SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors coach Steve Kerr reflected on what went wrong following his team’s back-to-back dismal home performances.
For Kerr, it was a very simple but frustrating and concerning answer.
“We have good chemistry, but we haven’t yet found the grit that every good team needs when they come together and play as a group,” Kerr said Saturday night, when the Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks at 132. Speaking to reporters after the crushing loss of -122. chase center. “We’re not there yet, that’s the problem.
“We’ve got some good guys. I love you guys, but until this team really connects in a way that’s just focused on winning every game, we’re going to be stuck in this place.” We need to get there.”
When the Warriors were winning NBA championships, it didn’t really matter, if at all. These teams were extremely talented and were defined by their grit, ability to consistently make clutch plays, and defend with equal passion and success.
However, something is clearly missing from this season’s team, as evidenced by back-to-back losses to Miami and Dallas. The Heat and Mavs were both missing two key players and fared mostly well in their respective wins, while the Warriors were largely out of sync in both losses, especially defensively.
Asked if he had a problem with players having personal agendas, Kerr declined to refer to them in those terms.
“The irony is that things always work out for the best when individual players are immersed in the game, the team, and the pursuit of the cause,” Kerr said. “All the great teams do that. We’re not there.
“We’re not competing in the hard parts of the game. There’s intangibles, there’s emotion, there’s an atmosphere where you fight, and everyone’s energy is on point. We don’t have that right now.”
Stephen Curry, who has overcome personal struggles to forge his own path, agreed.
“I don’t necessarily think it’s an agenda or an emotion that gets in the way,” the Warriors star said. “I think it’s when you’re not playing well, but it’s like human instinct. I come in here and say, ‘I’ve got to play better, I’ve got to shoot the ball better. I’m going to say, ‘No.’ Perhaps everyone can talk about what we can do better to win. That is the situation we are in.
“Until we start winning, we’re going to be pointing out every little detail to find a solution. Until we find a solution, we’re going to be sitting here in this situation.”
Whenever the Warriors have needed a spark of passion and anger in the past, they’ve gotten it in abundance from Draymond Green. However, he has missed the past nine games while serving the NBA’s indefinite suspension and has no plans to return yet.
Green’s return would definitely be a boost, but it may not be the complete solution the Warriors are looking for.
Chris Paul, who played for six different NBA teams during his 18-year career, has been in similar situations in the past, but is confident the Warriors will pull themselves out of the doldrums.
“We just have to stay connected. It’s that simple,” the guard said. “We just want to make sure we don’t get up when we’re doing well or down when we’re bad. What we’re trying to find in our team is consistency. Making sure the mentality is right. Really good teams in this league try to maintain an even keel. Even if you lose by 10 points, understand that it’s a long game.
“We’re going to figure it out. We’ve got a lot of selfless players on the team, we’ve got a lot of guys with guts and stuff like that. We just have to figure out a way to get 48 minutes consistent.”
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