The Warriors were a model of consistency this season. [43] Their off-season draft picks, including Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green, paid huge dividends.
Led by guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors have established themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA. This has led to a lot of discussion about whether the Warriors are building a dynasty.
How Do They Compare to Other NBA Teams in Terms of Their Schedule?
The Warriors played six home-home back-to-back sets this season, the most since their franchise record seven in 1968-69. They also played a franchise-high 15 road games.
They started the season shaky with flashes of brilliance but also plenty of lapses. That trend continued through the first two months of the regular season until a string of injuries to Ezeli, Douglas, and O’Neal slowed the team down.
Curry and Thompson are generally considered to be one of the best backcourts in NBA history. The duo also leads the NBA in 3-pointers made per game.
The Warriors have won six consecutive NBA Finals appearances and are a contender for another title this season. They have a deep roster with a lot of versatility and natural chemistry. This allows them to dominate the league with their offensive skill and defensive prowess. Their opponents are unable to guard them from three-point range and often have trouble keeping up with the speed of their offense.
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How Do They Compare to Other NBA Teams in Terms of Their Record?
The Warriors are one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, with a backcourt featuring the “Splash Brothers” in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and a developed fast-paced, up-tempo offense that relies heavily on three point shooting. They have won the most regular season games in franchise history and are second all-time in playoff wins behind the Los Angeles Lakers.
The team made a series of moves in the 2012 off-season that changed the course of their franchise. They drafted small forward Harrison Barnes with the seventh pick, center Festus Ezeli with the 30th, and small forward Draymond Green with the 35th. This draft paid huge dividends for Golden State, as all three players are now starters on a championship team.
During the 2015-16 season, the Warriors went 24-0 to start the season, setting an NBA record for most consecutive wins to open a regular season. This was fueled by the play of Curry, who won his first league MVP award and finished with a triple-double average. The Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals but redeemed themselves by signing former MVP Kevin Durant in the off-season.
How Do They Compare to Other NBA Teams in Terms of Their Finals Record?
The Warriors and Cavaliers are set to face off in the Finals for a fourth time, marking the first time in NFL, MLB and NBA history that teams have met four times for a championship. Despite the lopsided history, this year’s series could be closer than some might think. Both teams are elite defensively (the Warriors and Cavs rank 1-2 in the league in Defensive Real Plus-Minus), but their offensive styles differ. Golden State relies on fast breaks and screens frequently, while Cleveland thrives in isolation plays.
The Warriors’ offense is virtually unstoppable with Curry, Thompson and Durant all on the floor at the same time. The Warriors are also extremely smart and hard-working on defense, preventing opposing teams from getting easy baskets by denying the 3-point line and forcing them to play small ball. However, Father Time is undefeated, and this team’s aging starters are beginning to show their wear. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the playoffs against a hungry and confident LeBron James team.
How Do They Compare to Other NBA Teams in Terms of Their Finals Series Record?
The Warriors swept the shorthanded Nuggets, physical Grizzlies and Luka Doncic-led Mavericks on their way to the Finals and made it look easy. But that wasn’t the best Warriors team to make a deep playoff run. Kerr has called this squad “not one of my better championship teams” and there’s good reason for that assessment given the regression of Poole, the lack of size to compete with Davis and inconsistency from Thompson.
That’s not to say the Warriors won’t be able to win a fourth straight title this season. But the bar is higher than it’s been for most championship teams. And this year’s team is getting a bit long in the tooth at the moment.