After a harder-than-it-should-have-been win at home over the young, dumb and full of fun Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State’s hopes for avoiding the play-in remain alive. It’s all come down to the final two games of the regular season for the defending champs, a sentence that doesn’t feel nearly as surprising as it should.
That’s how it’s been from the very beginning, starting with a failure to launch that was immediately noticeable. At least it was clear early on. Each potential statement win felt like it was sandwiched between a baffling late-game meltdown or 48 minutes of going through the motions.