If the Golden State Warriors want to begin their 2015-16 season with momentum and silence their new critics, they need to set the tone against Anthony Davis’ New Orleans Pelicans.
The Golden State Warriors dominated the NBA last season. With 67 wins and a commanding +10.1 win differential in the regular season, they took control of the league with their combination of killer three point shooting, ball movement, defense, depth, and the MVP himself, Stephen Curry. After ranking 2nd in offensive efficiency and 1st in defensive efficiency, there was no way to dispute the fact that the Warriors were an all around force.
They were the most complete team in the NBA and the championship largely looked like theirs to lose. Once Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were out for the Finals, there was really no way LeBron James could take down a whole host of Warriors at both ends of the floor.
But this is where the problem begins.
From suggestions that the Cavs (if healthy) would have definitely won, to the way GMs and betting experts alike have discarded the Warriors’ chance to repeat, no one seems to be taking Golden State seriously. In the 2015-16 NBA.com GM survey, only 17.9 percent of GMs chose the Warriors to be crowned champions again. As for the betting odds on VegasInsiders.com, they also rank just third, now being beaten out by the San Antonio Spurs and Cavaliers. Yet, even though the former improved after signing LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, and the latter will have all their All-Stars back, is it not at least a little hasty to demote a team who won in historically dominant fashion to third place favorites?
Yes, they did have a truly magical season and yes, that Finals series could have gone either way if the Cavs didn’t lose two All-Stars. However, there’s a vital piece of information that almost everyone seems to be overlooking:
The Warriors haven’t even reached their potential yet.
In 2013-14, they ranked just 12th in offensive efficiency and 3rd in defensive efficiency. Then came last season and those rankings soared to 2nd and 1st, respectively. What’s more impressive, though, is that besides the departure of a couple of minor role players and the addition of Shaun Livingston, their team remained exactly the same.
It speaks volumes about their youth movement and how they’ve continued to develop around their young plethora of talent, who excel both offensively and defensively.
They probably won’t win more than 67 games, Curry probably won’t be MVP again, and they probably won’t achieve another win margin of 10+ points. That’s a tall order for any team to repeat on the same level. Furthermore, there’s no need to understate how serious the threat of the Cavs, Spurs, Thunder and even the Los Angeles Clippers is. However, there’s also no need to forget how good the defending champions are.
They’re still the best team in the NBA, and until proven otherwise, that isn’t going to change.
Against a New Orleans Pelicans squad with arguably the second best player in the league in the form of Anthony Davis, the Warriors have a tough matchup from the get-go in their season opener. And after their heated first round series just a few months ago, the Pelicans will be playing hard for revenge. Even with Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut to handle Davis inside, and the absence of an injured Tyreke Evans, the Pelicans still have Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon to utilize on the perimeter.
Regardless of their first round series ending 4-0 in favor of Golden State, the Pelicans still gave them a tough time. And with the doubters and Cavs bandwagon fans approaching full steam for the start of the season, the Warriors need to set the tone immediately if they want to build good momentum and form for the long year ahead.
The Warriors have so many young talent ready to improve, and they’re just as good as they were when they dominated the league in 2014-15 and won the title. It’s about time everyone stops forgetting the simple truth that they can fine-tune their performance even more this season. Yet some people just miss that point entirely. So, if that somehow demotes them to the third favorite to win the championship, then so be it.
Underestimate a team who had the third best net rating (win margin per 100 possessions) out of the last 38 NBA champions — the only two teams that were good enough to beat them were Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 and 1996-97 Chicago Bulls.
Underestimate a team who are only the third team in the last 38 years to rank in the top two for both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Underestimate a team whose average age is only 27.8; who have a MVP, an All-Star shooting guard, and arguably the best defender in the league who are all no more than 27 years old. Not to mention, they even had a second unit who ranked 9th in points per game as well. Which, for the record, is quite clearly better than the Cavs who were at the bottom of the league ranking 30th in that category.
Those numbers may not be replicated to quite the same extent in 2015-16, but they don’t need to be. The Warriors still have the league’s best defense and they’ll be among the top few teams all season to have the best offense, too.
It’s time for the Warriors to set the tone from day one. To prove what they can still do, and prove those who are early to doubt them wrong. You don’t need to think the Spurs, Cavs, and a healthy Thunder squad can’t contend too, but you do need to realize that the Warriors are only just approaching their prime. And that prime was dominant on a historic level.
They can still get better, and last season may have only been the start.