The headline above regarding the Golden State Warriors is always true for any contending franchise in sports, isn’t it?
But when it comes to the 2018-19 Dubs, it’s particularly the case.
It’s a good time to bring this up because forward Jordan Bell was just suspended for one game due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” Per a report, Bell charged a hotel purchase to assistant coach Mike Brown, and Bell retweeted a Twitter thread that alleged the whole thing is an inside joke gone awry.
It wouldn’t be so notable if it wasn’t the latest in a series of players having conflicts with each other or with the coaching staff this season.
There was Bell and head coach Steve Kerr getting into it earlier this year. There was Kerr potentially saying he was “so (expletive) tired of Draymond (Green’s) (expletive).” There was the whole saga in November in which Kevin Durant and Green had a heated confrontation that resulted in a Green suspension, which reportedly happened because of the attention on Durant’s impending free agency.
Although the addition of DeMarcus Cousins has turned the Warriors starting lineup into a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, what if he struggles defensively in the postseason and the recently-added Andrew Bogut takes over his minutes? How will the combustible center respond?
The talent of this year’s team isn’t in question. It never is. What will be the factor in another possible championship run is how they respond to adversity — and to Kerr and the coaching staff — if they run into, say, a Denver Nuggets team that’s become a threat or the Houston Rockets, who once again take the Warriors to seven games.
Realistically, the only team that can beat the Warriors is themselves.
