Stephen A. Smith reacted to the Golden State Warriors’ 110-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The fact that the Warriors, who are generally expected to be title contenders before the beginning of the campaign, might not even make it to the play-in, has Smith believing that the Warriors’ “dynasty is over”. However, the ESPN analyst did shower Stephen Curry with some lofty praises.
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Following the loss that Steve Kerr’s boys suffered, they are now 10th on the Western Conference standings, leading the Houston Rockets by merely 0.5 games. As per SAS, the franchise would be likely to make huge changes following the abysmal performance this 2023-24 season.
“They (the Golden State Warriors) got problems, ladies and gentlemen… The dynasty is over. Change is coming. There’s no way that Joe Lacob the owner, Peter Guber the owner of the Golden State Warriors will sit here and tolerate what we’ve been witnessing this year. They’re a mediocre team,” Smith exclaimed.
The 56-year-old spoke about the lackluster performances that Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have had this campaign. Apart from wondering when Wiggins would “get going”, Smith also shed light on his career-low shooting splits of Thompson.
Further, keeping Green’s month-long suspension aside, the New York native claimed that the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year was a liability on the offensive end. However, he had all praise for Stephen Curry. Calling Curry the “greatest shooter that god ever created”, Smith was justified in stating that the Warriors’ postseason hopes rested on their two-time MVP’s shoulders.
Smith called Stephen Curry and Co. title contenders merely a month ago
The Warriors had a horrific start to the season. Things were worse when Draymond Green was indefinitely suspended for his physical altercations for a month in the middle of December. However, the team turned their fortunes later, in 2024. In February, the 2022 champions went 11-3, per ESPN, defeating powerhouses such as the Indiana Pacers, the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, and the Philadelphia 76ers in that span.
Considering their form, Smith displayed his faith in the Warriors. In an episode of ‘First Take’, Smith claimed that the GSW could make a legitimate championship run.
Per Yahoo! Sports, the ESPN analyst added, “Jonathan Kuminga has elevated his level of play. His 3-point shooting, his field goal percentage. He gets it now… Draymond Green has upped the ante. Defensively, they’ve really stepped up. Klay Thompson comes off the bench for the first time and drops 35…If Klay Thompson finds his shot again, with Steph Curry playing the way he is, and those brothas’ shooting the way they shoot, it changes everything.”
Who’s most likely to win another title: LeBron, KD or Steph? @stephenasmith is rocking with Curry and the Warriors pic.twitter.com/PkbOpp4D7g
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 19, 2024
It seems bizarre that Smith went from picking the Warriors as a title contender to claiming they were a finished dynasty, in just over a month. However, to be fair to the analyst, in February, the Warriors performed well and were close to moving away from the play-in tournament territory.
However, going five of seven in March has damped the San Francisco side’s playoff hopes. While the morale of the Warriors camp would be at an all-time low, they still have a shot at advancing to the postseason. With 12 games remaining in the season, the Warriors can finish the regular season by clinching a play-in tournament spot.
