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Looking like they were going to come away with a key road victory in Game 4 on Monday night to even up this Western Conference Semifinals series at 2-2, the Golden State Warriors threw the game away to the Los Angeles Lakers and are now on the brink of elimination.
From shots not falling to careless turnovers, the Warriors collapsed in the fourth quarter once again and they trail the Lakers 3-1 in this series with Game 5 set to take place on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
A lot of question marks surround the Warriors and none may be bigger than Jordan Poole's lack of production. Earning a four-year, $128 million contract in the offseason after helping Golden State capture a championship a year ago, Poole has disappeared in the playoffs this season. Scoring 21 points in Game 1 against the Lakers, Poole has seen his overall production and minutes decline heavily, as he failed to score in 10 minutes on Monday night.
One can imagine the mood in the Warriors' locker room following this Game 4 loss in Los Angeles and according to reports, Poole seemed to be the most frustrated. After the game, Kerith Burke from NBC Sports Bay Area gave a terrific, detailed report on what transpired inside the locker room following the loss, specifically detailing what Jordan Poole said. When asked by the Warriors' PR staff to talk to the media, Burke stated that Poole was reluctant, but he did talk while facing his locker.
“It's my shot. I don't know. If I knew, I would tell you,” Poole commented on his recent play. As far as what he is doing to try and fix his problems, Poole said, “Well, my work ethic doesn't change. My routine doesn't change. Maybe opportunity changes, but you can only control what you can control.”
.@KerithBurke describes a tension-filled locker room when Jordan Poole talked to the media pic.twitter.com/VCWpciaq3C
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 9, 2023
In addition to relaying Poole's message from the locker room, Burke also stated that the visitor's locker room at Crypto.com Arena is very “cramped,” so when Jordan began talking to the media, all of the other players were listening and the tension in the room heightened.
Obviously Game 4 was a huge game in this series and the Warriors should be disappointed and mad at the way they played. This was a game they had in their grasp up until the final few minutes of play and some poor decisions on the offensive-end of the floor ultimately cost them a chance to even up this series.
Being down 3-1 to the Lakers is not ideal whatsoever, but the Warriors are the defending NBA champions and if there is any team well-equipped to come back from a deficit in these playoffs, it's them. The good news for them is that Game 5 will be in San Francisco where Golden State has gone 36-10 this year, including the postseason. However, if they are to win this game and have a chance at winning Game 6 in Los Angeles, Poole is going to have to step up and figure out ways to not necessarily score, but impact winning.
The 23-year-old guard just looks lost right now on the offensive-end of the floor because his shots are not falling. If he can settle down and figure out ways to still be a playmaker if his shot is not falling, the Warriors will get a much-needed boost in their second-unit.
Whether or not the Warriors can continue their season and live to fight another day in the playoffs may very much come down to if Poole can fix his problems over the next 48 hours.
