Camila Sosa
The Golden State Warriors continue to struggle to find consistency in the second half of the NBA season, and a loss to the Orlando Magic caused both Steve Kerr and Draymond Green to lose their cool in the post-game press conference. With a 20-53 record and by a score of 94-90, the Magics gave their third consecutive loss to the Dubs, who are more frustrated than ever in view of the comments they gave to the press last night.
Steve Kerr Statements
Losing a 14-point lead in the final quarter of the game, Steve Kerr saved absolutely nothing to hint at how angry and disappointed he was at the team’s performance in the most important period of the game.
“Take the fouls off the three-point shooters and in my opinion, we won both games (also referring to Sunday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs). We have to take more care of the ball, we can’t be using illegal screens, we had a couple of horrible screens that were completely out of position. They are mental mistakes, there has to be a level of discipline, of knowing how to accept mistakes, of competitive desire”.
“I know they’re great guys, I love them inside the locker room. They are wonderful. I know they want to win, but we have to learn how to win, because right now we don’t know how to win.”
Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, to NBC Sports.
In the last 18 games, Golden State has lost 12 of them, including a seven-game losing streak in early March. It’s clear that injuries haven’t helped the Warriors find consistency, as with Draymond Green back just a week ago after missing nearly two months of action, Stephen Curry suffered a sprained ankle against the Boston Celtics last week and it’s not known how much time he may miss in the future. The team announced that it will be re-evaluated in the middle of April.
What Did Draymond Green Say?
Green himself had something to say about the team’s performance against Orlando, but he was much less compassionate to his teammates and harshly criticized than the Warriors are right now.
“I think we’re playing soft, like stupid. We’re not playing good basketball right now and they’re making fun of us, taking us like fools. To execute (the games) you need a certain level of physicality, and without wanting to disrespect the Orlando Magic, but they are one of the worst teams in the entire league. We couldn’t match their level, and if you can’t level up with them, you’re definitely not going to be able to do it against teams that are good.”
Draymond Green, star of the Golden State Warriors.
Despite the negative moment that the Warriors organization is experiencing, they continue to maintain the third position in the Western Conference with a record of 47-25, with two games of difference over the Utah Jazz, their closest pursuer. This can be disappointing for the Dubs having been at the top of the conference for several weeks and the entire NBA as the best team in terms of wins.
Both Green and Klay Thompson will have to lead a young and inexperienced team as Golden State is currently to know how to find their best level, and recover the performance of several of their teammates, such as Andrew Wiggins, who was elected starter of the All-Star Game this year and since then has had a very considerable drop in his numbers (14.2 points in 38.1% effectiveness from the field).
The absences of Curry, Andre Iguodala, and James Wiseman don’t add to the cause of steve Kerr’s team, and with four straight away games remaining for this week the challenge will be no less straightforward. Golden State will play Eastern Conference leaders the Miami Heat tonight at Miami’s FTX Arena.
