IN THE AFTERMATH of another frustrating loss, Joe Lacob paced the hallway in the depths of Chase Center, just outside the room where the Golden State Warriors hold their postgame news conferences.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr hadn't yet entered. His team had just blown an 18-point lead to the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who closed the game on a 25-4 run, capped by a buzzer-beating half-court heave from Nikola Jokic. The defeat had marked another body blow in a season defined by them. The Warriors were 11 games into Draymond Green's second suspension, this one indefinite. Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson were having uneven seasons, and uncomfortable whispers about their futures were becoming national talking points. The Warriors were 11th in the West — and falling.
The minutes passed. Lacob, the Warriors' owner, paced back and forth. Finally, Kerr arrived, and Lacob stepped inside. He stood near the back. His team had just played its league-high 27th clutch game of the season — defined as games in which the final score is within five points in the final five minutes — and had lost for the 14th time. Another game gifted away.
From the dais, Kerr noticed Lacob, leaning against a wall in the back, near the door where he often exits before anyone notices him. Lacob hired Kerr in 2014, and since then, the two men have overseen an extraordinary run of success, including four championships and six Finals runs as the team has become a global brand.
But this loss had highlighted an issue that represented years of internal struggle, which, against Denver, emerged in the form of Jonathan Kuminga.
The promising third-year wing had scored 16 points in 19 minutes against the Nuggets, but Kuminga was benched for the game's final 18
ESPN
Trade
STARS
Inside
rights
Moodys
FIVE
Andrew Wiggins
Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic
Steve Kerr
Stephen Curry
Chase Center
Jonathan Kuminga