The Warriors Dynasty Is Officially Over — Kerr Hugged Steph and Draymond, and Nobody Knew What to Say
It’s done. The Golden State Warriors are out, and this time it feels like it’s really, truly over.
The Phoenix Suns beat the Warriors 111-96 in the final Play-In game Friday night, and it wasn’t even close. Jalen Green went crazy — 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting with 8 threes, basically doing a Steph Curry impression while the real Steph Curry went 4-for-16. Devin Booker added 20, Jordan Goodwin had 19 and 9, and Phoenix controlled the game from start to finish. The Suns grabbed the 8-seed and will face the Thunder in Round 1 starting Sunday.
But the score doesn’t tell the story. The last minute does.
Kerr Pulled Steph and Draymond, and the Whole Building Knew
With 1:06 left and the game already decided, Steve Kerr called a timeout. He pulled Steph and Draymond together, put a hand on each of their backs, said something nobody else could hear, and then hugged them both. One at a time. Long hugs. The kind you give when you know something is ending.
Then the two players hugged each other. The crowd — even the Phoenix crowd — went quiet for a second. Since the 2014-15 season, those three have gone 558-217 together, a 72% winning percentage. Four championships. Two MVPs for Steph. The greatest shooting revolution in the history of basketball. And it might be over.
Kerr basically said as much after the game. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he told reporters. “I still love coaching, but I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date. I may move on. I may not. My plan is to take a week or two, sit down with Joe and Mike.”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement that he’s coming back.
Curry Couldn’t Get Free
The Suns’ game plan was simple — don’t let Steph get comfortable. And it worked. Curry finished with 17 points on 4-of-16 from the field in just his fifth game back from a knee injury that kept him out 27 games. He couldn’t find space. Every time he came off a screen, Phoenix had a body on him. Every catch was contested.
He had a moment in the fourth — hit a three that cut it to 85-78 with 9:30 left, and for a second it felt like Wednesday night’s comeback was about to happen all over again. But the Suns answered with 7 straight points and that was the last real push Golden State had in them.
Brandon Podziemski had 23 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double, and he was probably the best Warrior on the floor. But that tells you where this franchise is right now — the best player on a playoff-or-bust night was a second-year wing, not the greatest shooter who ever lived.
Draymond Got Ejected Because of Course He Did
After Kerr’s emotional moment with Steph and Draymond, the game resumed for the final minute. And Draymond Green — because he is who he is — got ejected along with Devin Booker after a confrontation. If that was Green’s last game as a Warrior, it ended exactly how you’d expect.
What Happens Now?
Steph is 38 with one year and $62.5 million left on his deal. Draymond is 36 with a player option. Kerr might step down. The Warriors went 37-45 this season — their worst record since before the dynasty started.
Golden State has decisions to make this summer that will define the next decade of the franchise. Do you rebuild around the young guys? Do you trade Steph to a contender so he can chase one more ring? Do you try to bring in another star and run it back one more time?
Nobody has answers right now. All we know is what we saw Friday night — two of the greatest players of their generation walking off the court together, knowing the run that changed basketball might finally be done.
