Warriors vs. Kings: Golden State looking in a 2013 mirror against electric upstart

A decade ago, the Warriors were the upstart team trying to outrun a champion

The Golden State Warriors find themselves in an unfamiliar spot, down 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time since 2007. But the team that has put them in this hole, the upstart Sacramento Kings, should look plenty familiar. 

Back in 2013, the Warriors were this Kings team. Looking to shed the skin of organizational dysfunction, they had the electric point guard on the fast track to superstardom. They could run and gun with anyone, but only became serious when they traded for an adult big man. They upset the Nuggets in the first round before putting a legit scare into the Spurs. 

That Spurs team, which went to the NBA Finals that season, was what the Warriors are now. Battle tested. Led by a homegrown trio of Hall of Famers. But through two games, it was the Warriors were were in total control, leading over 100 of the 106 total minutes (Game 1 went two overtimes). 

Stephen Curry, not even an All-Star yet, had 44 points in the series opener. San Antonio had no answer for him, just as these 2023 Warriors, now on the opposite end of the potential-against-pedigree matchup, have had no answer for De'Aaron Fox, who has put up 62 points, 14 assists and seven steals through two games.

Back in 2020, George Karl, who coached the 2013 Nuggets team that was upset by the Warriors, told me that he "saw Stephen Curry going from being a really good player to becoming a star right in front of us." 

"To see that at ground level, from the bench, you could see it in his eyes," Karl said. "When he was coming down the court with the ball in his hands, he was locked, man. He was in it. You don't see that often, you know, where a guy is making that superstar leap right in the moment. You see guys who are already there, or guys you know are coming. But man, he just went to another level [in that series]."

That is Fox right now. To those who've been watching, this is no surprise. He's been incredible all season, He was an afterthought All-Star this year, his first selection, but what he's doing now, against this Warriors team, on this stage, is his coming-out party for the masses. 

And he's not alone. Domantas Sabonis could end up a top-five MVP finisher, and he hasn't played anything close to his best to start this series. Malik Monk is a walking heat check. Kevin Huerter was one of the best offseason additions nobody talked about. Keegan Murray broke the rookie 3-point record. Davion Mitchell is a ball handler's nightmare. 

And let's not forget Harrison Barnes, who plays the seasoned-vet role for the Kings but was a rookie starter on that 2013 Golden State team that was one blown 16-point lead from going up 2-0 on the Spurs. The Kings have gone up 2-0 on these Warriors while looking, in every possible way, like the better team. 

But this series isn't over. If anyone knows that, it's the Warriors. Back in 2013, they were too fast, too hot, flat out too good for the Spurs through two games, but it didn't last. That "championship DNA" we love to talk about as though it's some sort of elixir dust became a living, breathing element as San Antonio made series-shifting adjustments and ultimately wore down the kids that were still a few years from running with the big boys.

Can these Warriors summon the same kind of resolve? How powerful, really, is experience if you can't get an inch of space to put it to use? if you can't catch up to the team that's supposed to crumble in its wake? Four championships in eight years can't change the fact that Draymond Green is suspended for Game 3, a must-win for the Warriors if they want to salvage any hope of escaping this series alive. 

Indeed, this isn't looking good for the defending champs, and it's not because they're playing poorly. The Kings of the past may have been a laughingstock, but this team here is no joke. The Warriors know what that looks like. They used to be that team. On Thursday night, we're going to find out if all the experience they've gained in the time between then and now is enough to keep the future, and all its uncertainty, at bay for at least a little bit longer.