It's been a while since the Golden StateĀ Warriors have had toĀ packĀ up their locker rooms inĀ mid-April.Ā Last night, the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings defeated the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors 118-94, ending their season early for the first time in three years. In fact, including this season's exit, the WarriorsĀ have only missed the playoffs three times sinceĀ 2012.Ā
After the game, NBAĀ TwitterĀ wasĀ abuzz.Ā AfterĀ sixĀ NBA Finals appearances and four Larry O' Brien championshipĀ trophies, it seemed like Golden State's historic dynasty might finally be coming to a close. You will never guess who was front row, first in line to witness theĀ WarriorsĀ downfall? That would be Jusuf NurkiÄ.Ā
Jusuf Nurkic celebrates his revenge on Draymond Green and the Warriors
This December, NurkiÄ and Draymond Green madeĀ headlinesĀ when Green clocked NurkiÄ in theĀ head, leadingĀ toĀ an ejection and indefinite suspension for Green, which required counseling before he was allowed to return to the court. The two continued to feud throughout the regular season. Green even referred to NurkiÄ as, "little guy" on his podcast in February. Safe to say, there's notĀ muchĀ love lost between those two. This would explain why Jusuf Nurkic is first in line to celebrate theĀ Warriors'Ā downfall.
Immediately after the Dubsā loss, NurkiÄ posted the classic Looney Tunes, āThatās All Folks!ā cursive outro on Twitter/X.
Per @bosnianbeast27:
He then followed that post up with two crying laughing emojis.Ā Nothing real cryptic or subtle about this.
Adding insult to injury, Jusuf NurkiÄ's season is far from over, with a seven-game series between the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves set to begin on Saturday.Ā If you're Golden State, this, along with the fact that NurkiÄ is gearing up for a playoff series alongside former Warrior Kevin Durant, probably hurts just a little bit.Ā The final knockout blow though, the piĆØce de rĆ©sistance is recognizing that the Suns are not at risk ofĀ elimination.Ā That's not to say they can't lose. They very well could.Ā However, in any case, theyĀ will play at least four more games this season. This, of course, is a luxury that a 10th-seeded Golden State was not afforded.
You could almost argue that the Warriors were so dominant for so long that they didn't really have to listen or entertain any outside noise. Whether it came from opposing players, fans, or the media - itĀ just didn'tĀ really matter. It's almost like Globo Gym's slogan in Dodgeball with VinceĀ VaughnĀ and Ben Stiller. You know? "We're Golden State and we're better than you, and you know it!"Ā Until recently, that was the case. Now, well ... thingsĀ are different.