Steph Curry has given a strong indication of his Warriors’ mindset following the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Lakers on Sunday.
Following the loss, Curry said, “It’s weird to say it: We’re still trying to win championships, but we’re also trying to stay out of the play-in, too. Both can be true.”
The loss, in which Anthony Davis dominated with 39 points, snapped a five-game winning streak for the Warriors. And with the Suns beating the Mavs a little earlier in the day, Golden State is now two games back from the fourth seed, and precariously placed in fifth. With such a logjam in the Western Conference standings all the way down to the Lakers, just 2.5 games separate the reigning champs from the dreaded 11th spot.
Of course, Steph Curry and co entered the season on the back of a fourth championship in eight seasons following their 4-2 defeat of the Celtics in last year’s NBA Finals. Having to fight to avoid the play-in tournament is certainly not where they would have anticipated being just 17 games out from the end of the regular season.
Injury issues, however, the most recent of which saw Curry return on Sunday after missing 11 games in a row, have hampered their quest for another title. With a healthy roster there are few who would argue that they are not well and truly in title contention, but as Curry alluded to, they need to make their way safely into the playoffs first.
