The tides changed for both the Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. Ultimately, it was the home side that managed to shock the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors. The game didn’t have a single dull moment. Leads never went out of hand, and both sides competed until the final buzzer. However, a mesmerizing fourth quarter from Chris Boucher sank the Bay’s ship. And so their struggles continued.

Although without Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors were looked at as the favorites. The differentiating factor is arguably one man with the last name Curry. He played his part, scoring a game-high 26 points to go with seven assists. But the Warriors went scoreless for the last 2:34 seconds, allowing the Raptors to pounce.

They were tenacious in the closing period. Although, they did survive three attempts from the Warriors to tie the game. Among them was a Curry three attempt, which surely made coach Darko Rajakovic nervous. In his press conference, he had nothing but flattering words for the Baby Face Assassin. And while he considers it to be a “privilege” to coach against him, Rajkovic is waiting for the day he has to stop.

And he has a celebration in mind.

“Doing my best. I mean Steph Curry, it’s a privilege for all of us to live in this era and work in the NBA when he is playing. I just told my coaching staff you know I’ve been playing against him for a long, long time. I can’t wait for him to retire. I’m going to get drunk that night I promise you that. I’m going to celebrate,” he candidly admitted.

Unlike fans, for coaches, planning for a player like Stephen Curry is no worse than beating their brains. However, the element of respect is present in almost every voice. That’s the sort of reputation Curry tends to leave with his good nature. Yet, even with all of that present for the Warriors this season, troubles are coming in plenty.

The Golden State Warriors need to step up

The Warriors lacked some key personnel tonight. Notably, they didn’t have their defensive engine, Draymond Green. Often responsible for ensuring they remain in order, the Raptors took complete advantage. Without his post-defense, the likes of Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl exploited the paint.

Toronto scored 50 points on the inside. Moreover, without a scorching slasher in Jonathan Kuminga, another scoring outlet was taken away, leaving the job primarily to Stephen Curry. Still, even when healthy, the Warriors haven’t been the same team that started the season 12-3.

In the last two months, they have had a losing record, and their productivity on both sides of the floor has vastly decreased. Over the last five games, they have lost four. The one win was a nail-biter against the greatly improved Detroit Pistons. In each of those games, opponents managed to score over 100 points.

That’s not as concerning. But the Warriors failed to do so on two occasions. As for panic, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of it in the Warriors locker room. Steve Kerr alludes to the conundrum of ‘lost confidence’. However, the time to regain it is ticking fast. With almost half a season done, the Warriors currently sit outside the play-in picture.

What’s helping them keep calm is the tight Western Conference. A spark of wins can manage to bring about all the difference in the standings. Just this season, the Bay has proven to be the team capable of doing so. But with their recent form, they are miles off the path they began on.

The onus is now on the coaching staff and the players. It looks like they need to go back to the same blueprint, to shoot threes and recalibrate on defense quickly. Thus far, getting stops is what seems to open up the games for those playing against the Warriors. And if this keeps going on, a year of Stephen Curry’s final stretch with the Warriors goes to waste with it.

With what you have seen from them what do you think needs to change for the Warriors? Let us know your views in the comments below.