The fading Golden State is waiting for Stephen Kerry.
It may be too late
The Warriors continue to lose, the injured Steph takes his time, Steve Kerr is unhappy with the attitude of the players (including Drymond Green), and the problematic schedule will not ease: "We must have a fighting spirit"
Walla!
sport
21/03/2022
Monday, 21 March 2022, 13:22 Updated: 13:29
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Danny Abdia speaks after the loss to Golden State (the Wizards' official website in Israel)
Golden State has recently shown disappointing ability, reaching the playoffs in a situation far from ideal.
Tonight (Sunday through Monday) the Warriors lost 110: 108 to San Antonio, in a game that exposed the pressure on the team.
Drymond Green confronted the referees twice, suffered two technical fouls and was sent off, and even after the game Steve Kerr complained about the refereeing and the "bizarre whistles".
But there is no time to complain.
The playoffs open on April 16, and if Golden State does finish just third in the West (it is currently a game and a half below Memphis in second place, and two games above Utah in fourth place) it is likely to face a tough opponent in the first round: either Minnesota, one of the hottest teams in the league, or Denver of MVP Nikola Jokic.
More on Walla!
Boston celebrated in Denver, Golden State lost, Phoenix survived a thriller
To the full article
No time to complain, Otto comes the moment of truth.
Steph (Photo: GettyImages, Jed Jacobsohn-Pool)
It is currently estimated that Stephen Kerry will return in two weeks, and be eligible for the playoffs, but it is unclear in what condition.
Tonight he spoke to the media for the first time since injuring his ankle in a game against Boston, and he still looks lame, injured.
"It's definitely a pain at first," he said, "but it gets better every day. I try to assess the severity of the situation in real time, to find out how much progress can be made and at what pace. I try to be patient, knowing the situation will get better."
Golden State of course will not speed up Steph to aggravate the injury, but also does not want to create a snowball.
Last season without him the Warriors' balance was 7: 2.
The season without him the balance is 5: 2.
If he really misses two weeks as Golden State first edited, he will still have 5 regular season games left to get into the rhythm.
The problem is that he may return to the team in decline, insecure, and perhaps a little dependent.
After a long absence from Raymond Green,
Plus, without Steph it's not really working for the Warriors.
Clay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Paul recorded some critical fouls towards the end, and during the latter San Antonio missed from the penalty spot but confusion on the rebound led to the ball reaching Caldon Johnson, who scored the winning layup at the last second.
Expecting Raymond to take responsibility.
Cold (Photo: GettyImages, Jed Jacobsohn-Pool)
not calm.
Green (Photo: Reuters)
"Steph will be back with renewed strength," estimates Steve Kerr, and especially hopes, "Last year he missed games and had an amazing time when he came back, because he recharged his battery and came back with new energies, so you have to find the right track, get him back on time, fast, Without endangering it. "
Kerr said before the game that without Steph, "it will be an opportunity for us to see how we do without him, in the minutes he will not be on the field in the playoffs" - but as mentioned, it ends in another loss.
"The offenses at the end were bizarre, I'm in shock," Kerr complained about the verdict, "I do not know how to whistle these offenses. I do not understand it."
Kerr also did not so much like the behavior of Drymond Green, who even after receiving a technical, continued to confront the referee.
"Once he gets the first one, he knows what needs to be done to get the second one, and he did not think it deserved it," Kerr said, "but he can not let that happen, that he will be thrown out of the game.
In addition, the Warriors are currently expecting a not-so-easy streak: After games in Atlanta and Miami, they will play in Washington and a night later in Memphis (their rival in the location battles), and will later host the powerful Phoenix and Utah.
Kerr expects improvement, also mentally, after tonight the Spurs led San Francisco by 14 points already after the first quarter.
"We have 11 games left, we are preparing for the playoffs, we must have a sense of urgency," says Kerr, "we must have a fighting spirit to present against the opponent, from the very first moment."
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NBA
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Stephen Kerry
Golden State Warriors