Despite the return of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors only got away with a win on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime, 127-123.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked postgame about the decline in effectiveness of the patented small-ball “Death Lineup” this season, but Kerr turned the issue into the team's competitiveness, saying the defending champions haven't been as good this year simply because they haven’t competed well enough.

Article Continues Below
More NBA News
Kobe Bryant Nike Air Force 1 "Triple White", Kobe Bryant, Nike Air Force 1
Kobe Bryant Nike Air Force 1 ‘Triple White’ release detailsDominik Zawartko ·
image thumbnail
Mavericks trade proposal lands Jrue Holiday from CelticsJedd Pagaduan ·
Asa Newell, Thomas Sorber, and Liam McNeeley smiling, with Clippers logo beside them
LA Clippers’ perfect outcome for No. 30 pick in 2025 NBA DraftJedd Pagaduan ·
Denver Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins (4) reacts after being called for a technical foul against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter during game one of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at the Chase Center.
Ex-NBA star DeMarcus Cousins in ugly incident with fans after ejection from Puerto Rico gameMiguel La Torre ·
Featured image Murray State baseball
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant’s ecstatic 3-word reaction to Murray State reaching CWSDylan Fine ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Denver Nuggets during the second half in game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to Jamie Foxx’s big BET Awards nightJosh Davis ·

The Warriors are now in Year 4 of an unprecedented run of success. They’ve won two championships, gone to the NBA Finals three straight times, set the all-time regular-season wins mark and nearly went through last year’s playoffs undefeated.

At some point, complacency has to set in, and that point has seemingly come this season. The Warriors may still be the best team in the league, but they don’t feel the need to show it every single night over the course of a long, grueling regular season. That will result in performances like the Lakers game, where they don't go full tilt and only just scrape by.

Steve Kerr’s job as the coach is to prevent that complacency from completely setting in and becoming a habit, which is likely why he’s making such pointed statements toward his team and its levels of competitiveness.