For those who don't keep their fingers on the pulse of all things basketball, history is currently in the making. Granted, we are constantly making history, but this is the kind that will go down in sports record books for possibly years to come. The Golden State Warriors, who won the NBA championship last year, were 24-0. their winning streak ended Saturday, December 10 after a devastating loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. They had the longest win streak in the history of NBA basketball. You could say that the Warriors are on fire... But how far can they go? They barely squeaked by Boston with a slim win in double overtime and just recently loss to the Bucks. So how are the Warriors projected to look for the rest of the season?
Health Concerns
Friday against the Celtics, the Warriors were missing key guard Klay Thompson due to an ankle injury he acquired while playing against the Pacers. Without his shooting partner, Stephen Curry went six for 13 in three point attempts. Curry also struggled to make open shots, going five for for 12. While Curry seemed to have a very rare off night, Draymond Green was on fire. Green had 24 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, five steals, and five blocks. The Celtic game was the second of the season where the Warriors were forced into over time, the first being against the Brooklyn Nets on November 14th. Thompson also missed that game due to a back strain. Thompson also missed Saturday's game that resulted in a loss to the 19-5 Bucks, sending the Warriors to 24-1. It'd be redundant to say that Thompson is an important aspect of the Warriors team. If the Warriors want to keep their season alive, they're going to need all players in full health, especially Curry and Thompson, who are their sharpshooters. Last season, the Warriors struggled in the playoffs after Curry had been injured. The Warriors have a great team dynamic and are not fully reliant on only one or two key players (i.e., Cleveland), but nobody can deny that they need their top scorers to be in peak condition.
Playoff Chances
Before the season started, there were doubters who were skeptical of whether or not the Warriors could repeat last season. The Houston Rockets had proved to be strong competition, with the Cleveland Cavaliers being even tougher. Hours after the Warriors won the Championship trophy, they were given a five/one chance on winning the 2016 finals. The Cavs beat them with a three/one chance. Now, ESPN has the Warriors at a 86% chance to make it to the "final four" and a 55% chance to win it all again. The Warriors have already put down the Rockets once, winning 112-92 October 30. The Warriors are scheduled to play the Cavs on Christmas Day this year (which, if the Warriors win, will be my favorite Christmas present), so we'll have to see how they stack up against what appears to be their only real competition in the NBA. Last year, the world saw that a great team can beat a great player. Now that it appears that LeBron James has (just a little bit of) backup, the Warriors will probably have to really fight for the W.
Stephen Curry
No article about the Golden State Warriors would really be complete without a section dedicated to Stephen Curry. Curry has been a consistent regular season starter for the Warriors since the 2009 season, and has started every game in the past two seasons. Scoring 32.5 PPG, Curry has a .518 FG% and .465 3P% for this season. Curry is leading the NBA for PPG and for Total Pull Up Shots Made. He is also second for 3P%, fourth for Steals, and fourth for FT%. Curry is only 27 years old, and is currently healthy for this season. After the NBA championships, Curry was named "Best Player in the World" by teammate Klay Thompson-- which he quickly disputed by saying that the win was a team effort. I think it's safe to say we'll not only be seeing Curry leading the Warriors in this year's playoffs, but for several years to come.
Honestly, how can you not love Curry and the Warriors?
