The fall has been loud. Around the NBA, belief in the Golden State Warriors is fading fast. Once powered by Stephen Curry, the team has unraveled since his runner’s knee injury on Jan 30. They have gone 6-13 with Curry on the sidelines. Add Jimmy Butler’s ACL blow to deepen the crisis. As doubts grow, many whisper about giving up. Yet, head coach Steve Kerr refuses to entertain surrender.

A caller on 95.7 The Game stirred the pots. He played the realist, almost ruthless. The caller insisted he was not advocating defeat on purpose. However, he believed the Warriors had already finished their season. Even if Stephen Curry returns, he sees no path past the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, or Minnesota Timberwolves. Therefore, he questions the purpose and expects only a swift first-round exit.

Steve Kerr is not willing to back out

“Oh, so we should just quit?” the 60-year-old veteran asked, sounding shocked. The head coach has been through all the highs and lows since 2014. He has taken this team to the Finals six times in the last decade, winning four of them. Therefore, for someone who knows, understands, and loves the grind, how can he approve of the idea of quitting?

“I wanted to hear what you would say to this person who’s saying, ‘Play-in for what?” What is the point of what we’re doing? It’s a competition. We’re playing to compete and to go and see what we can do and give ourselves a chance,” Kerr continued furiously. “I don’t understand the concept of, ‘I don’t think we can beat any of these teams, so let’s just not try to win.’ Like, what is that? That makes no sense to me.”

“I mean, I don’t know. Are we advocating to tank and get in the lotteries? I mean, just give me a thought. Give me the counter to, hey, let’s go compete and do what we’ve trained to do our entire lives, and compete and give ourselves a chance. Like, what’s the point? Other than that, you tell me, what are we doing this for?”

Meanwhile, the host sarcastically backs tanking. He suggests chasing lottery odds and protecting Stephen Curry’s knees by resting him. He implies letting the younger group struggle through losses. The idea is simple. sacrifice the present, stack better draft chances, and hope next season delivers a stronger, healthier, more competitive Warriors team.

“And Steph will be 39. I mean, look, every opportunity you have to make the playoffs, you want it because you always have a chance. And I understand, without Jimmy, we’re going to be heavy underdogs against just about anybody. But what’s the point? What’s the whole point?” Steve Kerr further continued.

But why does the head coach still want to chase? “The whole point is we play, we compete, we get after it. This is what we do. This is what we love. I mean, my God, the thrill of the playoffs and going and trying to beat the best teams,” he explained. “There’s nothing like it. Well, we’re going to just quit and just sit around in our house and give ourselves a 1% chance of getting the first pick. I mean, what? I’m sorry. I’m sorry. This is not for me.”

Looking back on the 2022 postseason, the Golden State Warriors were true underdogs. That year, the Phoenix Suns were the favorites in the Western Conference, and it felt like they could potentially win the championship. But the basketball gods said, “Wait!” The Dubs went past the Memphis Grizzlies and defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals. Then they pinned the Boston Celtics in the Finals series. They finished 4-2, taking home their 4th title in 8 years.

The Warriors wrote an underdog story in 2022, and this year, too, they want to chase the same, even if they are far from the championship. Because, let’s face it, as long as they have Stephen Curry on the floor, anything is possible. But until he returns, the current core needs to bring itself together. Analysts feel that they don’t care to win anymore. Serious allegation!

Are the Warriors losing their spirit of winning?

Recently, ex-NBA player Chandler Parsons said on Run It Back, “I feel like with who they’re playing, they don’t even care to win. Like, they’re not playing their guys. They’re banged up. And again, I think when you have Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green at this point in their career, you try to maximize it. And you try to put yourself in the best position to win. That’s not going to be this year. So why play those guys really anymore?”

Parsons echoes Kendrick Perkins with a cold, calculated take. He sees a play in push leading nowhere, likely a brutal exit against the OKC Thunder. Therefore, he shifts focus to the next season and long-term gains. Without Stephen Curry, the dream fades. However, with him, a flicker of hope still lingers.

“You have him. You have a chance. I just feel like this team. I feel like they don’t even necessarily want to win right now. And they’re losing. I just want to see him move. They’re losing to Jazz; they’re losing to the Bulls. They’re losing to bad teams,” Parsons further noted.

Chaos has a heartbeat, and right now it sounds like the Warriors. Doubt screams tank, while Steve Kerr demands fight. Critics circle, pointing at losses and fading hunger. However, belief refuses to die. Because as long as Stephen Curry exists, hope breathes. So the question lingers. fold early or chase madness? Either way, this story refuses to stay quiet.