No one expects the Warriors to be NBA champions next season.
asserted
Warriors → expect → ?
So, will it be a wasted season?
Far from it.
asserted
it → waste → it
Not everything can be judged by whether the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is hoisted in June.
asserted
Trophy → judge → June
The Warriors are playing for so much more than a champagne bath.
asserted
Warriors → play → bath
They’re playing for each other.
asserted
They → play → other
Steve Kerr chose to return as coach because he wanted to finish what he started with Steph Curry and Draymond Green, who won four championships in eight years from 2015-2022, becoming the league’s modern-day dynasty.
asserted
who → choose → 2015
They’ve had each other’s backs for 12 years.
asserted
They → have → years
They’re brothers.
asserted
They → ’re → ?
Next season is about two players and a coach who have shown a loyalty to one another that’s uncharacteristic in a league where players jump ship at any signs of distress and coaches are cycled through faster than ephemeral social media trends.
asserted
coaches → show → trends
In a world of change, the Warriors stand out.
asserted
Warriors → stand → change
And they’re still fun as heck.
asserted
they → ’re → heck
He became the oldest point guard last season to be named an All-Star starter.
asserted
He → become → ?
Green remains a thrilling and fiery force on the defensive end, the embodiment of a player who transformed himself from being overlooked into a Hall of Famer through sheer heart and grit.
asserted
who → remain → heart
Can they make a move before the trade deadline to become competitive?
asserted
they → make → deadline
Can Curry remain the most jaw-dropping player in the league as he turns 39?
asserted
he → remain → 39
Can Jimmy Butler return from injury and provide the kind of jolt he did back in February 2025, when the Warriors finished the season with a 23-8 record after trading for him?
asserted
Warriors → return → him
The Warriors still have their spark, even though they haven’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs since winning their last championship in 2022.
asserted
they → have → 2022
We were reminded of that last season.
Facing elimination in a play-in game against the Clippers in April, Curry and Green tapped into their greatness, channelling what made them the best in the world at their jobs for nearly a decade.
asserted
them → remind → decade
Curry had 35 points, scoring 27 of them in a dizzying second-half scoring spree.
asserted
Curry → have → spree
Green held Kawhi Leonard to two points in the fourth quarter.
asserted
Green → hold → quarter
Those guys still have that inside of them.
asserted
guys → have → them
After that game, Kerr was beaming.
asserted
Kerr → beam → game
His words were shiver-inducing.
asserted
words → induce → ?
“For one night, we’re us,” Kerr said.
asserted
Kerr → ’re → night
“We’re champions again.”
asserted
We → ’re → ?
The Warriors are searching for that feeling again.
asserted
Warriors → search → feeling
It might not lead to a first-place finish, not in a league with teams with young legs and deep rosters chomping at the bit.
uncertain
It → lead → bit
But they’ll still have those small moments.
asserted
they → have → moments
You know, the times when Curry goes unconscious from the court, leaving Green genuinely smiling and Kerr trying to find the right adjectives to describe the beauty he just witnessed in his postgame news conference.
asserted
he → know → conference
Or when Green makes a defensive stop and roars, the type of scene that has happened so many times and led to him being called the unequivocal soul of the team.
asserted
him → make → team
Or when Kerr knows exactly what Curry or Green needs to be told in a specific moment, showcasing his rare and piercing ability to connect with people that has turned him into one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.
asserted
that → know → history
Kerr, Curry and Green are playing for something different now.
asserted
Kerr → play → something
Their success isn’t going to be measured by wins and losses.
asserted
success → go → wins
It will be measured by the magnitude of playing for something greater than themselves.
asserted
It → measure → themselves
By the genuine joy that comes from seeing each other shine.
asserted
other → come → joy
By the dignity of standing together as their dynasty fades.
asserted
dynasty → stand → dignity
But they’re still one of the greatest shows out there.
asserted
they → ’re → shows
Even though now it’s for different reasons.
asserted
it → ’ → reasons
The Aporia
