Written by Colin Ward-Henniger at CBS Sports.com
The storybook ending had already been written. The narrative had already been told — not merely for opening night, for the whole season.
The Warriors were unstoppable, unbeatable, the best team ever assembled. But at the end of the night, it was their heads that were looking toward the floor as they walked off the court. It was their players who had to explain how they’re going to learn from the loss. It was their locker room that had the joy and pride of the pregame championship ring and banner ceremony dampened by having to swallow a gut-wrenching 122-121 defeat.
A thoroughly dominant first half by Golden State was taken to levels of absurdity by one of the team’s newest members. Nick Young, perhaps better known by his alter ego, Swaggy P, put on a show for his new fans, hitting five of his six 3-point tries in the first half.
The ball was moving, the shots were falling, a Klay Thompson lookalike was getting screen time on the Jumbotron, the fans had revised the traditional “M-V-P” chant with their own brand new lyrics: “Swag-Gy-P.”
Life was good in Warrior land.
“Nick was great,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I was thrilled with his play. It’s what we brought him here for.”
Fast forward 24 minutes, after Kevin Durant’s potential game-winning shot was a fingernail too late, and the Warriors walked off the court in front of a silent, stunned crowd, the night not necessarily spoiled, but certainly more somber.
There’s no single reason for the Warriors blowing a 17-point lead — and losing their second successive opening-night loss (they were blown out by 29 points against San Antonio Spurs to start last season) — but there are certainly a few factors.
The turning point came in the fourth quarter, not coincidentally after it was announced that Draymond Green, who was already a point shy of a triple-double (9 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists) would not return due to a knee injury.
“[Green] was our best player tonight,” Kerr said after the game. “He was the guy who was bringing the energy and the life. When we’re lacking conditioning, like we are right now, you have to have your high-energy guys out there. As soon as he went out of the game, things went south for us. We just couldn’t get any traction.”
To continue reading this article, click here.
