The Warriors were expected to utilize the 2023 NBA All-Star break as the ideal opportunity to rejuvenate and try to win the championship once more. In Golden State’s first game back, against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night at Crypto.com arena that rejuvenated team was completely absent.
Just over eight hours later, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN grilled the defending champions on “First Take” on Friday morning.”
Stephen A. Smith Gives His Honest Opinion Of Golden State Warriors https://t.co/oh3C6knCh2
— USA Sport24 (@USASport24) February 25, 2023
“Before we move on, let me mention the Golden State Warriors. I’m so disappointed,” Smith said.
“Steph Curry is not there. Klay Thompson went quiet in the fourth quarter, we get all of that. You just expected to see more. They’re 29-30, they seem to be a shell of what they were defensively. I can’t forget to mention Draymond Green. All of them are accountable. Steve Kerr is accountable.”
The Warriors failed to learn from their mistakes prior to the break, opting to commit some of the same mistakes that have tragically become a prominent theme of their season.
Golden State trailed for the majority of the first half, and even when it looked like they were closing the gap against the Lakers’, it wasn’t enough.
Ty Jerome contributed 20 points off the bench and Thompson finished with a team-high 22 points. Moreover, the team’s defensive issues, which have troubled them all season, didn’t get any better.
Malik Beasley stood up against a squad that included NBA All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. Beasley had a game-high 25 points after being acquired by the Lakers from the Utah Jazz prior to the trade deadline.
As amazing as Beasley’s performance for Los Angeles was, it did more than anything to expose Golden State’s season-long flaws.
“Listen, you don’t have to win the championship,” Smith said. “But you certainly expected to see better than what you’re seeing from the Golden State Warriors. We’ll [talk about] that later in the days to come, but damn. They are a disappointment. They really are.”
Well, February is here. Although the Warriors (29-30), who dropped to the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, felt like it was a much-needed victory, their final 23 games won’t be easy. But, it’s their last chance to make a late-season run.
And if there’s one thing we know for sure about this team, it’s that they’ve always got a joy out of proving people wrong. If that’s their intention, it’s best to act straight away.
