Help sought from Golden State, with the team on the brink

LOS ANGELES — With 37 seconds left in Monday night’s fourth quarter, Stephen Curry was isolated with Lakers center Anthony Davis guarding him one-on-one.

The Lakers led 1 point in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series, and the Golden State Warriors needed a basket to avoid being pushed to the brink of elimination. It should have been a mismatch: one of the top-scoring guards in NBA history took on a slower center. But Curry was thwarted twice on the same possession. First, Davis, a top defensive player, pricked the ball away. Then Curry missed a fadeaway. On an offensive rebound, Curry missed another three-pointer off Davis.

Those were two of Golden State’s many fumbles in the closing moments of an ugly affair in which the team failed to show the mettle that led to four NBA titles since 2015.

With nine seconds left, forward Draymond Green cleared the ball with Golden State 3 behind. On a subsequent jump ball, Curry came down with possession, and instead of calling a timeout, threw the ball away.

“I actually felt like someone was behind me,” said Curry after the game. “I kind of let it go. But playing bang-bang. I wish I had a little bit more awareness to maybe call a timeout, knowing we’ve got plenty of time, but you know, it just didn’t go like we wanted.

Golden State let an opportunity slip, leading by as much as 12 in the third quarter. Instead, the The Lakers won 104-101.

Curry finished the game 12 for 30. Klay Thompson, Curry’s teammate, was 3 for 11. That, coupled with Golden State’s role players not getting any position play, has left the team in deep trouble, three games to one, against a rejuvenated Lakers team. The late possessions were indicative of a season-long flaw that has plagued Golden State, especially on the road: an inability to sustain effort over long stretches.

Perhaps this is the reality of having a core anchored by Curry, 35; Thompson, 33; and Green, 33: It’s easier to get tired and make mental mistakes. But if Golden State doesn’t dig deep to resurface the magic of the past decade, its dynasty will be snuffed out in San Francisco on Wednesday.

This isn’t the first time Golden State has been beaten 3-1 in a playoff series. In 2016, Oklahoma City Thunder by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went up, 3-1, in the Western Conference Finals before Golden State came back roaring to win the series. Three years later, Golden State trailed 3-1. against the Toronto Raptors in the Finals. But due to injuries to Durant, who was a teammate at the time, and Thompson, the team lost in six games.

“It feels like it is: three to one,” Coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Game 4. “You go home and take care of business and you win and the momentum is back in your favor. So that’s it. Someone has to win four times, and that’s why you play it out.”

It hasn’t helped that Golden State’s younger players haven’t been able to fill the void left by a bad night from Curry. For the Lakers, Lonnie Walker IV, 24, a guard in his fifth year, scored 15 runs, including crucial baskets in the fourth, to keep Golden State at bay. The sophomore guard Austin Reavesalso 24, chipped in 21 points.

Those kinds of contributions have eluded Golden State this postseason. Instead, Golden State had to rely on Curry as much at 35 as he had at 25, a recipe for trouble this late in the season.

The Golden State front office has been selling a development plan with two timelines for years. It would look to chase championships in the present on the back of Curry, Thompson and Green, while also developing young talent like Jonathan Kuminga, 20 (drafted seventh in 2021); Moses Moody, 20 (14th choice in the same version); James Wiseman, 22 (second pick in 2020); and Jordan Poole, 23 (28th pick in 2019).

It was a risky maneuver with mixed results. It meant not trading young players, developing talent for veterans who could help the team now, and putting more strain on Curry in the second half of his career. golden state traded Wiseman this season because injuries and inconsistency prevented him from having a regular role in the rotation. Moody and Kuminga, each in his sophomore year, have moved in and out of the lineup this season, though Moody has had playing time in this streak. He scored 7 points in 19 minutes on Monday night.

That’s not unusual for players barely past their teens. But Golden State has one of the best players in NBA history currently playing at a high level. It takes Moody and Kuminga to get better immediately to take advantage of Curry’s window.

Poole is confused. In his four-year career, he was Golden State’s best player at times. When the team’s top stars are injured, he is counted on to fill their absence as a reliable scorer. Last year, he was a key part of a championship-winning Golden State team, starting the most games during the regular season. Poole was a concrete example of investment in a young player who worked for Golden State.

In October, Golden State further invested in Poolerewarding him with an extension reportedly worth nearly $140 million. He would be the bridge to the future – a potential All-Star replacement for a franchise looking forward to a life beyond Curry, Green and Thompson.

But Poole’s production has become as unpredictable as his shop floor decision-making. While he had a career-high average 20.4 points per game during the regular season, his shooting percentages dropped and his sales increased. His shot selection has received huge criticism.

Poole’s game plummeted in the play-offs. Against the Sacramento Kings, he shot a dismal 33.8 percent from the field in the first round. On Monday night, he missed all four of his shots and played just 10 minutes. One shot was an air ball near the basket.

Poole’s game was clearly a sore spot for him after Monday’s game. When a reporter approached him in the dressing room, a frustrated Poole said curtly, “I’ve got nothing for you, big man.”

After being persuaded by a Golden State press representative, Poole answered questions even though he would not physically meet the reporters, creating a strange spectacle of reporters aiming recorders at the back and side of his head.

“The work ethic doesn’t change,” Poole said. “Routine does not change. Maybe the odds will change. But you can only control what you can control. We have a game at home in a few days.”

Curry, when asked about Poole, said it wasn’t about one player.

“We get a lot of questions about him and it’s our whole team,” said Curry. “We are all together in the sense that we are trying to figure out how to win playoff games. And we all need to make adjustments. We all need to play better as we are in a 3-1 hole. So it makes no sense to isolate him in this situation.”

Golden State has already cleared one playoff deficit this postseason. After trailing 2-0 in a first-round series against the Kings, Golden State found a foothold. But it took Curry 50 points in Game 7 for his team to win the series, the the most he had ever scored in a playoff game.

If Poole or the rest of Curry’s teammates fail to provide more support, Curry may need to tap reserves that most 35-year-olds don’t have. And that means the Golden State dynasty is going out with a whimper rather than a bang. When Curry was asked after the game if he had allowed himself to think about the bigger implications of a series loss, he did not let the reporter finish the question.

“No,” said Curry.

“Just a 3-1 series deficit?” asked the reporter.

“Yes thank you.”