I am aging right with these teams and it is becoming harder to keep up with. Am I becoming the old-head who just remembers the players of the past?
Header Photo: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry sits on the court during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball play-in tournament game against the Sacramento Kings, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. (Godofredo A. Vasquez /The Associated Press)
Write to Luke Jackson at luke.jackson.2@mnsu.edu