Can the Warriors go 82-0?
- Thread starter seccats04
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What did they add that they didn't already have?
KD is a shooter that leans more towards the finesse side of the spectrum...they have a roster full of those...and now because KD is going to command so much salary they are probably going to have to get rid of the little beef capable of banging with the big boys that they had...
Golden State will undoubtedly be the cream of the crop a will get to the Western Conference finals, but they are not going undefeated...
There will be growing pains with figuring out the new chemistry and pecking order and when they come across the other handful of top teams in the league that have more physicality they aren't going to cake walk through them...
I think OKC and Cleveland showed that physicality is the answer to the small ball shooting fest of Golden State...
No way teams are going to out shoot them...but teams that have shooters who can go bucket for bucket with the warriors but also have some size and physicality will be able to compete with and beat them...
Same old story as it's always been...fads in the league come in go, teams will get hot here and there with different things but things always regress back to the mean...the old tried and true usually wins more often than not in the long run...you need some shooters, you need some meat...you need some offense and some defense...you need some finesse and you need some bare knuckle physicality...
KD is a shooter that leans more towards the finesse side of the spectrum...they have a roster full of those...and now because KD is going to command so much salary they are probably going to have to get rid of the little beef capable of banging with the big boys that they had...
Golden State will undoubtedly be the cream of the crop a will get to the Western Conference finals, but they are not going undefeated...
There will be growing pains with figuring out the new chemistry and pecking order and when they come across the other handful of top teams in the league that have more physicality they aren't going to cake walk through them...
I think OKC and Cleveland showed that physicality is the answer to the small ball shooting fest of Golden State...
No way teams are going to out shoot them...but teams that have shooters who can go bucket for bucket with the warriors but also have some size and physicality will be able to compete with and beat them...
Same old story as it's always been...fads in the league come in go, teams will get hot here and there with different things but things always regress back to the mean...the old tried and true usually wins more often than not in the long run...you need some shooters, you need some meat...you need some offense and some defense...you need some finesse and you need some bare knuckle physicality...
Originally, they reported that they will lose Bogut and Barnes because of this, but now reports are coming out that they have to lose Ezeli, too. Not a huge loss, he got worked in the finals. But that's a lot of depth going out the door.
Exactly. I think they wore themselves out this year chasing the wins record. It affected Curry the most. I can see them being content to just secure the overall one seed next year while getting more rest along the way.
Well ... they replaced a role player with another league MVP/top three player. Are we pretending that isn't a huge deal?
lol yea because Kobe and Shaq were unselfish and Thompson and Curry are ball hogs.
Oh, come on. They added Kevin frickin' Durant. Some of what you wrote is true, but Durant is a first ballot HOF'er already, and he's only 28 years old. As opposed to Harrison Barnes and his 9 1/2 ppg, 5 rebound, 31.5% shooting in the finals. And if you want to act like Durant is some one-dimensional scorer, you're completely wrong. He rebounds, he blocks shots, and he passes, all at a level vastly superior to the guy he's essentially replacing.
And I've got news for you- Golden State didn't really struggle against size at all. They struggled against teams that had superb one-on-one scorers, like Lillard and McCollum, Westbrook and Durant, and LeBron and Irving. In the finals, they struggled more offensively than anything else, because Cleveland was able to run long guys at Curry (mainly) and Thompson at the 3 point line, and because the guy inevitably left open (Barnes) laid a giant egg.
Golden State is an enormous, enormous favorite next year, probably the biggest since the Lakers were coming off their first Shaq/Kobe title in 2000.
No, they cannot and will not. That team is totally different now by adding Durant. Sure they can win it...but that chemistry has been disturbed, they will have to find a new one.
Terrible sign. They could have really improved their team. Should have got a rim protector. Rebounding. This was the last thing they needed. Someone will be unhappy
Almost everyone here is swinging to far in one direction. It's a wait and see scenario. There's a few questions that need to be answered.. questions that could be easy to fix, but if not, could make this experiment go south rather quick.
