![]() ![]() This was the first year the final was decisive and left no doubt on the damage that was done - and the work yet to be done if this run is to extend beyond the present. ![]() The 3-1 jokes from 2016 are all well and good, but they pulled out of a 3-1 hole right before that, and even in the years they fell short, they gave the eventual winners all they could handle. Worn down by internal forces in and out of the locker room, they’ve pulled off improbable comebacks time after time, snatching momentum from teams and confidence out of opposing buildings. Branded as front-runners who can outshoot and out-talent opponents, they are the most resilient bunch this league has had to offer in decades. The night illustrated the underrated quality of this Warriors bunch for their entire run to date. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers during the Western Conference semifinal series at Arena in Los Angeles on May 12, 2023. In the end, it was clear the champions ran out of gas as Curry - the best conditioned athlete in the NBA, by all accounts - was worn down by the relentless Lakers, shooting just 25.6% from 3-point range in the last three games of this series. The evening seemed to encapsulate their entire season: Absorbing an early blow in the opening minutes, clawing back to respectability, then taking another shot before teetering on the edge of all-out disaster. It was over before the weary champs walked into the building, hoping to find a signature night somewhere in that locker room to push the series to a decisive seventh game. It was over before Austin Reaves heaved a last-second half-court shot to send the crowd into halftime delirium. It was over before LeBron James had his best game of the playoffs, putting the finishing touches on what Anthony Davis and others started. The champions ran out of time, out of bodies and out of answers in their series-ending, season-ending 122-101 Game 6 loss to the Lakers on Friday night. Instead, it was the up-and-down roar of the Arena crowd finally able to celebrate a deep playoff run with their Los Angeles Lakers in a venue outside of a Disney-sanctioned bubble in 2020. LOS ANGELES - Stephen Curry sat on the Warriors’ bench, legs aching and mind finally beginning to settle on the reality of the night - no trip to June, no pointing at a ring finger to a shell-shocked crowd. ![]()
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