Funny how the media are coming out with new arguments lately- with the Rockets now #1 seed in particular - of why the Warriors are not the top seed, not best offense, less efficient than Harden & CP3 and not playing as well as years prior. So most in relation to the Rockets. What's the ones you've heard? So far I've heard: - they need the all-star break - health / injuries (as if Rockets didn't have any...) - chemistry - bench not as deep as last year (had a great off-season to most analysts with Casspi, Young & Bell) - throw analytics out the window, Rockets cannot be this hot for 4 games - home court does not matter anyway
It's because its their milking cow, if you go to any forums and say Rockets could beat Warriors, the best answer would be: Maybe, but i doubt it. And that's how its going to be until Rockets beat them, they're viewed as best team and that regardless of what and if, no one can touch them or beat them. Let them talk and let us do the walk!
The common theme for the Warriors 2nd place standing. They aren’t trying... Let’s make it clear. Your bench is bad, Draymond Green can’t shoot, and defensively you have digressed. It isn’t a lack of trying. I saw Kevin Durant dropping 50. I see a team tops in the league in techs(tell me how they don’t care). They clearly aren’t as good as before.
We know the Warriors Big 4 can turn it on when needed. We don't know if Draymond will be consistent at the 3pt line. We don't know if Iggy will be able to turn it on when needed. Warriors bench is up and down.
Apparently, someone needs to start a thread "Are we just going to ignore GSW is 2nd worst turnover team in the NBA" Or "Warriors about to prove they are on Harden's Level"
No question those elements will be exploited in the playoffs. The question is will their shot come back for the playoffs. Iggy always seems to player better when the stakes are higher. But I am wondering if he has passed the age threshold now where he can just turn it on. Green is up and down. I will live with Green and Iggy shooting shots though.
That’s been the book on GSW. The Rockets now have the wing defense to switch everything and have a good defender on whatever Warrior they want to free up. Also have CP3 and Harden to iso on Curry all night.
Good post - I think the issue will be how can the Warriors help Curry guard either CP3 or Harden. Previously you’d leave Curry on Patrick Beverly and call it a day. Now, Kerr has to pick his poison.
The thing on Iggy is that we have guys who can matchup with him and will he even be healthy enough come playoffs? They really only have Swaggy P who is semi-reliable from 3. We can live with Iggy shooting 3's or driving to bucket... because Casspi/Swaggy P can't guard someone to save their life when we pop 3's or drive to bucket. Iggy, Swaggy P, Casspi, Bell... is not better than EG, Ryno/Tucker, Ariza/Mbah, Iso Joe, Green, Wright/Nene. Not in a million years. We have them beat at every position off the bench. Every one of our guys can switch and has the ability to shoot the 3 outside of our C's of course. I'm glad people (media/fans) are starting to notice but they keep on coming to the conclusion that "GSW have four all-stars, HOU can't beat them!" Well... hate to break it... Capela is borderline if you go off the eye test. Even if you didn't agree, we arguably beat them at 2 to 3 positions just based off starters. Paul > Curry Harden > Thompson Mbah < Durant Tucker < Green Capela > Zaza HOU Bench > GSW Bench ...
no they cant turn it on at will, member durant losing 3-1 lead to gsw, member warriors losing 3-1 lead to cavs they tried to turn it on but lost 0-2 to okc and 1-2 to rockets this year ....in that last game draymond was flexing whenever he did anything on the court but they were simply outclassed and out-talented by rockets
Durant on OKC Warriors without Durant This years warriors in the regular season. None of those scenarios describes the collective GSW as a playoff team. I am saying that it is likely that the Warriors big 4 will raise their game in the playoffs. But, their bench and role players could be an issue and perhaps Green's 3pt shot could be spotty
The Warriors will be the favorite until they get beat in the playoffs... just like the Patriots were.
The reality is after 2 or 3 championships, the passion isnt there. Hakeem was a shell of himself after the first two championships. After a couple championships, most teams in the league brings their A-game against you. It gets exhausting and very few players can come into every game with that killer instinct. Jordan and Kobe were notorious about it. Even with Kobe, you could tell the passion was no longer there in his last couple seasons.
It is so hard without an elite big man. Durant could be counted as one but IMO is a perimeter player.
It's not even necessarily about the Warriors lack of killer instinct. They've got every single contending team in the NBA gunning for blood, and that's hard to navigate night in and night out. I think that, coupled with the reasons being listed in this thread from a basketball perspective, is why they're "faltering." Of course, their level of faltering is still 1/2 game from being the best team in the league, and it still has them as being the prohibitive favorites to win it all again. They just aren't that 73 win juggernaut we saw a couple of seasons ago.
I hate CF when it gets like this. I get it. We're starved for something great that every year we get ahead of ourselves. Let's just be classy about it and talk about what we have achieved instead of what we think we're going to achieve.
Here’s the rub: good teams have figured out how to beat the Dubs and it’s gotten *easier* since Durant joined. You just need to stop Curry. If Curry goes for 50, you’re probably going to lose. If Curry goes for 15, you’re probably going to win. Durant’s numbers are irrelevant. He’s a ball stopping black hole that doesn’t have near the gravitational force that players like Curry have. It’s why he went off for 50 and they still lose to a middling Blazers team. When Curry is going everyone is involved. When Durant is going.....well I guess we’re all gonna watch Durant. Durant has benefited from playing next to another top 5 player his whole career. If he was by himself....he’d be Giannis or Davis. Dude is so overrated it’s comical. He’s great but Curry, Harden, Lebron, Kawhi and CP3 are all better players than him. Westbrook might even be as well.
Yeah, much easier. That's why they only had the best record in the NBA yet again last year, went 16-1 in the playoffs, and have the best point differential and 0.5 games out of the best record this year. Good teams have clearly figured out the Warriors.
While I kind of get your point, it's much overstated. It's really system dependant. On a Kerr or Dantoni shootout type team, Curry is more valuable. But on a Popovich type team, Durant is more valuable. On the Spurs, Durant would be like a super-Leonard.
