There was a time when the Warriors made basketball look inevitable. They were poetry in motion framed with threes raining without conscience. Today, they are an echo of their storied past, still competent but unconvincing in their attempts to lean on muscle memory. Even as Stephen Curry continues to defy age, the changes in and around him have made his contributions seem less significant. And the result, needless to say, leaves much to be desired: a 5-5 slate reflective of their mediocrity.
It would be easy to dismiss the Warriors’ ostensible lack of distinction as a natural offshoot of the passage of seasons. After all, the National Basketball Association is littered with examples of dynasties not necessarily collapsing but corroding; the fall from grace is slow, even imperceptible, and then clear to all and sundry. At the same time, therein lies a deeper irony: Their system became a template for modern hoops, and naturally inspired an evolution against which it now strains.
Certainly, the league learned from the Warriors, adapted, and moved on. The Nuggets, for example, layered pace and space (and, of course, selflessness care of Nikola Jokic) with size and athleticism. The imitators have surpassed the originators. Still, the blue and yellow persist with stubborn dignity. They have not imploded, merely eroded, and their professionalism endures. Head coach Steve Kerr is trying to stretch the system again with longer leashes for the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody alongside Curry and Draymond Green.
The balance has been uneasy at best. Rebuilding on the fly is an art form few can manage; reimagining prosperity while it occurs is even rarer. And so the Warriors drift in a liminal space between recollection and transition. They’re too experienced to start from scratch, but too flawed to stay the same. Under the circumstances, it’s fair to argue that there is no more dynasty to speak of. In its place is a quixotic search for one final brush with greatness.
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.