I do think GSW should have just shored up what little areas they needed. KD isn't a huge risk and will probably be a good move.. but is it worth it when you just rattled off 73 wins with one win away from a title? I'm not too sure.
I do think GSW should have just shored up what little areas they needed. KD isn't a huge risk and will probably be a good move.. but is it worth it when you just rattled off 73 wins with one win away from a title? I'm not too sure.
No one is doubting KD's cred, ability, or greatness...
No one is saying GS won't be great...I clearly acknowledged they will be the cream of the crop and will undoubtedly make it to the Western conference finals and probably finals...
my point is that they are not going undefeated, nor are they something we've never seen before...nor are they something we wont see again...
we've seen super teams and multiple super stars team up...boston one 1 title...miami won two...as somebody else pointed out Malone, Peyton, Kobe and Shaq...Suns had a pretty loaded squad when they made back to back trips to the conf finals...etc...Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan make up a pretty big 3...
Heck...one could argue that Westbrook, Harden, and KD was a pretty big 3 and super team and Serge Ibaka made for a pretty good #4...they were Steph, Clay, and Draymond before Steph Clay and Draymond...didn't hang anything and it wasn't going to work out long term because it was a lot of alpha dogs with egos who liked to handle the ball and shoot...but those guys didn't go on a title streak...
15-20 years ago, this would be huge and GS would probably go on a streak of titles...there is more talent in the league thanks to the growth of the game...in previous eras kids didn't specialize in one sport and play it year round...there wasn't an AAU circuit in every state/city/town...there weren't blue chip camps all summer long and the college factories didn't develop the elite talent specifically to fit the NBA game...18-20 year old kids didn't come into the league immediately ready to play at a high level...all that talent is now spread out and not collecting at just a few top franchises because it's the modern age and it doesn't have to...you can make a hundred million plus and be a global star in Oklahoma City or Cleveland...not only can you make a hundred million but a couple of your elite buddies can all so make that and be mega stars as well...
Long story short...they'll be good, may even win a title or two, but there are going to be a handful of other teams who will have just as many elite talents and equally capable of winning a couple titles...hell, watch Minnesota in a year or two if they keep their young core together...KAT, Wiggins, Dunn, Rubio, Lavine...just as Lebron and KD are losing a step those boys will be hitting their prime...
If talent ever decided to go ball with AD in New Orleans...god almighty...Same goes for philly...if a top guard and/or wing ever decided to go play with Simmons, Okafor, Noel...good lord...both squads have young talent that are going to be entering their prime as the current generation of stars start to plateau and lose a step...
No one is saying GS won't be great...I clearly acknowledged they will be the cream of the crop and will undoubtedly make it to the Western conference finals and probably finals...
my point is that they are not going undefeated, nor are they something we've never seen before...nor are they something we wont see again...
we've seen super teams and multiple super stars team up...boston one 1 title...miami won two...as somebody else pointed out Malone, Peyton, Kobe and Shaq...Suns had a pretty loaded squad when they made back to back trips to the conf finals...etc...Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan make up a pretty big 3...
Heck...one could argue that Westbrook, Harden, and KD was a pretty big 3 and super team and Serge Ibaka made for a pretty good #4...they were Steph, Clay, and Draymond before Steph Clay and Draymond...didn't hang anything and it wasn't going to work out long term because it was a lot of alpha dogs with egos who liked to handle the ball and shoot...but those guys didn't go on a title streak...
15-20 years ago, this would be huge and GS would probably go on a streak of titles...there is more talent in the league thanks to the growth of the game...in previous eras kids didn't specialize in one sport and play it year round...there wasn't an AAU circuit in every state/city/town...there weren't blue chip camps all summer long and the college factories didn't develop the elite talent specifically to fit the NBA game...18-20 year old kids didn't come into the league immediately ready to play at a high level...all that talent is now spread out and not collecting at just a few top franchises because it's the modern age and it doesn't have to...you can make a hundred million plus and be a global star in Oklahoma City or Cleveland...not only can you make a hundred million but a couple of your elite buddies can all so make that and be mega stars as well...
