NBA Season Preview 2017-18: 5 reasons the Warriors won't win it all

[fs_video id="5596811447001" source="fansided"]rn The seem like an inevitable juggernaut, but here are five reasons the Warriors won't win it all this season. rnThe new NBA season is (almost) here, and while there are many fascinating stories and teams to follow this year, the ultimate result of the season almost feels like a foregone conclusion. In a scenario in which the two possible championship winners are the Warriors and the field, most people would probably take the Warriors.rnrnI probably would too. They have two of the three best players in the league, one of the two best coaches and arguably the deepest bench. The odds are heavily in their favor.rnrnBut they’re not invincible, and much of the league believes that as well. A few opportunistic front offices made significant roster shifts this offseason in attempt to bring down — or even challenge — Golden State. You still have to play the games, and the Warriors winning it all is no certainty, even if it feels like it.rnrnHere are five factors that could trip up the defending champs.rnrn[nextslide teaser="5. Injuries" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_1315211" align="aligncenter" width="3806"] OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: Kevin Durant[/caption]rn 5. Injuries rnThis might be the most obvious one. The Warriors adapted and thrived down the stretch last year when they lost Kevin Durant for 20 games, but he was not as indispensible to the team as his prodigious talent might suggest . Still, an injury to Durant in the playoffs would be a real problem, as would the loss of any two of Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green or Andre Iguodala. Losing Stephen Curry could be legitimately catastrophic.rnrnRegular season history tells us playing undermanned doesn’t derail this bunch. They were untouchable even without their head coach! But we saw what happened in the 2016 playoffs when Curry wasn’t right and when Green missed Game 5. Availability is the greatest ability, and with one of their four All Stars on the shelf, Golden State’s adversaries might stand a chance.rnrn[nextslide teaser="4. Rebounding" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_1320049" align="aligncenter" width="3000"] SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 07: Nick Young[/caption]rn 4. Rebounding rnThe Warriors play small better than anyone else in the league. But playing perimeter-oriented players at the five come at a cost inside. The Warriors rebounded worse with Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee off the floor, which makes sense given that those guys rarely stray from the paint. But neither one is Golden State’s best option at the five. Smaller, spacier players can be more easily bullied on the glass, and that’s one of the Warriors’ few statistical deficiencies.rnrnA popular theoretical Warriors counter that has been discussed in the last few years is playing big, mucking the game up and trying to pound Golden State on the boards. The Cavaliers have tried it with rebounding savants Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. The Pelicans could do the same with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins in a potential first-round series. Maybe the Jazz try to slow things down if they nab the eight seed.rnrnI’m skeptical whether that approach can work. Skill wins out over size nowadays, and the Warriors will sacrifice the occasional second-chance layup if it means more floor spacing and playmaking. Golden State toasts its opponents by virtue of those two things. Play big at your own risk.rnrn[nextslide teaser="3. Another big trade" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_1316231" align="aligncenter" width="3000"] NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 03: DeMarcus Cousins[/caption]rn 3. Another big trade rnMore hypothetical than everything else on this list, this one is also the biggest wild card. Even after rivals stocked up on weapons this offseason, marking the height of the superteam era, there is still no team that approaches the Warriors’ talent. But there could be stars to be had at the trade deadline. Daryl Morey is a master at trading bits and pieces for big names; Sam Presti appears willing to go all in; Cleveland has that juicy Nets pick. There will be feasible deals out there. Maybe someone parts with an established All-Star to go into rebuilding mode or trades a disgruntled big man.rnrnThe league is running out of difference makers that are still actually tradable. Almost every two-way wing is either unavailable or has already switched teams in the last year. Same goes for the league’s best point guards. But it could get to a point where adding more talent is the only way to continue the path to contention for a team like Houston or Oklahoma City (or Boston?).rnrnEven if a major trade does go down, fit still matters. Teams primed to challenge the Warriors must be built in a way that maximizes the talent on the roster and matches how Golden State plays. That’s a very delicate balance to strike. Talent is great, and extremely important. But at the highest level, fit and style matters just as much.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2. The Houston Rockets" slider="true" /]rnrn rn rn 2. The Rockets rnIf you’re wondering who I think has the best shot at taking down the Warriors, this is the answer. We’ll get an idea of how Houston stacks up on Tuesday night, but I’m bullish on this team’s ceiling. The Rockets are full of athletic, switchable wings in a league that’s thin on them, and will be deeper than the team that ran out of gas in the 2017 playoffs.rnrnThey’ll have one of the two best offenses in the league and a shot at a top-10 defense. Chris Paul provides defense comparable to Patrick Beverley’s and orchestrates offense as well as James Harden does. No other point guard has quite the same two-way effect, and I’m optimistic about his ability to coexist with Harden. Clint Capela will feast on lobs from those two.rnrnP.J. Tucker, Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza will unlock all sorts of wonderful small-ball combinations that can be used as counters to the Death Lineup. All three can defend multiple positions and knock down open 3s. Houston doesn’t have nearly as many playmakers as the Warriors do, but with Paul and Harden creating at least 90 percent of the offense, defensive versatility is a more important commodity.rnrnThe Rockets switched a lot on defense in the preseason, even if it meant slotting Paul on a center or Capela on a point guard. That’s the most effective strategy against the Warriors, if you have the personnel for it. Houston does, and Mike D’Antoni will readily deploy it if and when the time comes.rnrn(You could throw Oklahoma City in here as well , depending on how you feel about them. I’m a bit higher on the Rockets.)rnrn[nextslide teaser="1. LeBron James" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_1322455" align="aligncenter" width="5184"] WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: Dwyane Wade[/caption]rn 1. LeBron James rnHe’s already the first- or second- greatest player of all-time, but James' greatness would be absolutely unimpeachable if he were to topple this Golden State team. Cleveland made significant changes to its roster after losing to the Warriors in the NBA Finals last June, and this iteration of the Cavaliers might be the best matchup for the Warriors that Cleveland has had.rnrnJames and Richard Jefferson were the only two Cavaliers with a shot at guarding Durant last year. While the Warriors keep rolling out two-way matchup problems, the Cavaliers had very few wings or combo forwards that could both shoot and defend. In order to contend, teams not only need great talent, but also personnel that fits with the versatile, interchangeable style the Warriors play, and Cleveland couldn’t keep up.rnrnThe Cavaliers tried to remedy that problem by bringing in Jae Crowder, Jeff Green and Cedi Osman. It’s unclear if the latter three will be able to contribute in meaningful ways against the Warriors, but they at least fit the basic profile of wings who can sort of match up with Golden State.rnrn[nextpost teaser="2017-18 NBA Season Preview" url="https://fansided.com/nba/nba-season-preview/" /]rnrnCleveland got one game in last year’s NBA Finals. Had it not been for Durant’s late-game heroics in Game 3, they could have had two, with the series heading back to Cleveland for Game 6. The Cavaliers were closer than the NBA Final score indicated. With new weapons around him and skill set equipped with the tools to expose Golden State’s few weaknesses, James has a shot at ring No. 4.

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NBA Season Preview 2017-18: 5 reasons the Warriors won’t win it all

The seem like an inevitable juggernaut, but here are five reasons the Warriors won’t win it all this season.

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