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Warriors have worst 20-game start in two decades; things could be worse

Golden State’s 4-16 start is their worst start to a season since the 1998 and 2000 Warriors. Yet, the Dubs’ future is much brighter than it was during those bleak days.

4-16 is bad, but Golden State’s future is very bright

The Golden State Warriors are still the five-time reigning Western Conference champions, but it’s hard to tell that from the start they’ve had to this season. Roster turnover, crippling injuries, and a youth rebuilding project have turned the once unstoppable dynasty into a wounded battalion of strangers clawing for survival until the Splash Bros return.

The Dubs have lost 16 of their first 20 games, a mark of futility so terrible that you would have to go back to the time period around Y2K to find the last time they were this awful.

P. J. Carlesimo Warriors
Coach P.J. Carlesimo was a central character on the last two Warriors’ teams that lost 16 of their first 20 games

The 2000 and 1998 versions of the Warriors both started off their seasons 4-16. The ‘98 squad was infamous for All-NBA star Latrell Sprewell putting hands on head coach P.J. Carlesimo during practice.

The 2000 team is best remembered for firing Carlesimo that December after he led the troops to a 6-21 record.

Those teams were saddening exhibitions of organizational dysfunction and on-court mediocrity. Thankfully, the current iteration of the Warriors is merely wounded; not irreparably broken.

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