Who Can Stop Golden State?
Before the season many analysts said that there were only two teams worth watching in the NBA and only two teams that had a legitimate chance to win the NBA championship; the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. There were also storylines worth watching between LeBron’s new-look Cavs and Kyrie’s Celtics and James Harden and Chris Paul’s new partnership in Houston, but that takes a backseat to the big question on everyone’s mind as the season started was who can match up with the super team of Golden State? This year’s Warriors team may be the most star-studded roster the NBA has ever seen, many people compare this team to the ‘79-80 Lakers, the ’95-96 Bulls, and the ’12-13 Heat, all of which were viewed as super teams that dominated the NBA in their era’s. In 2015 the warriors won 73 games (which is the record for most wins by an NBA team ever) and the following season they added former ’13-14 NBA MVP Kevin Durant to the team; Durant is highly regarded as the second best player in the NBA currently and the best pure-scorer in the league. Add this talent to the 2016 unanimous MVP Steph Curry, NBA All-star Klay Thompson, and Defensive Player of the Year (2017) Draymond Green and this is one of the most lethal teams the NBA has ever seen.
So, with all this talent, the question that comes to mind is “who can give this team a run for their money in the playoffs?” Most everyone looks immediately to LeBron James considering he has once beat this team and is revered as the best player in the league currently, but this time LeBron is without his All-star sidekick, Kyrie Irving, who was an essential part of the Cavs’ 2016 championship. Kyrie was traded to the Boston Celtics this year for Isiah Thomas, the Brooklyn Nets’ first round-pick, and Jae Crowder. Kyrie demanded a trade because he was tired of being LeBron’s sidekick and felt as if he was ready to lead his own team, and he was right, his Celtics are on top of the east right now sitting comfortably in the 1. But the main trade piece that the Cavs received, Isiah Thomas, was traded once again and this time going to L.A. for Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, and Ante Zizic. There’s no doubt that losing Kyrie is a huge hit to the Cavs, but at least they have several pieces to help cushion the blow. This year the Rockets made one of the biggest moves when they acquired Chris Paul from the L.A. Clippers. Harden is arguably the best shooting guard in the game right now and Chris Paul has consistently been one of the league’s best point guards, this duo has lead Houston to the number 1 seed in the western conference (yes, they have a better record than the warriors) and show no signs of slowing down.
Which one of these teams provides the best challenge to Golden State? Well, as of last week all 4 of the Warriors All-stars are currently down with injuries and Steve Kerr, head coach of Golden State, said that Curry will not be playing in the first round of the playoffs. This recent stretch of injuries for the warriors causes concern for the impending playoff picture and has allowed Houston to build a comfortable lead in the western conference. If I was a betting man (which I am) I would put my money on Houston to be the favorites to upset the warriors, but since the warriors are injured it is likely that other teams have a good chance to take them down too. Finally, as long as the warriors lose I will be happy, because it is no fun to watch one team continuously demolish other teams and completely dominate the league. So, here’s to the beard and Houston hopefully knocking out the super-team of Golden State.
