The Golden State Warriors have been riding an emotional roller coaster, going from sniping the top spot in the Western Conference after a 10-1 start to the season, to facing adversity in the midst of injuries, having gone a mere 5-7 since. Kevin Durant, who has carried the load offensively during the absences of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, lauded the experience from team veterans playing a large part in surviving this tough stint.
The Warriors have been nothing but dominant in the past four seasons, only showing signs of mortality when injuries plague them.
“It’s just crazy how we have so much success here that a lot of people don’t realize that this is usually what happens in the NBA,” Durant told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “It may not happen to the Warriors the last four years. But it happens. It happens to every team in the NBA.
“I’ve been on teams where you have these ebbs and flows, ups and downs, emotions flare and guys in the locker room get into it. You have all this stuff in the league. It’s nothing new. I just think it’s the first time we went through it as a group. I’m sure Andre (Iguodala) had it on previous teams, Shaun (Livingston), myself. Anyone here that’s played somewhere else has been through a season like that, a stretch like that. I think that also helped us out fighting through this, getting onto the next day.”
Younger players like Damian Jones, Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell have known nothing but winning games after being drafted by the Warriors, but other veterans have experienced tough stretches and can provide the necessary advice to rally the troops and refocus.
The Warriors will look to put a troublesome November behind them, as Curry makes his return on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons, a move expected to be the start of a push for the top spot in the West once again.
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