The Golden State Warriors were blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, which led to Warriors star Stephen Curry saying that the team still has a target on its back.
“Teams still want to beat us and beat us bad,” Curry said. “They still have a lot of memories from the last five, six years.”
The Warriors went to five consecutive NBA Finals, winning three, from the 2014-15 season through the 2018-19 season.
However, former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson, who played against the Warriors in the Finals, believes that they had this coming.
“One thing that we gloss over because the game has changed. Remember all of the turning around and high-fiving each other cause Steph is that good of a shooter?” Jefferson said. “Like 90s basketball players, early 2000s players, that would’ve been a fight. That would have 100 percent been a fight. But the rules have changed and all that stuff is good and fine now. Other players are doing it.
“So the point is, they were doing some quote unquote historically disrespectful stuff on the court and whooping you, and there was nothing you could do about it.
“So, now that you’re down? Oh no no no no no, we’re going to put that gas pedal. I don’t care how far you are down, we’re going to keep that gas pedal. When I say that he was doing disrespectful stuff it’s not, that’s part of the game, it’s cool as a bat flip, it’s whatever. But, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, that would never have been allowed. So, there are still some old heads in this game that want to put it on them for the show.”
The Warriors struggled mightily last season without Curry and Klay Thompson in the lineup due to injury.
This season, Golden State lost Thompson again for the season. This time, he went down with an Achilles injury.
However, Curry has had an MVP-caliber season to help the Warriors to a 19-16 record which is good for No. 8 in the Western Conference.
Curry is averaging 29.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range.
While the Warriors may have to pay their dues like Jefferson has said, it is also possible that they find themselves back in the postseason in the 2020-21 campaign.
