Of course, the Warriors are heavy favorites to win it all this year, but here are five reasons why they won’t.
Once you hit your ceiling, it is always difficult to surpass. Although the signing of Kevin Durant instantly made the Golden State Warriors and offensive juggernaut, the pieces that sacrificed to bring him on board were vital to their success. Unfortunately for them, to win a championship you need more than five players playing on a cohesive level, and that is the main issue that will plague Golden State this season.
Aside from flat-out failing from the high expectations set before them, how exactly can such a great team like Golden State fall short again of capturing an NBA finals victory? Let’s take a closer look to find out.
5. Team chemistry is an issue
It is widely assumed that once a team has a certain amount of talent on the roster, they should dominate straight away. This rarely is the case because it takes so long for everyone on the team to gel and learn how to play with one another. For example, when LeBron James went to Miami to join forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010, they fell short of a title their first year together. The lack of playing time together, albeit in the finals after an entire season, was on full display when the Mavericks bested them in the finals.
There will be growing pains for the Warriors when it comes to acclimating Durant to the offense. Undoubtedly, acquiring Durant provides them an extra offensive scoring weapon, but the Warriors also inherit his flaws. The inability to knock down shots in crunch time and make decisions (often deferring to Russell Westbrook in OKC) are also something that may hinder a championship for the Warriors. Durant is going from being the main option in Oklahoma, to being another option in Oakland, which will ultimately take some time to get used to for him.