It’s assumed that the Golden State Warriors are headed for their third title in four years. But what if it all falls apart?
We’ve already penciled in the Golden State Warriors as NBA Champions for the next three years. With four All-Stars at their disposal, all of whom are in their prime, and an unselfish system, it would take some catastrophic event for the Warriors to not run through the NBA the way they did last year.
Luckily, I’m here to provide potential catastrophic events. Here are five ways everything could go wrong for the Warriors.
5. Two players get hurt
One injury won’t change too much for the Warriors. Kevin Durant went down late last year and they ended up going on a 15-4 run. Going from four All-Stars to three All-Stars isn’t a big deal when most teams only have one All-Star. But what if two players get hurt? It doesn’t matter which of the big four you choose. It can be Durant and Draymond Green. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Thompson and Durant. Curry and Green. Mix and match as much as you want even though there are only six possible outcomes.
If the Warriors lose two players during the playoffs, all of a sudden, they aren’t the favorites. Curry and Thompson might be the best backcourt in the NBA, but substitute Durant with Andre Iguodala and Green with David West and are they better than a healthy Houston Rockets or Oklahoma City Thunder? In a seven-game series, I’d like the chances of those other two teams a lot more.
The beauty of having four All-Stars is that you can survive when one goes down. But if two are shelved, the dynamic might be too much to overcome.