The Golden State Warriors have spent the past three regular seasons cutting through the NBA like a sharpened Ginsu. They have quite literally changed the face of professional basketball. Whether it’s Klay Thompson rolling out a 60 point barrage, Steph Curry’s 3-point assault the past three years or Kevin Durant’s freakish offensive ability, their offensive outbursts are truly a sight to behold. And if imitation is the highest form of flattery, then consider the Dubs the bell of the ball.
Their style of play has left other general managers around the NBA desperately trying to replicate the formula. Three point shooting around the league is at an all-time high. When the Cavaliers acquired Kyle Korver, they were shoving all-in on a 3-point shooting identity. The Rockets, who already were shooting an average of 40-three pointers a game, grabbed sharp shooting sixth man Lou Williams at the deadline when it seemed defensive help should be their priority. The top five teams in the NBA based on record are Golden State, San Antonio, Boston, Cleveland and Houston. Of these NBA alpha males, only San Antonio ranks out of the top five in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game, but they make up for that ranking first in the league in 3-point percentage. For context, just four years ago the Rockets led the NBA averaging 26 3-point attempts per game, now they shoot 40 a night.
So what separates the Warriors from the rest of the pack? Quite simply, they are willing to defend. When the Warriors got out to a 50-9 start, they led the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating. Their fast-break, run-and-gun style was balanced with an organization-wide commitment to lockdown defense. You can’t have these ridiculous scoring runs that seem to occur on a nightly basis without getting stops at the defensive end.
Draymond Green is of course the leader of the squad in this respect. With the Durant acquisition this offseason, Green was chief among those willing to sacrifice some of his offensive contributions. He went on record earlier this year saying, “I’m not a scorer, I’m a playmaker,” and while Green is a brilliant passer and immensely gifted at both ends, his signature moments this season have come on defense. Look no further than February 10th in Memphis, when he posted the first “non-scoring triple double” in NBA history. With all due respect to Kawhi Leonard, Draymond is going to run away with the Defensive Player of the Year award. Lots of teams in the NBA are trying to emulate the Warriors, but no team is willing to play the unselfish brand of ball this team has made its trademark.
When Kevin Durant suffered his injury in DC at the end of February, the Warriors hit their first real regular season bump in the road under Steve Kerr. For the two-and-a-half seasons preceding that injury, the Warriors had posted a scintillating 190-33 record. A pace the likes of which we hadn’t seen since Kerr was playing alongside Michael Jordan with those great Bulls teams of the 90’s. But the K.D. injury coincided with a brutal schedule that saw the Dubs play eight games in 13 days, and do enough traveling in that time to fly back and forth from Oracle to China twice, as well as a stretch that saw both Splash Brothers go into a bit of a freeze. The result was a 2-5 record in seven games, and talking heads around the nation beginning to question the legitimacy of the Warriors, and whether the Durant acquisition had left them too thin on the bench. Following that loss to the Spurs to conclude the trip, the Warriors saw themselves out of the top spot in the West for the first time since early November.
Then something clicked. Back on March 14th, the Warriors were down 12 points after three quarters at home to the lowly Sixers, facing their sixth loss in eight tries. A loss to Philly would have sent the Dub-doubters into an absolute frenzy. The Warriors respond by holding the Sixers to 14 points in the final frame, and eked out a 106-104 victory. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.
Curry and Klay worked out of their funk, the team got some much needed rest, and then they started to roll. During this 11 game winning streak, Golden State has averaged 9.5 steals per game, 7.7 blocks and outscored their opponents by an average of 16 points a night. They have also held the opposition to 100 points or less in eight of the 11 wins. They just finished a week where they beat four playoff teams five times (Houston twice) and in the process, became just the second team in NBA history to win four straight games versus teams with a .600 win percentage in the Month of March or later. They lead the NBA in blocked shots, steals, opponents field goal percentage, points off turnovers, defending the 3-pointer and are #2 in defensive rating.
Another feather in their cap: They’ve held MVP candidates Russell Westbrook to 37% shooting in fand James Harden to 35% shooting in their four respective matchups against the two this year. And it’s not just Klay, Steph and Dray. Andre Iguodala is playing his best basketball in two years. JaVale Mcgee is giving them rim protection, David West is in his best form as a Warrior and Shaun Livingston has snapped out of his mid-season funk. There is still strength in numbers on this squad, some of those numbers just happen to belong to different players. But the identity of this team remains the same.
With Kevin Durant set to return Saturday night versus the Pelicans, the Warriors are going to be at full strength and playing their most complete basketball of the year. Of course the “experts” around the country will now begin to ask if reintegrating Kevin Durant into the fold will upset the balance and chemistry of the squad. I would remind those “experts” that with Durant healthy, they got out to a 50-9 record, while leading the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating.
When you’re No.1 in both categories, its hard to be much better. In the playoffs, things tighten up. There is less space on the floor. Those passing lanes close up quicker. Those shots get contested with even more regularity. That plays right into Golden State’s hands. I would argue this Warriors team is even more equipped than the championship team of two years ago or the 73 win team of last year.
Buckle up Dub Nation, this is going to be fun!