For eight years, the Warriors always found an escape door.
Down 2–1 against a physical Memphis team? Ah, just stick Andrew Bogut on Tony Allen. Down 2–1 to LeBron James in the Finals? Let Stephen Curry run the Cavs ragged. Down 3–1 to the Thunder? Klay Thompson will soon solidify his Game 6 legend. Down 3–2 to the Rockets? Force a Game 7 and watch them miss 27 threes in a row. Down 2–1 to the Celtics? Curry can simply remind everyone he’s one of the greatest players of all time.
Throughout the past eight years, whenever the Warriors—at full strength—were pushed against the ropes, they bounced back and delivered the knockout themselves. Not this time. Golden State was eliminated Friday at the hands of LeBron James and the Lakers. It was the Warriors’ first playoff series loss to a Western Conference opponent under coach Steve Kerr, having entered the series 19–0. Since 2015, Golden State was also 8–2 when facing elimination, both losses coming in the Finals, one of which was without Klay. For the first time since this dynasty began in earnest—when Kerr, Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green joined forces in 2015—the Warriors have lost a series in which their star trio played every game.
It was a sound defeat. Los Angeles suffocated a Warriors team that didn’t have enough around its best players. Thompson struggled. So did Jordan Poole. And there were no veterans coming off the bench to save the day. After the trade deadline, the Lakers had built a proper rotation around James and Anthony Davis. Golden State, beginning with its two-timeline plan last offseason, never did the same for its stars.
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The result is something unfamiliar. The Warriors, out before the Finals? Steph, Klay and Dray losing when all together? That hadn’t happened since the 2016 Finals, and even then, Green’s Game 5 suspension significantly impacted the outcome. Yes, the Warriors had a lull for two years after losing in the 2019 Finals. They also lost that specific series because of two catastrophic injuries to Thompson and Kevin Durant. Klay would then suffer another series injury that kept him out until the middle of last season. Once the trio finally reunited, they immediately embarked on a quest for its fourth ring—a championship which added extra validation to their greatness as a collective, definitive proof the Dubs could get it done with or without Durant. (Not that most rational people needed that proof.)
Whenever Steph, Klay and Dray shared the floor, it felt like the Warriors would somehow find a way. Curry and Thompson would trade off making backbreaking threes. Green would rile up the crowd with a spectacular defensive play, then come down the floor, catch a pass on the short roll and find a wide open dunker to cap off the sequence. How many times did you think to yourself, Is this team really about to knock out Curry, Thompson and Green? And almost every time you asked, you were wrong.
For years, the Warriors felt inevitable. There was always a three-point avalanche coming. There was always a massive defensive stop being made. They were the scariest team in the league. Breathe for one second, and a cutter just got an easy layup at the rim. Gamble and fail to shoot the gap while navigating a screen, and Thompson just buried a wide-open three.
There are no caveats this time, though. No injuries to point to. No suspensions that changed the course of a series. If anything, the Warriors were in an advantageous position. Golden State had home court as a No. 6 seed, playing against an older, less aggressive LeBron and, at times, an inconsistent superstar in Anthony Davis. Golden State didn’t get caught up against a superteam. The Dubs simply lost to a better, deeper roster.
While it may feel like the dynasty is over, like an era has ended, like a period of NBA history has reached its endpoint, it is not wise to count out the Warriors moving forward. Curry is still remarkable, and he legitimately raised the idea this season that he could be better than his unanimous MVP campaign in 2016. Thompson and Green showed signs of age, but the former still led the league in threes, and the latter is still, at worst, a top-10 defender. All they have to do is look at the Lakers, a franchise that was stuck in neutral for over two seasons until a deadline makeover propelled them to the conference finals. James and Davis were bounced in the first round and then missed the playoffs entirely after winning a ring in 2020. The climb was arduous, but they became contenders again.
It shouldn’t take that long for Golden State. Not with their stars seemingly committed to sticking together. Not with an owner seemingly willing to spend big. And not with a sharp executive in Bob Myers, though his own return is up in the air. Ultimately, the right moves this summer can get this group back on track.
A feeling definitely ended Friday in Los Angeles, though. Steph, Klay, and Dray lost when all things were equal. Their playoff mystique finally took a hit. But one series loss does not mean this team is done for good. Think about all the times it seemed as though the Warriors’ magical ride was about to come to an end. They always found a way to win. Even if Golden State no longer feels invincible, it’s hard to imagine its core won’t find a way to respond to their latest obstacle.
