Golden State Warriors re-enter ‘the reality of the NBA’

The Warriors’ new-look squad fell apart against a tough Clippers team to open the brand new Chase Center, losing 141-122.

But the Warriors franchise as a whole, when taking its last five magical seasons into account, fell back down to earth, according to coach Steve Kerr.

Here’s what Kerr said after the game, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.

Steve Kerr: "This is more the reality of the NBA. The last five years, we've been living in a world that's not supposed to exist…Nine guys 23 or younger. We're starting over, in many respects."

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 25, 2019

The last five campaigns were sublime, and yes, unworldly. The Warriors earned three championships and appeared in the NBA Finals every year of that run, starting with Kerr’s first with the club. That was also Kerr’s first year as an NBA coach.

Golden State still has it’s core three players on the roster in guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and forward, Draymond Green. Thompson tore his ACL in the most recent NBA Finals, however, and as Kerr said, the remainder of the roster is loaded with inexperienced players.

The last five seasons were majestic, but this year’s team is arguably as interesting — unfortunately for the Warriors, most of the intrigue lies in whether they can make the playoffs rather than if they can win the NBA title. And that new reality will take some getting used to for those that follow the team and the core members themselves.