The last Waltz? | Bleacher's report

At the start of the season, the Warriors dismissed any suggestion that their quest for a third consecutive championship would end as for the 1998 Chicago Bulls, with a championship parade quickly followed by the departure of the stars that made it possible .

Now? They just hope to have a parade.

"We all know that this could be the case," said acting guard Shaun Livingston. "Optional.We are aware of it.The main goal is simply to win.Period.For all of us.It's really what it's all about.And everything else will take care of itself. "

Winning did not seem to be a prerequisite for keeping the team intact in September. Another title, even during a large part of the season, was taken for granted in advance. So kept their championship kernel. "I'm perfectly happy here," said Klay Thompson, goalkeeper of All Star, stand-in player at NBC Bay Area.

"I'm confident I'll be here a very long time," said defensive quarterback Draymond Green, who is looking for an extension for a contract that ends after next season.

Even Kevin Durant, MVP of the last two finals, downplayed the issues raised by his decision last summer to sign an agreement allowing him to become a free agent again this summer. "I could easily have signed a long-term contract, but I just wanted to follow him season by season and see where it would take me," he said. told Journalists on Warriors Media Day. "And I think this whole year will be a fun and exciting year for all of us and I'm looking forward to focusing on that."

Less than eight months later, it seems that the future is more intriguing than the present for the two-time defending champion. Green traded his agents, from BJ Armstrong of the Wasserman Media Group to Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports group, who, fairly or otherwise, is best known for his prominent clients who travel (LeBron James) or demand money. to be displaced (Anthony Davis). And Thompson, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, might be tempted to join rival Los Angeles Clippers, who have released two people at maximum pay, if the Warriors do not offer him a maximum deal.

In short: the pleasure expected by Durant was limited, the excitement difficult to dissociate from the tension, both because of exceptional losses due to breakouts and a constant litany of reports that it would be bound elsewhere. The Warriors now admit that they have discussed the possibility that they are not all present to move from the Oakland Oracle Arena to their next San Francisco tour next season. "It's not an everyday thing," Green said. "We've said it at different times, for example," Hey, dude, you never know "or" It's the last year at Oracle ", but it's not been like a call of assembly. "

The Bulls used the impending separation of their team – led by Michael Jordan and the intention of his coach Phil Jackson to retire – as a rallying cry, calling "The Last Dance".

The Warrior coach, Steve Kerr, was a backup guard for this Bulls team. He also dismissed any similarity with this Warriors team from training camp, thinking of ESPN.com: "Last dance, I hope not, I hope we will continue to dance." But in the spring, he recognized familiar telltale signs.

"The similarity between our race and that of the Bulls is that, when it continues, we have the impression that it will last forever, and of course, it does not last," he told B / R "It's coming to an end, and it's ending sooner than everyone else would have liked … Phil, as you know, was a kind of Zen master and talked frequently about staying in the moment. were aware of this idea, but until you get through it, you can not really feel it … After going through this as a player and knowing how fast it all ended, that's why I'm much more conscious as a coach. "

While Kerr spoke with the players individually to make the most of this season, he did not use his experience with the Bulls to score the goal.

"He rarely mentions his experience other than:" I understand what you are going through, because our last year with the Bulls, this third championship, was as if everyone was fed up. [the grind] and then we jumped through but [we never enjoyed] the meat of it, "said Green B / R.

The uncertainty of the future rests largely on Durant, who would have been headed to New York this summer to resurrect the unfortunate Knicks. The Warriors have a glimpse of life without KD earlier than expected, surviving Wednesday night to win the fifth game of their second-round series with the Houston Rockets after Durant injured the locker room with a tense calf. It is expected that he will miss the rest of the series, which will continue on Friday, but it could have been worse: the first assumptions were that he would have suffered an Achilles injury ending the season. In the state, his return remains uncertain, but the Warriors are optimistic he will be back at some point.

Jarring to think that Durant would not be the first team of the modern era to win four titles in a row for a team that has not reached the playoffs since 2013, the opportunity does not raise so many questions now when rumors of his planned departure have surfaced.

Durant protested against widespread speculation, but never denied his real merit. His interaction with his teammates does not seem to be the same as a year ago, especially since a dispute in the locker room caused much ink to flow in which Green was using free will pending of Durant to question his commitment to the team. In recent weeks, Durant has been seen chatting with reporters more often than teammates. After the owner, Joe Lacob, entered the Warriors locker room after their victory over the Rockets in the first game, he ran into Durant, they exchanged a brief, clumsy handshake, Lacob smiling tightly at him. congratulating for his performance of 35 points.

