Lakers The erratic, 3-point-focused play of the defending champion Golden State Warriors transformed the NBA and made Stephen Curry a national brand. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the squad in the Western Conference playoffs in six games on Friday night, though, as they were unable to put up one final massive barrage of deep shots.
Game 6 was won by the Lakers, 122-101.
Curry faced Lakers star LeBron James in the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 N.B.A. finals, when James was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was one of the most eagerly awaited playoff matches in recent memory. However, after an exciting Lakers victory to start the series, the series eventually fell short of the expectations due to routs in Games 2, 3, and 5.
Lakers for Golden State
Golden State started off Game 6 looking out of sorts. The Lakers went on a 24-9 run to start the game. Curry missed four of his opening five shots, while Golden State’s Klay Thompson missed nine of his opening ten. Then, with less than a second left before halftime, Lakers shooter Austin Reaves’ desperate jumper drove Crypto.com Arena into a frenzy and gave Los Angeles a 10-point advantage going into the break. James led the charge in the third quarter to boost the Lakers’ advantage to 19, and they had a strong grip going into the fourth. Golden State didn’t bounce back.
Curry stated, “You’re kind of shell shocked that it’s over and you’re disappointed.” “You’ve put so much effort into every season, but based on last year, you’re trying to play defence so that we have a chance to keep moving forward. It’s a difficult way for the season to conclude.
The Golden State dynasty, which has won four titles since 2015 thanks to Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green, may be coming to an end or at the very least is about to undergo a makeover. With one of the most expensive teams in the NBA and a new CBA designed to rein in big spenders, Golden State is probably going to try to cut expenses. Given that Curry has been in charge for the previous ten years, the team’s transformation from being a directionless middle-of-the-road organisation to one of the most financially valued ones might be dramatic.
But for Golden State, this season was a struggle. With a final record of 44-38, it earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Its 11-30 road record was among the poorest in the league.
However, there were times when the group was able to look for old performances.
In the opening round of the playoffs, Curry had one of his best performances of his career. In a pivotal Game 7, Golden State travelled to Sacramento to take on the third-seeded Kings. Curry shot seven 3-pointers and scored 50 points, which is a record for a Game 7 performance. The magic that had made his squad so successful was brought back to memory by it.
Golden State held the home-court edge against the seventh-seeded Lakers in the conference playoffs. However, dropping Game 1 at home changed the course of the series. Golden State appeared to be in complete control in Games 2 and 5, which were both played at home, but Game 4 was pivotal in the outcome of the series because the team committed many unusually careless errors down the stretch and fell behind 3-1.
In the end, Golden State was unable to defeat it.
The show provided as a timely reminder that success doesn’t last for very long.
Green, a four-time All-Star, is anticipated to test free agency and has a player option for next season. Although this year was one of his stronger seasons, he will turn 34 in March, and Golden State could be hesitant to pay him a maximum contract. In training camp, Green punched teammate Jordan Poole, demonstrating his propensity for impetuous behaviour. He also received the second-highest number of technical fouls in the league during the regular season.
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The five-time All-Star Thompson still shows flashes of becoming one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, but at 33 and after two serious injuries, he has slowed down considerably on defence. After the following season, his contract ends.
The club has attempted to develop its young players while pursuing a title, a strategy that has come under fire for putting too much pressure on the 35-year-old Curry. Golden State will also need to determine what to do with these youngsters. The 23-year-old guard Poole in particular had a terrible postseason season, which wasn’t ideal since Golden State extended his contract by four years and up to $140 million in October. Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, both 20 years old, were inconsistent starters for the whole season.
Additionally, Bob Myers’ contract, who has served as the team’s general manager for the past ten years, expires this year. Another architect might lead the dynasty into its next phase.