While the Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA, they certainly are not invincible. This was evident on Tuesday night, when the defending champs walked into Utah and got obliterated by the Jazz, 129-99. While every team loses games, no one ever expects the Warriors to get blown out by a team that is under .500 and on the outside of the playoff picture.
It wasn’t a wake-up call or anything, it was just Golden State having a bad night and getting caught. Still, this was the kind of loss that sets Steve Kerr off, and after the game, the Warriors’ head coach called out his team for their performance.
“I think our guys will tell you that was a pathetic effort out there,” Kerr said, per Chris Haynes of ESPN. “That was disgusting basketball.”
Kerr continued to go off on his team, saying the squad got their collective “ass kicked” and that the team’s “hearts weren’t in it.” Additionally, Kerr called out the Warriors’ effort on the defensive end, and seemed disappointed in the team not realizing that the Jazz might bring their A-game.
“We just didn’t start out the game with any force defensively,” Kerr said. “We weren’t staying into bodies, they were just stopping behind screens, we were lazy on our switches. We played with no sense of urgency, no sense of purpose, and they’re obviously fighting for the playoffs.”
Golden State always seems to have a game or two like this every season, and seeing as how they’ve made the NBA Finals each of the last three years, they should be fine. If anything, this game proves that LaVar Ball was wrong and that coaching the Warriors takes more than just rolling a basketball out there and letting them go.
