Save for a brief stretch in the second quarter, the score was close for the entire match. Yet, when the battle smoke cleared, the Warriors found themselves ruing missed opportunities that could have netted them the win against the Clippers and, with it, the sixth seed in the playoffs. Instead, they wound up in the play-in tournament for the third time in five years. And if they consider today’s set-to against the eighth-running Grizzlies with no small measure of trepidation, it’s because they carry a 0-3 slate, losing twice in 2021 and once last year.
Indeed, the Warriors appeared on the way to booking a meeting with the rival Lakers in the first round of the postseason. Unfortunately, turnovers by Stephen Curry — coupled with bad misses by Draymond Green and Buddy Hield — in the crunch torpedoed any chance they had of prevailing in front of the 18,064-strong capacity crowd at the Chase Center. And so egregious were their blunders that even casual observers had cause to deem them their own worst enemies the other day.
Not that the Clippers didn’t deserve to win. In fact, they highlighted their resiliency in hostile territory, with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard — ably backstopped by Ivic Zubac and Norman Powell — coming up big down the stretch. And in so doing, they underscored their mastery over the Warriors; they swept the season series, in the process showing all and sundry that they have the number of the 2023 National Basketball Association champions. They’ve likewise proven that they have the personnel to legitimately cast a moist eye on the hardware for the first time since they bowed to the Suns in the 2021 conference finals.
So, yes, the Warriors have no choice but to go all out today; while they can still afford a setback given their higher seeding vis-a-vis the Grizzlies, they would do well to take care of business pronto. Else, they may yet get burned anew. It’s not their fault the West has become so competitive that their 23-8 record since Jimmy Butler’s arrival at the trade deadline practically amounted to squat. It will, however, most definitely be their fault if they waste one more campaign with Curry already in his twilight years.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
