Golden State Warriors Tank Watch: Dubs Lose Finale, Tie for Seventh-Worst Record
There was an ironic twist to Thursday’s season finale between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. The visiting Spurs had absolutely nothing left to play for, having already secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, clinching home-court advantage for the lifespan of their playoff run this postseason.
Meanwhile, the host Warriors—a team with an ugly 23-42 record heading in—actually had a great deal to play for. Or, rather, Golden State had everything to lose. It’s been well-documented that the Dubs needed to lose as many games as possible in order to fall with one of the league’s seven worst records. In doing so, the Warriors would be able to retain their lottery pick in this May’s NBA draft. If, however, they did not finish in the bottom seven, then their pick would subsequently be shipped off to the Utah Jazz as compensation for a former trade, and Golden State would be without a first-round selection.
Thus, the fate of the Warriors’ redundant lottery status this year hung in the balance of their otherwise innocuous contest with the perennial championship contending Spurs—a season finale of epic ho-hum proportions.
San Antonio, in preparation for its postseason run, rested many of their key rotation players—notably Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Meanwhile, Golden State, grotesquely limping to the finish line of this disappointing NBA season, showcased a starting lineup of five—yes, all five—rookies. Featuring Jeremy Tyler, Chris Wright, Mickell Gladness, Klay Thompson and Charles Jenkins, the Dubs became the first team to start five rookies since 1971, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Nice. Must’ve been a fun game to attend.
And yet, in a matchup between a glorified D-League team and the B squad of an A-plus franchise, there was still a lot riding on the outcome.
All the Warriors had to do was find a way to lose this game and they would improve their chances at that top-seven draft pick. If they somehow won, they’d finish the season with the eighth-worst record, and they would fall out of the lottery, according to CSN.
The tension was palpable.
Given the absence of top-level players, there was expected to be little top-level performance last night. But that was indeed not the case. The dearth of the Warriors rotation (only seven players saw playing time), coupled with the Spurs playing nearly all of youngsters (including two rookies), meant that the game would come down to a battle of scrappy determination from both squads.
It was an (ahem) classic toe-to-toe battle of feisty play, a late-season, preseason-type game featuring 48 minutes of junior varsity garbage time. The Warriors led by one point at halftime, 54-53, behind the stellar play of their front court.
However, behind the efforts of local product Patty Mills (St. Mary’s), the Spurs fought back in the second half to grab a two-point lead heading into the final frame. It looked like Golden State’s lottery destiny would come down to the wire in this back-and-forth affair.
Would the undermanned baby Warriors find a way to win this ball game? It surely would be an impressive feat, given the circumstances of the roster. And what young squad doesn’t want to pull out a victory, especially as a capper to a tortuous rookie season for most of these Warriors players? It certainly was on their minds to come out on top.
After all, you play to win the game, right?
Well, not last night.
The Warriors played to lose the game, and rightly so. They briefly took a 95-93 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but slowly saw things slip away. Mills was clutch down the stretch, nailing two three-pointers to secure the win for the Spurs. And they were the nails in the coffin for the Warriors lottery hopes, as Golden State finished with the seventh-worst record (23-43), tied with the Toronto Raptors.
A tie-breaker drawing will determine whether the Warriors will retain their pick or give it to the Utah Jazz.
Golden State could have avoided this decision had they lost their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Sunday. But they won, making their final two games that much more important to their future. As such, their lottery future will be determined by a coin flip.
For their part, the young Dubs squad lost its season finale, even though they could have played hard and won.
Losing never felt better for Warriors fans.
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