Warriors soldier on after loss to Spurs

SAN FRANCISCO — They’re at it again Monday night. No time to rue. No time to relax. “This is how the NBA works,” said Steve Kerr.

He went through it as a player. Now he’s going through it as coach of the Warriors.

An impressive victory over the Suns on Friday night; a gloomy loss to San Antonio despite a comeback Saturday night; a day off Sunday for what little rest is possible, and here come the Orlando Magic, a third game in four nights.

Maybe Steph Curry will have recovered. “It looked to me like fatigue,” Kerr said of Curry missing 21 of his 28 shots. Probably the Warriors won’t fall behind by 22 points. We’ll find out out soon enough.

What we should have known is the season is destined to be a grind, although it’s doubtful there will be many games like Saturday night’s at Chase Center, when the Dubs were out of it, then worked back into it and took a 5-point lead before losing to the Spurs, 112-107.

Kerr couldn’t say much except he was proud of his team. “We’ve got a bunch of competitors,” was the affirmation.

But isn’t everybody in the NBA — except the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost a game last week by a record 73 points?

Highly paid athletes may stumble, but they don’t quit. 

It was a rigorous weekend for the Dubs, beginning with an important victory over a Suns team that had won 18 straight.

“We don’t have to win it,” Kerr said in response to a question about that necessary victory. “It’s an 82-game season, and we didn’t have to win (Friday) night. It’s the body of work that counts.”

If you’re looking for perspective, that is. Still, it’s each individual game that matters, against the particular opponent or in the standings. And when the time comes in spring for the playoffs.

The psychology of success — or failure — is not to be overlooked. You beat a team often enough, and you’ll know you can do it in the postseason. So will they. 

The elephant missing from this room, certainly, is Klay Thompson, who may return in a couple weeks from the consecutive leg and foot injuries that have kept in from NBA competition since June 2019.

He not only scores, he enables Curry to score and plays outstanding defense. Or did. Surely the thought of a healthy, helpful Thompson allows Kerr a degree of serenity.

Yet even without Klay and with an understandably weary Steph (he was 7-of-28 for 27 points Saturday), the Warriors have gone 19-4.

“There are nights when things are stacked against you, in terms of the schedule,” Kerr pointed out, referring to back-to-back games that involved the Suns against the Warriors and then, a night later, the Warriors against the Spurs.

“When Phoenix played us (Friday), they probably got in (to San Francisco) around 3 a.m. That’s all part of being in the league. It’s going through scheduling stuff and trying to find the energy to win. (Saturday) it looked to me like our whole team, not just Steph, was a step behind. We’ll bounce back.”

Before the season, the question was whether the Warriors had a chance against the Lakers, but L.A. has been without LeBron James for numerous games, either because of a groin injury or Covid-19 protocol.

James will turn 37 at the end of the month (Curry is 33), and his age may be an issue. The Lakers do have Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, and Russell Westbrook, each an all-star.

Yet it’s the Suns, NBA finalists a year ago, who figure to be the team the Warriors must beat.

Assuming they don’t beat themselves, as almost happened Saturday night.