Long story short...they'll be good, may even win a title or two, but there are going to be a handful of other teams who will have just as many elite talents and equally capable of winning a couple titles...hell, watch Minnesota in a year or two if they keep their young core together...KAT, Wiggins, Dunn, Rubio, Lavine...just as Lebron and KD are losing a step those boys will be hitting their prime...
If talent ever decided to go ball with AD in New Orleans...god almighty...Same goes for philly...if a top guard and/or wing ever decided to go play with Simmons, Okafor, Noel...good lord...both squads have young talent that are going to be entering their prime as the current generation of stars start to plateau and lose a step...
Exactly. Besides Malone and Peyton were both practically done and Malone was hurt in the playoffs.
It all depends on how well they mesh. If Durant gets there and he can't play nice with Curry and Thompson that could be an issue.
You can have all of the great players you want, but if they don't play as a cohesive unit, then it doesn't matter how well they shoot it.
You can have all of the great players you want, but if they don't play as a cohesive unit, then it doesn't matter how well they shoot it.
No, they won't be going anywhere close to undefeated. But also no, this is not anything like we've seen before. The Warriors' success (and hell, a lot of the success that Cleveland had, and San Antonio in 2014, and the LeBron Heat champs) has been based on the idea that 3 is better than 2. And that idea has worked. Not one team has won a title recently (probably since the Lakers) with the idea of "let's pound it inside over and over". Now you have 3 of the best 3 point shooters ever all on the same team, all in their prime, and none of those 3 is anything close to a 1 dimensional catch and shoot guy.
Yes, there are questions about chemistry, no, there is no guarantee of anything for the Warriors, but you are downplaying the potential significance of this to an absurd degree
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No evidence in this specific situation. Comparing them the 2004 Lakers is quite the reach but nice try nonetheless.
I'll remind you that that team made the finals. And yes that team had terrible chemistry (Malone being a jerk, Shaq/Kobe drama, GP hates it there, etc) but despite all that they almost won.
Playes were banged up and missed games all season. Malone missed what 40 games that season and went down for good in the finals.
That teams success or lack thereof as you're suggesting had little to do with chemistry and more to do with injuries.
inane comparison
shaq is a baby, kobe is a psychopath, and payton & malone were decrepit
the warriors are adding a top 5 player in his prime who fits what they do
this is so stupid
they went from harrison barnes to kevin durant
that's an almost incalculably huge improvement
One of the dumbest statements I've ever read on here.
And the only thing you got right in that whole ramble was that GS won't go undefeated. Lol I'm actually shocked that's even being seriously debated on here by some.
Not only will Golden State go 82-0 in the regular season but will also win the All-Star Game. The NBA is going to have the Warriors play against the all-stars.
The move was two fold. Not only does GS add another top player to the roster but they crippled the only legitimate threat they had in the west.
And all this had been in the works for some time and on the surface appears to be a very low risk/extremely high reward move for the Warriors.
What is the logic behind that thinking? I don't care one way or another but how do you come up with that? They just added a top 3 player, how are they much more likely to win less? Don't see the logic in that.
- They'll probably win around 68 games for a lot of the reasons already stated.
- Anyone that thinks they are not the solid favorite is delusional. Cleveland will give them a run, but GSW has to be the favorite.
- Cleveland won in 7 with Bogut out (the Anderson Varajeo minutes pretty much cost them game 7), Curry not right (fatigue, injury, or both), and Green suspended a game. They lost in 7 games, by like 4 points. That was a toss-up series at best, a few breaks for Cleveland at worst. Close, but it's usually pretty dumb to draw firm conclusions on such small samples when there are so many variables.
- Durant will integrate just fine. In their Death Lineup, which beat the bejeezus out of almost everyone, they replace Barnes (negative RPM, shot like 5-258 on open 3s in the Finals), with Durant, who is awesome. Having 4 top 20 players, 3 of which can create off the dribble (sorry, Klay) and 4 of which can stroke from 3 (3 of the best 5 shooters in the NBA, no less), gives GSW a top gear that will be impossible to match.
