The Golden State Warriors are having a frustrating season. While it's usually Draymond Green who lets that frustration get the best of him, it was legendary basketball guard Steph Curry who reacted the worst to Golden State's most recent disappointment.
In the moments after Golden State's devastating double-overtime 144-143 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, Curry was caught on video ripping his jersey and screaming in anger while walking off the court.
Steph just ripped his jersey while walking off the court ?? pic.twitter.com/OdmUsEaKT1
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 28, 2024
The crux of Curry's frustration was likely because the Warriors lost even though he had produced yet another spectacular performance. He scored 46 points and draining nine 3-pointers (both of which were season highs), the ninth of which put the Warriors up by 1 point with 4.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime period.
Then, a controversial foul call on Green against LeBron James — who finished the game with 36 points, 20 rebounds, 12 assists — resulted in James sinking two free throws at the last second, causing the Warriors to lose at home in heartbreaking fashion.
Despite the master class from Curry, the Warriors' loss on Saturday marked their second consecutive defeat by 1 point and their fourth loss in five games. Curry's team is now 19-24 on the season, in 12th place in the Western Conference, and will need go to on a huge run in the season's second half if they're going to make the playoffs.
Curry is right to feel frustrated at his team's sub-par performance this season, given that it has the highest payroll in the entire NBA. While the four-time NBA champion's career is already the stuff of legend, Curry continues to produce at an all-world rate — yet his other highly paid teammates aren't putting up the numbers their salaries would suggest they should.
Curry's jersey-tearing reaction is especially surprising because we rarely see the NBA icon upset. In fact, Curry's more typical joviality made headlines before last Thursday's 1-point loss to the Sacramento Kings, because he challenged WNBA superstar Sabrina Ionescu to a 3-point shooting contest during NBA All-Star weekend next month.
It's clear that the Warriors need to switch something up if they're to secure another NBA championship while Curry is still around. Whether that involves trading teammates, moving on from head coach Steve Kerr or making some other drastic change, Golden State needs to right the ship sooner rather than later.
If not, we might see Curry keep tearing up his team jerseys.
