It’s the end of the road for the Golden State Warriors this season. This is after they suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings in Tuesday’s winner-take-all Play-In bout, 118-94.
While the Kings are now headed to another do-or-die showdown against the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final seed in the West, the Dubs are now going home for what has turned into a very early summer vacation.
Golden State Warriors News: Steve Kerr’s Heartfelt Message After Season-Ending Loss Vs. Kings
Steve Kerr did all he could to coach his team to victory. Simply put, the Kings were just the far better team on Tuesday night.
After the loss, Kerr got brutally honest about what this defeat means for the organization and the legacy they’ve built over the past several years:
“This is life. This is how it works. You don’t get to stay on top forever,” Kerr said. “… We’ve got an offseason where we’ve got a lot to think about.”
That’s tough to hear for Dubs fans. It just feels like this is Kerr signaling the end of an era for the Warriors and their dynastic run. What a painful way to go.
It Has Been a Good Run
Kerr wasn’t done either. The four-time NBA champion coach could not help but look back at the glorious achievements this team has amassed under his watch:
“Our core group (has) six final run where you have 24 of these games in one playoff run. That’s what I was thinking about down the stretch when it was clear we were losing,” he said, via Kendra Andres of ESPN. “… Our guys have been fighting for so long. They’re incredible competitors and warriors.”
Why does this statement somehow come with a foreboding sense of finality? Why does it feel like Kerr is thanking his players for pouring their hearts and souls into the game now that it’s over?
As Kerr said, it’s going to be a long offseason ahead for this club. Despite the heartbreak, however, it would be foolish to think that Stephen Curry doesn’t have anything more left in the tank.
Steph and Co. will be back.
More must-reads: