Steph: Warriors need to right ship before losing becomes habit

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The Warriors are in a funk.

There haven't been any resolutions to the issues exposed on their winless five-game road trip, and their latest loss -- a 130-119 spanking by the Phoenix Suns -- wasn't any different.

Even for a team that has collected four championship rings in the last eight years and has the experience and composure to know seasons aren't defined by the first 15 games, Golden State wants to right the ship as soon as possible.

"Losing becomes a habit if you don’t fix it," Steph Curry said Wednesday night after the loss at Footprint Center. "We’ve avoided that for a very long time, in terms of that creeping into the locker room -- that loser mentality. I think we’re very aware of who we are, what our potential is.

"The fact is that you can’t stay in this vibe or mode for too long and not really prove that you can be that type of [championship] team."

Curry has been anything but a problem for the Warriors -- he simply has been heroic.

In 14 games, Curry is averaging 32.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. He's nailing 5.1 3-pointers per game on a 44.7 percent clip. But his latest effort -- a 50-point burst in Phoenix -- was wasted in the team's ninth loss of the season.

"We’re not panicking in terms of the 6-9 [record]. There are a lot of games left that we can figure it out," Curry continued. "The losing does get old really quick."

The Warriors entered the season with a big target on their backs. Every opposing team looks at Golden State as a measuring stick to its season's expectations and throws everything they've got to take down the defending champions.

That, combined with the troubling inexperience and ineffectiveness of Golden State's second unit, has been a glaring issue through 15 games.

RELATED: Monte Poole: Warriors' needed grit will be hard to find

"I saw a lot of hanging heads tonight," coach Steve Kerr said after the loss. "I think we're feeling sorry for ourselves. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. Everyone can't wait to play us and kick our ass. We've had a lot of success and a lot of fun, a lot of joy beating people over the years and teams don't forget that. So they're having their fun now, as they should."

The Warriors, trying to set positive habits for their youngsters, need to get right. And it can't all come from Curry, who is doing everything in his power to live up to the 2022 championship banner hanging at Chase Center.

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