The Warriors have been letting their fans down this season. Despite having a solid squad, they are struggling to win games. While many believed that the addition of Chris Paul would make Golden State super powerful and unstoppable, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Although fans have different opinions regarding the Warriors’ poor performance, one NBA Analyst believes that the reason for the Warriors’ failure is that the team is filled with veterans and lacks young blood as the Dubs recently suffered a loss against the Sacramento Kings.
Charles Barkley slams Warriors
After a hard-fought game against the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Warriors’ season record now stands at 8-10 as a result of the loss, and TNT Sports analyst Charles Barkley says the team “is not a contender” and doesn’t have much of a chance to win the NBA championship.
With the victory, the Sacramento Kings move on to the tournament’s quarterfinals, where they will play the New Orleans Pelicans. It was payback for the Warriors, who eliminated the Kings from the playoffs in a fiercely contested seven-game series the previous year. Barkley said after the game that the outcome confirmed his suspicion that the Warriors are not the same team that has won titles in the past.
“As I told y’all, this team is cooked. Y’all thought I was crazy,” Barkley said. “They got away last year because Steph went crazy in Game 7 [of the playoffs against Sacramento].”
He added, “Sacramento should have beat them. Steph, he’s gonna start slowing down soon. They’ve got an old team, everybody slows down.”
Warriors poor performances continue with loss to Kings
Tuesday night’s 124-123 loss to the Sacramento Kings was a new low for the Golden State Warriors, who had blown a 24-point lead and collapsed in the last minute of play. Even though this is the team’s eighth loss in the previous ten games, head coach Steve Kerr is optimistic.
“We’re not in a freefall,” Kerr said. “It’s the early part of the season and we’re losing a bunch of close games and we can see it on tape every game. Fouling and turnovers, I can only say it so many times. Those two things have to improve. When they do, we’re gonna be really good.”
With 15.5 turnovers per game, the Warriors are tied for 24th place in the league in terms of raw stats. Although the advanced stats are marginally better, the Warriors rank 23rd in the league with a turnover percentage of 15.3%. While it makes it harder, it is still possible to have a strong team and a high turnover rate.
What are your thoughts on Golden State’s poor performance this season? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.