Golden State Warriors Finally Lose, But Business As Usual

The Golden State Warriors finally succumbed to their first defeat of the 2015-16 season on Saturday night at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks.

A night after a thrilling double overtime win over the Boston Celtics to stretch their season opening win streak to 24 games, the Warriors were left too depleted and vulnerable against a talented Bucks team that is underachieving at the moment. Shooting guard Klay Thompson made a quick return to the lineup after his scary ankle turn late in the Indiana Pacers win, but his presence would not be able to help the Warriors overcome the odds stacked against them.

After 14 days on the road and on the final game of a seven-game road trip, the Warriors were just not primed to hit 25-0. Although the Warriors have been reaching deep on their bench to make up for the losses of Thompson and Harrison Barnes to injuries, they could be excused for finally dropping a game on their second back to back test on their road trip.

Golden State Warriors

Fatigue reared its ugly head on the Warriors’ greatest strength, as they shot just 6-26 from deep. Stephen Curry, despite his 28 points, would only shoot 2-8 from three, and 9-27 in total. The Warriors also failed to reach the century mark in points for the first time all season.

It seemed like a good time to let their streak end, as they finally get to play their first home game on December 16th since November 28th. The Warriors were reflective in postgame comments, stating that losing is never fun but also recognizing that what they had just accomplished was special and indicative of their focus and determination on trying to repeat as champions.

All in all, the Warriors bested the previous season opening consecutive win streak by eight games. They also broke the record for most consecutive road wins to start the season with 14. The previous three teams with the longest road win streak to start the season (the 1969-1970 New York Knicks, and the 1960-61 and 1961-1962 Boston Celtics) all won the championships in their respective seasons.

And that is the end goal. In a season where “consecutive” has been a regular word in their season’s vocabulary, the only thing that matters consecutively now is winning consecutive championships.

The Warriors’ greatness thus far this season has not been their ability to eek out a 24-0 record to start the season, but to continually grow together as a unit and enjoy being around one another while playing. As Curry pointed out earlier on the road trip, winning has never been a burden to this team. The streak was a byproduct of their sharp focus on getting better day in and day out, all the while growing in confidence.

A lot of fans and rivals wondered aloud how the Warriors would respond to being the hunted team that everyone now wanted to take down. Their resiliency during their streak was their response. Although the Warriors had their fair share of blowout wins, there were several harrowing wins complete with lapses in concentration that demanded the Warriors figure out how to close out games. In spite of their perfect record, they found flaws in their game and sought to correct them immediately through confidence and belief in themselves.

Next: Golden State Warriors Remain Focused on Wins Not Records

Now that the league knows the Warriors would have no championship hangover, all eyes will be on them to see how they respond to their first loss. Injuries have also started to blemish the nearly impervious health of the Warriors the past couple of seasons. No matter the hurdle, these Warriors are fit for the challenge and remain focused on their championship aspirations.