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Sometimes you can feel when trouble is brewing. You might not be able to pinpoint exactly what it is, but it's there.
And that's the sense you get about the Warriors now.
For the second straight game, the Warriors were blown out -- this time by a score of 104-93 by the Miami Heat. On Friday, the Orlando Magic routed them 119-93.
After Sunday's blowout No. 2, one appearing cosmetically better on the scoreboard
because Miami endured a six-minute scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter --
player comments were somewhat perplexing and concealing.
When point guard Nick Van Exel, who tried in vain in the third period to get
the Warriors back into the game, was asked why the scoring-challenged Heat made
a season-high 10 3-pointers in just 16 attempts, he said: "They were supposed
to be non-shooters. We were supposed to back off them."
Van Exel then was asked if the Warriors thought about changing their strategy
against Miami, which came into the game last in the league in points per game
(85.2), field goal percentage (.404) and 3-point field goal percentage (.305).
"I'm not the coach, man," he said. "Not the coach. That's it.
I'm done. I can feel it."
With that Van Exel walked into another room, only to return and sit with his
back facing the room, his face buried in a towel.
For the second game in a row, the consensus in the Warriors locker room was
they had been out-efforted. Against Orlando, they were beaten to loose balls
and hammered on the glass. Against Miami, they were not punctual in getting
to outside shooters and sloppy with the ball (18 turnovers).
"For us to come to Miami and lose this way can't be tolerated," forward
Troy Murphy said. "If there are issues under the surface, we've got to
get them out quick. I'm not saying there are, but if there are, it can't be
repeating itself."
The Warriors (12-13), who had begun their four-game road trip with wins in New
York and Atlanta, played a game that looked alarmingly similar to the one they
played against the Magic.
After that one, power forward Clifford Robinson said the team didn't play hard
enough. And after this one?
"I've given up on trying to pinpoint why we play well one night and why
we come back and not play well the next against teams we're supposed to beat,"
he said. "If we're going to accomplish what we want to accomplish, consistency
is key. If we're going to approach the Lakers one way and not approach Orlando
and Miami the same way, we're in trouble."
When Robinson was asked about underlying issues, he said: "I don't know.
But I can only speak for myself. I can't speak for everyone else. I can speculate
like everyone else, but I'm not seeing it. But if there are (issues), they need
to be addressed so we can move on and play basketball."
The only player offering any tangible answers was shooting guard Jason Richardson.
"It's been a long road trip," he said. "Guys want to get back
home. A lot of stuff is going on, but I think we're on the same page. We're
the same team that beat New York and Atlanta."
When asked specifically about the "stuff going on," Richardson said:
"Guys are worrying about their families coming in or being ready to get
home and not really being as focused as much as they should."
While the good news might be that the Warriors headed back to the Bay Area on
Sunday night, there's bad news, too. Their next two games are against the Los
Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. After that they play in Denver, return
home for a game the next night against Boston, then leave on a red-eye flight
for a five-game road trip that begins in New Jersey on New Year's Eve and eventually
runs through Texas.
Said the optimistic Brian Cardinal: "We'll get it figured out. We have
no other choice."
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