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NBA Playoff Contenders and Pretenders

By Luke Dahlgren

May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Blazer fans cheer during introductions in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Blazer fans cheer during introductions in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 1, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Draymond Green (23) react after Curry hit the game winning shot in overtime against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Draymond Green (23) react after Curry hit the game winning shot in overtime against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Western Conference. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS. A. . Contender

Of any team in the NBA, the squad that most comfortably wears the crown is the Warriors of Golden State. They cruised to a 67-15 record on the strength of the team’s outside shooting, torrid pacing, chippy and suffocating defense and the MVP play of Stephen Curry. Curry has made the leap this season, building upon his absolutely deadly shooting while developing into a superb distributor and thrilling ball handler. They have the clear edge to represent the West in the Finals this year.

Of course, Charles Barkley disagrees. The problems he brings up with the Warriors are that they are a finesse shooting team that will be challenged down low by bigger and stringer teams. While they have the skill and talent by far to win in the first round and go far into the playoffs, the nature of their offense is precarious enough that they can’t win a seven game series four times in a row.

While there is a kernel of truth in what Barkley says, insofar as a team solely reliant on perimeter shooting has no chance to advance far into the playoffs, his assessment of the Warriors is off base. The Dubs frontcourt of Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut, David Lee and Marreese Speights may not be the focus of the Warriors team concept, but it has been their physicality and consistency on both ends of the floor that has helped to propel the Warriors to the best record in the NBA and into serious title contention.

They face off against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. The Pelicans strength lies almost totally in the play of Anthony Davis, who recently became the youngest player to ever record a PER of 30 or higher in a season. Davis cleans up the boards, alters opponents shots at the rim, and is a dangerous scoring threat now both from inside and out. Despite this, the Warriors shouldn’t have any problem dealing with the Pelicans. The Pelicans don’t have enough offense to keep pace with the Warriors.

The Warriors may end up struggling somewhat in subsequent rounds against teams like the Grizzlies or Spurs who have the ability to wear down teams in a seven game series, but even there, the Warriors should be the confident choice to win the West.

Next: Los Angeles Clippers

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