'Had it. Lost it.': The Warriors and the elusive quest for joy

[Glasgow]

The Golden State Warriors are searching for one of the most elusive properties in sports. What they are looking for is not as tangible as a third consecutive Larry O'Brien Trophy. It's a feeling that has defined the high points of their dynasty but has been missing in recent weeks because of self-inflicted drama that has sapped the proud group of one of the most valuable commodities in basketball:

Joy.

"I feel like a lot of people confuse joy and happiness," Warriors forward Kevin Durant told ESPN. "I think happiness is a feeling that it's fleeting. It means you can go back and forth all the time. I feel like joy is something that you can stand on. And when you're enjoying what you do, you don't mind the adversity, the tough times, the challenges. The little obstacles you got to climb to get to where you want to go. I think joy is something that we can always hold onto."

The Warriors have been able to maintain their edge over the past four years -- and were able to weather the storm that came in the wake of emotional words between Durant and Draymond Green during and following a loss to the LA Clippers last month -- in part because of the effort this group puts into both teaching and practicing the art of joy on a daily basis.

"Every team that I've been on has an atmosphere, a culture," coach Steve Kerr said. "You walk into the building and how do you feel? And that's important. So our job as a coaching staff, and as an organization, is to make this a really great place to work. And the players' job is to come in and get their work in. And if we can all together make that a fun proposition, an enjoyable one, then you got an atmosphere that you enjoy every day."

The Warriors came into the season filled with the kind of joy that has carried them to back-to-back titles. Kerr beamed at how different the group felt at the beginning of this season compared to the same point last year, when a long preseason trip to China led to a sluggish start to the regular season.

"We feel fresher this year," Kerr said after a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 31. "Last year I know a couple guys told us Game 1 felt like Game 41. This year Game 1 felt like Game 1. It felt like it was supposed to feel, and we're off to an excellent start. We know we can get better, but I think our guys are in a good place."

Green echoed those sentiments, and smiles permeated the locker room as the Warriors rolled to a 10-1 start.

"We came into this season excited about the season," Green said at the time. "Really looking forward to getting better each and every time we stepped on the floor. And I think, for the most part, we've done that. And it's a lot more enjoyable. We're embracing this process, getting better and trying to win a championship."

But the Warriors' embrace of the season-long process -- one Green said the team skipped last season, before flipping the switch in the playoffs -- was derailed early.

Star point guard Stephen Curry missed 11 games because of an injured left groin. More important, because of the injury, he was not in Los Angeles the night tempers flared between Durant and Green. Then, after a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 13, one which Green missed because he was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team" after his feud with Durant, the Warriors proceeded to lose four straight games for the first time in the Kerr era.

In the blink of an eye, all the joy the Warriors had built up to start the season was gone.

"It's not guaranteed, that's for sure," said Kerr, while discussing the elusiveness of joy. "That's why we work on it, we try to. It's hard to work on joy, but it's the tone we've tried to set for the last five years. For the most part we've achieved that. We're going through kind of a perfect storm of injuries and scheduling and just the internal stuff. Right now, you don't take a lot of joy out of losing."

In the midst of all the questions surrounding the present and future, Kerr remained confident his team could still win even if there wasn't a lot of happiness behind the scenes.