Opinion: Kawhi Leonard Put A Curse On The Golden State Warriors
Written by BSR Web Staff on November 20, 2019
Photo credit: sbnation.com
From 2015-2019, the Golden State Warriors were the most feared team in the NBA, making five straight NBA Finals and bringing home three Larry O’ Brian trophies. They had an outstandingly talented cast of players that included Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins to name a few.
But, this past offseason, the Warriors lost Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins to free agency, and their backup point guard Sean Livingston retired.
The Warriors did make an acquisition in the offseason, acquiring All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell from the Brooklyn Nets, but it was only done because Thompson will be out for the entire 2019-2020 season after tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the Finals vs the Raptors. Curry broke his hand in the second game of the season and is expected to be back with the team in about three months. Just recently, Russell suffered a thumb injury, and Green suffered a groin injury.
As of right now, it doesn’t look like we will see the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs for the first time since 2011-2012. With all of the injuries and key parts from their half-decade championship run moving on, things are not going to be the same for the team by the bay, and there’s only one explanation, and that explanation is reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard is a literal meme. From his “Ha, Ha Ha” laugh, to “what it do baby”. Leonard is a great player, and one of the Top 5 players in the NBA. The reason I say that he put a curse on the Warriors is that he won the last game at the Warriors old arena, Oracle Arena, and he won the first game at the Warriors new arena, the Chase Center, in San Francisco.
Entering Game 6 of last year’s Finals, Toronto was up 3-2 and looking to dethrone the Kevin Durant-less Warriors(who went down in Game 5 with a torn Achilles). Leonard was looking to capture his second NBA title and help lead the Raptors to their first NBA championship. He played a great game, scoring 22 points, securing six rebounds and recording three assists. The performance earned the Raptors the win and Leonard his first Finals MVP.
In their first home game at the Chase Center, The Warriors faced Leonard’s new team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Clippers trounced the Warriors 141-122. Leonard went on to have 21 points, five rebounds and nine assists.
It’s looking like the Warriors won’t have most of their core players until the end of February or early March. Warriors players, coaches and fans now have to deal with seeing Leonard in their nightmares and hearing his laugh, almost every day. The Klaw may have just put a curse on the Golden State Warriors. They may never win another NBA title for a long time.
