Late winter / early spring is a great time for the NBA. Football is over and baseball is months away. With a little more attention on basketball, San Francisco fans have a lot to be happy about at the All-Star break. The Golden State Warriors are currently boasting the best record in the NBA, and have lost less than 10 games (42-9). It’s not too early to talk about a possible championship.
The Warriors are fantastic with outside shots, but might want to consider looking for a player who is strong in the post before the trade deadline hits. Right now there is no insurance for Bogut – we can’t rely on his consistency to seal up the season. Otherwise the bench looks great. Some are saying they can be inconsistent, but it ultimately comes down to wins – and those have been very consistent. Quality players make the difference.
What’s going so right? Stephen Curry has been a monster lately, and is in a strong lead to become the season’s MVP. He recently scored 51 points against the Mavericks, just amazing. He averages over 30 points a game with a 50% average – 45% from deep, along with multiple turnovers per game. And he’s showing no signs of slowing down. With such a sizable lead in the Western Conference and a deep bench, Kerr has the luxury of resting key players in preparation for bigger games.
Stats can be misleading, but the Warriors are on the short list of teams with a legitimate shot at earning an NBA title. The Grizzlies, the Spurs, and the Hawks are among the other strong contenders.
The Warriors weren’t playing their best during the last weeks before the All-Star break, but that was more a result of some tough travel schedules during that time. In that respect, the break came at the perfect time for the team. The team’s confidence will be further renewed by Curry’s win in the three point shootout.
The key things to look for are getting back to moving the ball and playing tough defense, both a little lackluster in the past couple weeks of games. Sure, they’re giving up less than 100 points per game, but the defense was much stronger at the top of the season. Bout was out for a while, which forced the team to scramble on defense. We can’t afford to have that happen again, particularly once playoffs begin. So stay healthy, Bogut!