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Golden State Warriors: 5 reasons they won’t make the NBA Finals

By Brad Rowland

December 10, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr instructs in a team huddle during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 10, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr instructs in a team huddle during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Golden State Warriors forward Marries Speights (5) guard Klay Thompson (11) forward Harrison Barnes (40) and guards Andre Iguodala (9) and Stephen Curry (30) walk back on the court after a timeout in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Golden State Warriors forward Marries Speights (5) guard Klay Thompson (11) forward Harrison Barnes (40) and guards Andre Iguodala (9) and Stephen Curry (30) walk back on the court after a timeout in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

Depth loses importance.

The Warriors are very deep.

Golden State has nine legitimate NBA players (ten if you include Leandro Barbosa), and that has allowed Steve Kerr to manage his team from a minutes perspective. In the playoffs, however, rotations shorten around the league, and that simply decreases the advantages that Golden State has enjoyed with their second unit dominating the opposition’s bench throughout the season.

It will be interesting to see how Kerr deploys his bench, especially in the case of Marreese Speights and David Lee. Provided that Andrew Bogut is upright and that Kerr continues to use Draymond Green at the 5 spot in special lineups, there could only be room for one of backup power forwards. Kerr could also face a similar issue on the perimeter, where Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Barbosa will be battling for rotation minutes in support of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

This is, quite frankly, a limited issue, but when evaluating every little thing in the playoffs, the de-emphasized nature of a 10-man rotation could swing things a bit.

Next: Experience

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