- They might regress defensively a bit due to depth, but that's a regular season concern. Durant was elite on D against SAS and GSW last year, so he showed he has that gear. He just got worn down. Health is the big concern, but that's true for everyone (except indestructable Lebron).
- Zaza is almost as good as Bogut, and likely twice as available. Between David West and Green, they should be fine at C, but a bit thin. Also shows how they can fill out their roster with quality vets that want to win.
- Real concern for GSW is next year - Curry due a mega raise, Durant can opt out, and IIRC Iggy's up. They'll probably lose Iggy, which is huge.
They overperformed their Pythagoreum win total last year, in part because they were incredible in the clutch. So regression was likely. They added Durant, but sacrificed depth. That helps in the postseason, but hurts in the regular season. Finally, they're unlikely to push for record wins, and they'll probably rest their stars more. All that points to less wins, but a better team.
and impossible to guard
they are so scary offensively
four guys you have to run off the line, and three of them are brilliant offensive players overall
Literally impossible for an NBA team to go undefeated. Hell even if they did, LeBron would just punk them in the finals like he did this year. Golden State has gone so bandwagon that even players like Durant, the guy who absolutely choked 2 different elimination games against the warriors, is jumping on said bandwagon.
The Cavs showed the blueprint to beat, I know at the time a Durantless warriors team, the way to beat the Warriors. Don't go small ball to match them, get physical and tough with them. They folded like a damn lawn chair and it was awesome to watch Cleveland punk a Warriors team who did nothing but talk ****, show off, and disrespect their opponents all year. Love how they were stupid enough to talk **** about LeBron in the middle of the damn finals. Kyrie abused them as well.
The Cavs showed the blueprint to beat, I know at the time a Durantless warriors team, the way to beat the Warriors. Don't go small ball to match them, get physical and tough with them. They folded like a damn lawn chair and it was awesome to watch Cleveland punk a Warriors team who did nothing but talk ****, show off, and disrespect their opponents all year. Love how they were stupid enough to talk **** about LeBron in the middle of the damn finals. Kyrie abused them as well.
Of all these alleged superteams, how many were coming off 140 regular season wins in 2 years, one title, and another that was lost probably only because a guy was suspended for a game right when they were about to clinch it? How many of these alleged superteams had 3 guys who could hit shots up to 30 feet out, as opposed to needing to score in the lane?
The closest thing to this in the past in terms of fit is probably Chicago adding Rodman. He fit perfectly with the other parts that they had. We know what happened with that.
I would be totally shocked if the Warriors struggle for a second, and I think that they're a mortal lock to win at least 65 games, barring massive, unexpected injury problems. They were looking dynastic before adding Durant, and that certainly doesn't change with him.
westbrook is a great, great player, but he does take a lot of quick shots, and especially under brooks, okc's half-court offense was somewhat risible
durant flaring into a jumper off a pin-down is a beautiful thing, and he can get a long way with one bounce against an overeager closeout. he doesn't seem to need to dribble himself into rhythm
playing in golden state's offense will be a change for him, but i think a quite welcome one
i don't see where anyone really has to adjust. their 4 averaged 7.5 assists. they move the ball
i've always rooted for lebron, and don't really care for curry, but vegas has the warriors a pretty significant favorite over the field. that should tell you something
durant flaring into a jumper off a pin-down is a beautiful thing, and he can get a long way with one bounce against an overeager closeout. he doesn't seem to need to dribble himself into rhythm
playing in golden state's offense will be a change for him, but i think a quite welcome one
i don't see where anyone really has to adjust. their 4 averaged 7.5 assists. they move the ball
i've always rooted for lebron, and don't really care for curry, but vegas has the warriors a pretty significant favorite over the field. that should tell you something
Look at all these essentially meaningless buzzwords and phrases. It's like Around the Horn and First Take scripts crashed and spilled their precious cargo.
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