SAN FRANCISCO — The feel-good vibe that brought the Warriors into Denver four days ago on a five-game winning streak has faded, and it's not yet clear whether regression is the culprit.
It's all about facing higher quality competition. Golden State's winning streak has mostly come against NBA weaklings.
With their loss to the Nuggets on Christmas Day history, the Warriors returned home Thursday night to welcome the Miami Heat, who specialize in two things. Firstly, making the opponents sweat on every possession; and second, to devote an abundance of energy to containing the most dangerous enemy.
The Heat did both, and the Warriors left the Chase Center with a 114-102 loss that dropped them back under .500 (at 15-16) and left them once again looking for a way to beat a tough opponent in Stephen Curry is shooting well below his standard.
“We were overwhelmed, overwhelmed and outplayed,” coach Steve Kerr said.
The Heat (19-12, winners of four straight games) were without stars Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, but showed their usual discipline and fierce determination. They outscored the Warriors by a wide margin (48.4 percent to 42.0), outscored them in the game (60-50 margin) and even outrebounded them (44-43), despite Golden State being the NBA leader in that category came into play.
He kept Curry from looking like Steph with a dazzling array of blitzes and double teams. He finished the game with 13 points – tied with Klay Thompson for the team best – on 3 of 15 shooting from the floor, including 2 of 8 from beyond the arc.
And no one stepped in to fill the void. Six other Warriors reached double figures, all scoring either 10 or 11 points. This is the first time since March 27, 2018 that their leading scorer had just 13 points.
“It’s one of those nights,” Kerr said. “We went to every game all year long. Every game was close. We were competitive and tough. Tonight we kind of lost that competitiveness. It felt like we were demoralized when shots weren't fired. They just brought it to us.”
After two straight losses to teams destined for the playoffs, there are more such teams waiting to face the Warriors. Next up, all at Chase Center, are the Dallas Mavericks (18-14), followed by the Orlando Magic (18-12) and the Nuggets (23-10).
Golden State's schedule is now searching for the truth.
At a time when the front office is seeking clarity.
The Warriors are in the middle of the crucial phase of the first half of the season – perhaps even the entire season. They'll be without Draymond Green for at least a few more games, the NBA trade deadline is exactly six weeks away, and then there are Mike Dunleavy's words following Green's indefinite suspension two weeks ago.
“The bigger impact will be on how we structure the next 15 to 20 games,” Dunleavy said Dec. 14 in Los Angeles. “That will probably determine where we go more than this specific incident or the time that passes for (Green).” The reality is this: If you judge Draymond, his skills are great. Its availability has not. We need him to be more available because when he plays he is really good. We're really good and that's the main thing.
“I don’t think I need any further assessment of Draymond as a player. I need a little more assessment on this team, the chemistry, the lineups and all of that.”
Dunleavy examined the squad. He wondered what would happen without Green. How about, period, determining whether action should be taken to execute a trade? What the GM got in return was overkill as the Warriors won six of seven games before Christmas.
But now, after suffering two straight losses to strong teams, Dunleavy and his lieutenants know for certain that Golden State's roster is deep. However, you have to ask yourself if Curry is dangerous enough to defeat the NBA elite.
The next four games are an opportunity for the Warriors to make a statement. Can they compete with the big leaguers? Will they find their defense teeth?
Until proven otherwise, this five-game winning streak feels more like fool's gold than a preview of better days to come.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast