3 Golden State Warriors to blame for early postseason exit

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in game six of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers picks up the ball in front of Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter in game six of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Warriors to blame for early playoff exit: Their terrible, God-awful road record

We’re not sure who to blame for this. The whole team? The deflated spirit? The broken soul?

In any case, the Warriors’ atrocious road record this season buried them six-feet-under, and the team wasn’t going to win Game 6 barring a miracle.

Golden State went 11-30 on the road this past season, by far the worst road record of any playoff contender much less the reigning NBA champions.

The Ringer’s Zach Kram tried to explain the vast discrepancy in the Warriors’ home vs. away wins using statistical data, and he couldn’t conclude anything other than the team’s defense was worse on the road, and that was an unsolved mystery.

"I still haven’t been able to discern any convincing reason why the Warriors defense is so much worse on the road, beyond a sense that they’re suffering from a historically weird run of luck."

Kram also said that there should be no carryover between the regular season and playoffs, which means that the Warriors’ road losses in the season doesn’t necessarily translate to road losses in the postseason.

Then again, the Warriors’ road record is so baffling that maybe it did. Golden State couldn’t steal a single win at Crypto.com arena. The team managed to win Game 7 against the Kings in Sacramento thanks to Curry and just needed another holy savior on Friday night. The clouds never parted, and the miracle never came.

After the series against the Lakers, some may theorize about the decline of the Warriors’ everlasting trio, that maybe their championship DNA is fading and their stars are getting too old for this. Draymond’s hair is graying. Curry and Thompson both struggled to consistently make the resounding on-court impact they made years ago.

For the first time in the trio’s plethora of playoff series, the Warriors couldn’t muster a victory at a road venue. This is also the first time the trio has started every game in a series and lost. There’s always a first time for everything, and these “firsts” in particular may indicate the start of something dreadful.

We don’t even want to say it aloud, so we’ll whisper it: The end of a dynasty.

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