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Less than a week ago, the Golden State Warriors were 10-1, Stephen Curry seemed to have regained his place as the league 's best presumed player and a fourth NB player. Championship in five years seemed to be a formality.
These feelings suddenly seemed to be from ancient history on Tuesday. The Warriors lost two of their three games, Curry was sidelined indefinitely because of a groin injury and a dispute between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green in the 121-116 loss to the Clippers of Los Angeles Monday resulted in a suspension of a match for Green. , three stars and the defensive player of the year 2017.
The suspension, allegedly described as "detrimental to the team," will cost Green about $ 120,480, but the consequences could be much deeper. The penalty seemed to indicate that Durant's happiness, which should largely give up his contract and become a free agent this season, is the number one priority of the team.
At a press conference held before Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks, general manager Bob Myers declined to clarify the team's decision to suspend Green, but denied any relationship to the contract's status of Durant. He then acknowledged that tensions were mounting on occasion even for a team within a dynasty.
"People think we are a perfect place, but not us," he said.
The last fight between Green and Durant seemed relatively harmless as it unfolded.
In the final seconds of the settlement, Monday night, Green grabbed a defensive rebound and dribbled the ball over the field with the equal score. Durant, winner of the last two finals, M.V.P. rewards, aggressively applauds Green, hoping for a pass and an opportunity to make a winning move. But Green held up and stumbled on the floor at the end of the allotted time, leaving the game in overtime.
During the caucus, Durant seemed to confront Green about the decision, and the two quarreled. The Warriors were outclassed 15-10 in overtime and fell to 11-3.
Shaun Livingston, a former Golden State guard, appeared to support Green's handling of the situation, saying the arguments were simply "team spirit" and dismissed the notion that Green had an obligation to pass. in Durant.
"Obviously, Dray had the business figure; the guys might have thought that they were open or wanted basketball, did not have it, "Livingston said. "Things happen like that in sports. But it was good to see fire, emotion.
The emotional outbreaks between Durant and Green are not new. Green recruited Durant to come to Golden State after the Warriors lost the seventh game of 2016's N.B.A. Cleveland Cavaliers, but Green has sometimes repelled Durant's attempts to return to his own style of play – more sunstroke and less ball movement – than the Warriors.
It has long been thought that the tension between the two stars is what inspired David West's comments about the drama in the locker room after last year's final, in which he told ESPN: "You have no idea. No idea. That tells you about this team that nothing has come out. "
At that time, Livingston had been asked questions about West's comments, without denying the existence of any problems. "Shoutout to Steve Kerr for dealing with all our B.S. this year," he said about the Warriors coach.
For his part, Kerr also chose not to go into the details of the suspension by talking with reporters on Tuesday. When asked to compare the episode to a fight between Michael Jordan and him when both players were Chicago Bulls, he called these two events typical events for the right teams.
"When you play at a very high level and you are competitive, things happen," he said. "All the teams I participated in, things happened."
He then offered a moment of levity, using an expletive to insinuate that he had won the battle with Jordan.
While Myers and Kerr insisted that no amount of drama or stand-alone players would affect their team's approach, the negative impression felt around the Warriors could quickly fade away on their return. Curry, as of Thursday. The superstar gaming leader seems to be a stabilizing force on the field, where her 3 deadly points are moving, and he takes good care of Green and Durant and avoids getting involved in their struggles.
After Monday's loss, Kerr said Curry's return was all the team needed to put his attack in order.
"Everything changes without Steph," said Kerr. "He's one of the best offensive players in the history of the game. So you take him out and they do not have to worry so much."
For things to return to normal on the ground, it seems inevitable. But with a player like Green, known both for his long memory and for protecting the rim, the team's decision to punish him could be made when negotiations begin to keep the two-way star in Golden State over- beyond the next season. This could help them keep Durant in July, but this could be a factor in their discussions with Green 12 months later.
Myers said Green and Durant had not discussed the suspension yet, but felt that their shared love for the game could bring them beyond, at least in the short term.
"It's really about winning," he said. "They both like to win and they like to play basketball. These are powerful things to have in common. "
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