LOS ANGELES — The raucous volume and exuberant hum that ran down and through the Los Angeles Lakers’ home arena as the seconds ticked by was more than just the sound of his fans celebrating a 3-1 lead.
For the Golden State Warriors, it was also the discordant roar of their dynasty, which seems to creak under the weight of their own past and a present struggling to carry them.
As Klay Thompson was missing key shot after key shot, his 3-of-11 shooting night was a sign of fatigue and struggle. There was Draymond Green, who threw the ball away at a critical moment, his team losing three points with just 5.1 seconds on the clock. There was Steph Curry, Last Hope, who couldn’t even get off one last shot to try and keep Hope alive.
Moment by moment, as an immersive and squally game unfolded, there were so many signs that a Warriors team looked like an older, slower, smaller version of the juggernaut that has dominated the NBA for nearly a decade.
Maybe we shouldn’t write off the Warriors just yet. Perhaps memories of 2016, when Curry, Thompson and Green made comebacks from a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, should keep our sense of finality alive. Maybe they have more magic in that tank.
Possibly.
But it didn’t seem like it here at Crypto.com Arena Monday night as the Warriors gave up a 12-point lead and then gave up another 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to open the quarter and level the score .
Tonight, the Warriors looked like they’ve done this season and this postseason: A version of their excellence, sure, we remember – just tired on the edges, tired in stretches they once were dominated, and wanting when it mattered most.
The notion of two aged prize contenders going head-to-head one last time can be a tired cliché. But it also feels more and more like a fitting analogy for this series. And it’s the warriors who come out battered, bruised and bloodied.
Even LeBron James has looked old at times in this series. But it’s the warriors who, after they’re gone, seem shackled by something that’s shifted – seems bound – as they fight to prolong the life of their dynasty.
LeBron was able to muster 27 points, 9 boards and 6 assists and was nearing the heights we’d seen before, and he had the added benefit of the kind of help the Warriors trio neither received nor delivered.
Anthony Davis went for 23 and 15 and again played an exceptional defense. Austin Reeves continued to impress with 21. Ironically, Lonnie Walker IV lost 15 points – all in the fourth quarter.
It was a different story for Golden State. Their promising flashes were punctuated by now-awaited turnovers, but also missed layups and curry floaters, the kind that left those used to the certainty of his success shaking their heads in disbelief. There were also Thompson’s forced threes and Green’s poor decision making.
It was like watching the ancient warriors, only slower, more tired, and more uncertain. There was a disappointment for every run. For every spark of hope, an age spot.
Even her boxing scores had the mark of exhaustion meets desire: Steph was a terrible 12 of 30 on an equally problematic 3 of 14 from deep. Thompson was 3 of 11. Green’s line was 8-10-7, but he too seemed a step slower, a little less capable.
This series is not over yet. A win at the Golden State on Wednesday would bring some momentum back to the Golden State, and we’ve already seen what even that can ignite on this Warriors team.
But the warriors’ present seems daunting and their future so uncertain.
Despite Green being one of the cornerstones of the dynasty, Green’s continuation at the Golden State remains up in the air after this season. So does the question of whether the architect of this run, President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers, will come back. His contract has expired and there is talk of him moving on if the Warriors don’t pay him significantly more money, something sources believe is a very real possibility.
Winning tends to cure so many of these things. But defeats can often have the opposite effect, which is why so much depends on the outcome of this series. Imagine the notion that the Warriors are 11 months away from an unexpected championship and don’t even make it out of the second round.
dynasties end. The time will come sooner or later for everyone and everything.
One of two things will happen in the next six days. Either the Warriors will push back that time slump yet again by reclaiming their former form in another epic comeback, or the Lakers will win another game and with that we will witness the arrival of the end of Golden State’s run.