Warriors resurface after misfortune and re-establish themselves as a force in the NBA

In 2019, the Golden State Warriors were playing their fifth consecutive NBA final, with a combination of talents that seemed unbeatable. Then Kevin Durant tore an Achilles tendon. In the next game, Klay Thompson lost the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. The dynasty broke up in injuries.

The misfortunes didn’t end in that loss to the Toronto Raptors, and the team that held the seat in the decision went two seasons without even making the knockouts of the North American basketball league. Now, however, led by a rejuvenated Stephen Curry, he is among the leaders of the championship and is once again positioned as one of its greatest strengths, in the vice-leadership of the Western Conference.

In the coming days, he will have two important commitments: at midnight this Friday (24), against the Memphis Grizzlies, fourth placed at the conference, and at 19:00 on Saturday (25), in the Christmas round against the Phoenix Suns, which occupies the top of the West.

The return to relevance was not a slow and natural path for a team that is recovering after physical problems. Durant is no longer a Warrior. Thompson, who had an Achilles tendon rupture as he was close to returning, has not been on the court since Game 6 of the 2019 finals. James Wiseman, the young man who arrived to change the face of the squad, is out after knee surgery.

Still, Steve Kerr’s men have won 25 and lost six so far in the 2021/22 competition. In some ways, they look more like the teams that lifted the cup in 2015, 2017 and 2018 than those that couldn’t make the playoffs in 2019 and 2020.

There are a few reasons for this, but it’s hard not to put Curry’s work at the top of the list. Averaging 27.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6 assists per match, the 33-year-old point guard is the engine that drives the California team in ways that aren’t always clear on the stat tables.

But the ace, of course, is also impressive in numbers. Last week, he became the player with the most three-point shot converted in NBA history. Currently with 2,986 long-range hits, he finally started to speak what was already considered by all to be an irrefutable truth.

“I never wanted to call myself the best pitcher ever until I hit this record. Now I’m comfortable,” said the 30 shirt, who left behind the Ray Allen mark (2,973). “I pride myself on pitching a good percentage and I pride myself on helping us win games. Now, I can be proud of having longevity in those numbers.”

Curry had already impressed in the last championship, but only enough to take the Warriors to ninth place in the Western Conference. This year, with the help of supporting casts such as Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, he has been performing with the confidence seen in the great moments of the Golden State dynasty.

Continuity helps. Kerr has been the team’s coach since 2014. The excellent passer and defender Draymond Green, now 31, has partnered with Steph since joining the NBA in 2012. Andre Iguodala, 37, has returned after two seasons apart and helps establish the tone of a team that has come back to be feared.

Last month, it was still debated whether the good record was the result of a relatively easy table. Then Golden State went to New York to face the Brooklyn Nets, the title favorite in bookmakers. He faced the old acquaintance Durant, neutralized James Harden and won easily, 117-99, with 37 points from Curry.

“It’s fun to be in the spotlight again. Our team is enjoying being here again,” Kerr said, noting that his point guard heard that night shouts of “MVP”, the best, even playing away from home. “The audience is energized when he starts shooting from afar. Our team is good again, and it gives more value to what Steph does every night, the audience appreciates it.”

It’s been a long season, and history has already shown the Warriors that one false step can be fatal. Therefore, success in the early part of the competition has been treated with caution. Although they enjoy the reaction from the stands and the triumphs they have been lining up, the athletes try to contain their excitement.

“The coach is always talking about the steps we must take to be a team with a champion level. At times, we still make silly fouls, waste balls, lose concentration offensively. We have to have a high standard and charge ourselves, no matter how much let’s be excited about having the Warriors back,” said Curry.

One of the next steps will be to integrate Klay Thompson and James Wiseman, who are in the final stages of recovering from their injuries. Wiseman, 20, could be an important part of the bottle. But the great expectation is the return of Thompson, 31, a great defender and great pitcher until the sequence of physical problems that kept him from the court.

The forecast is that the guard will be available around the turn of the year. If revamping the rotation to accommodate him will take effort on Kerr’s part, the coach knows that a healthy Klay can raise the performance ceiling of the Golden State, which, after two years of lamentation, is once again a force in the NBA.