NBA Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors Close To Being NBA Title Favorites

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By @GoldenPerspectv

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson

Kyle Terada – USA Today Sports

The Golden State Warriors showed the world and especially the Oklahoma City Thunder that when they play with energy and excitement, good things come out of it. There was rapid ball movement on most of the Warriors’ possessions, but you know what really sparked their effort? Stephen Curry.

I had Curry and Russell Westbrook as the top two point guards in the league, but if I had to choose right now, it would easily be the former.

Curry is an amazing leader for his team, spreading the ball and making the most of each opportunity. Outside of being dominant, he still plays like a kid at Rucker Park. On several occasions, he would come up the court by wrapping the ball around his back in a very playful manner. That type of energy from a leader becomes contagious to surrounding teammates. Everyone starts having fun.

The entire Warriors roster wanted to see their teammates get open looks and flourish. That’s why this team is so elite. There’s no pressure, and they’re just enjoying what they love to do.

A major problem that teams have yet to find a solution for is the Warriors’ tendency to play small ball. There were several times where there was no center on the floor for the Warriors, and unless you consider Harrison Barnes and/or Draymond Green a power forward, they did not have a four playing either.

With no pressure, no one on the Warriors tries to be too flashy and everyone wants to see their boys get buckets. Even though they are out-sized, they all flash to the paint to crash the boards. It’s teamwork at its finest.

The defense is not to be overlooked either. The Warriors usually hold their opponents to under 100 points per contest because they play in unity. They always know where the ball is on the floor and anticipate well enough to help on drives to the basket. Westbrook was just 5-of-21 from the field and Kevin Durant was 3-of-16. After a game like this, maybe snagging Dion Waiters in that three-team trade will pan out well for OKC.

I didn’t like it at first because there was already enough scrutiny about the number of shots Westbrook takes away from Durant. Waiters is an isolation/pick-and-roll type of guy, so that would essentially strip field goal attempts from Durant too. The Thunder do need more scoring options, but I figured they’d look for an offensive post presence rather than another perimeter scorer. It should be interesting to watch this experiment though.

For the Warriors, there’s no need for any roster tinkering as they are brewing at the top of the NBA. I have trouble visualizing their style of play and tempo being successful in the postseason though. I hesitate to hoist them as the favorite team to win the title, but they aren’t far.

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