5 reasons the Warriors should be big championship favorites

2. Elite Offensive-Defensive Balance

Especially with Curry playing the way he is and with guys like Wiggins, Poole and others coming in and delivering big-time scoring performances, there’s no question that Golden State is going to be able to find the bottom of the net quite often. But what made this team special amid their run to two-straight titles and several record-breaking seasons was that they were quietly every bit as good on the defensive end as well. And we’re seeing more of that this season.

While the Warriors rank third in the NBA in offensive rating (112.0), they actually are tops in the NBA in defensive rating (99.3). That gives Golden State as a team a net rating of 12.7 for the year. That number looks impressive alone but it’s even more so when considering that the second-placed team in that category has a net rating of just 7.4. This is a team dominating in every facet of the game and the results are saying as much.

1. Klay Thompson is still coming back

In addition to all of the reasons that we’ve already covered, the one thing that is at the heart of why the Golden State Warriors should be everyone’s pick to win the NBA Championship is unequivocally simple: They are putting forth this effort without their second-best player, Klay Thompson, able to play yet.

As we all know, Thompson hasn’t played in two seasons due to serious injuries, most recently tearing his Achilles. Thus, there is no telling what he’ll be like when he does get back (projected sometime around Christmas) or how much rust he’ll have to shake off.

No matter how much time it does take, though, Golden State will have that time with several months for him to find his sea legs before the playoffs begin. With his ability to add another lethal offensive element to this team and perfectly slide into the chemistry of the Warriors, that’s going to make a team that looks near impossible to beat, perhaps, actually impossible to beat, especially in a 7-game series.