The Golden State Warriors season came to a screeching halt after a 118-94 road loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors were absolutely steamrolled as the bigger and younger Kings team out-shot, out-rebounded, and out-assisted them. It wasn’t exactly surprising, given the year the Warriors had. They did turn a corner in the second half of the season but were still only a shell of their former selves, especially the veterans.

Even though Stephen Curry has been the best-performing member of their championship core this season, he, too, hasn’t been spared from the ravages of NBA aging. In their final game of the season, Curry had only 22 points, four rebounds, and two assists, connecting 8-of-16 from the floor and 3-of-7 from the three-point line. Which happens to be a far cry from his 50 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 20-of-38 shooting from the field. But Charles Barkley had smelled it from a mile away.

Hours before the 9-10 play-in game, Barkley said in The Pat McAfee Show, “Last year, Stephen Curry bailed them out in Game 7 when he went off for 50. I don’t think he is capable of doing that any longer.” 

Further speaking of whether the Big Three of the Warriors’ dynasty will come back together next season, Chuck added, “The one thing I know about old people, they just get older, they don’t get healthier, they don’t get better. The Warriors are done as we know them. They got old.” 

Will Charles Barkley’s prediction come true?

Interestingly, during the pre-game tunnel walk, Curry entered the Golden 1 Center with a protective wristband on his shooting hand. If you remember, Curry suffered a broken wrist injury in 2019 that shelved him for 3 whole months. So, a sign of injury before the game sent the alarm bells ringing across the Dubs nation. But, thankfully, the band was off during the game. However, the four-time NBA champion struggled to shoot against Keon Ellis. Moreover, he did not receive nearly as much help as he did last time the NorCal rivals met in the playoffs.

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Klay Thompson went scoreless in his 32 minutes, only adding 4 rebounds and one assist. This season made it clear that Thompson is not the same player he was after suffering two back-to-back leg injuries. The Warriors’ shooting guard tore an ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and then ruptured an Achilles during a workout in November 2020. The impact was evident as he failed to average even 20 points per game this season, his lowest since 2013–14. And with his free agency looming, Barkley’s prediction could come true.

Then there was Draymond Green. The team’s defensive anchor had some of the biggest highlights in the play-in game. Green did an exceptional job defending Domantas Sabonis and ended his night with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. However, he was also part of the reason why the Warriors were in the play-in position in the first place. His four ejections and two suspensions had a detrimental impact on the team, as they ultimately failed to make it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020–21 season.