Another reason for Durant's supposed interest in starting is less questionable: after dropping two games against the Los Angeles Clippers in eighth place in the first round and being certain to have at least six games against the Houston Rockets , the three turns are far from being a reality. given. There was a time when starred-eyed fans (and members of the media) projected that the Warriors were in favor of LeBron James' hyperbolic promise when he arrived in Miami: "Not five, not six, not seven" .. as in the championships.

The consensus among league leaders is that if Durant stays, Golden State will remain a title favorite. But as he leaves, the Warriors' race as title contenders is seriously compromised.

Of course, they won a championship without him and won a one – second victory before their historic collapse in the 2016 finals, but the arrival of Durant the following season camouflaged the natural decline of the Wear four seasons more than any other kernel. During the race in 2015, they made no significant additions to their hearts. Complementary veterans like Leandro Barbosa, David West, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Patrick McCaw either retired or left without being replaced. The DeMarcus Cousins, their great off-season rookie, did not play until mid-January as they recovered from a torn Achilles tendon and torn quadricep tendon during their second playoff game. It's unlikely that he's playing again this season.

Winning titles depends on both the depth and versatility of an alignment, but also on its powerhouse, and the Warriors have seen them fall dramatically in both areas. Kerr has already felt the need to start his best training – Andre Iguodala, Green, Durant, Thompson and Stephen Curry – that he traditionally kept to save the matches, and it was still not enough to win the fourth game against the Rockets .

In the first 10 games of the playoffs last year, Kerr got at least 60 minutes of his bench, sometimes even more than 100, and at least three players contributed at least 10 minutes. This year, only two submarines reached double-digit minutes in four games, and the bench allowed only 48 minutes per game against the Rockets and only 38 in a draw. The Warriors' struggle to maintain their focus and energy during entire regular season games continued until the playoffs, when they were supposed to launch the proverbial switch.

"I do not think anyone really expected six games, one against eight," said third-year center Jordan Bell of the Clippers' series. "We had lowered them but we did not turn the knife, we just stabbed them and left there, thinking they would bleed … It may be your last, so you want to swing by giving your all We want to go out at sunset, we want to say, "Yes, we did, go away, you can not tell us shit." But it could be that you messed up that, and that we keep looking back, like, "I would have liked to have it and wish we could have it." "

The youngest players, especially among the seven free players waiting for the team, seem to have given more weight to a possible breakup than veterans, especially those under contract beyond this season. Andre Iguodala, 35, is in the second year of a three-year, $ 48 million contract. He understands the sense of finality that surrounds this season but says that the team has already experienced this before.

"It's the message we've had on many occasions – enjoy the time together – it may be the last time we bring this group together," Iguodala said. "It happened 2 or 3 times."

He is right – in a way. The franchise had 10 free agents in 2017 after winning its second title in three years, including Durant and Curry. But nothing indicated that any of them was even considering other options. Curry has signed a contract of up to $ 202 million over five years and Durant has been slow to sign it only to give the Warriors the financial leeway to sign Iguodala and Shaun Livingston again. .

The anticipation of change among the Warriors is so great that some members of the team are wondering if these last two will be back, even if they signed next season. "I've heard (Andre and Shaun) say it may have been their last season," Bell said, citing the idea that the two men might be retiring.

This may explain the growing sense of inevitability that the Warriors will certainly be different and will feel different next season. Although finances are not a factor, they just seem ready to change.

"Steve explained that it was the first time this group would come together, that we knew we could not win forever and that the window was getting shorter," said Kevon Looney Center. "The guys are getting older so enjoy the opportunity now.There will be a lot of change.We have a lot of free agents, we change the building.We want to say goodbye to Oracle from the good way, win one for Oakland ".

If the Warriors race comes to an end, Livingston sees it as a positive element – for the league as a whole.

"Obviously, when you win, you become the model," he said. "The teams are getting ready, year after year, in that sense, it's getting harder and harder, and that's the way things are going, and you're hoping the teams will understand that, it will improve the league." is a good thing that it happens. "

Fans of warriors may still need to convince, but it may be because they are not exactly in the place of their team: seeking good in an unwanted change that (to present) seems inevitable.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA report for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @RicBucher.