Warriors’ Preseason Performance Should Worry the League

Although it’s only the preseason, the Golden State Warriors have surpassed expectations as the villainous team in the NBA.

During their preseason game last week, the Golden State Warriors beat the L.A. Clippers by a staggering 45 points. Their offense was annihilating; their defense was suffocating. It was a representation of the Warriors’ preeminent dominance in this upcoming NBA season. They have cracked the code of greatness in the league. If the Warriors play close to the way they played in that game during the regular season, the NBA should be terrified.

With Kevin Durant’s arrival, the superb offense of the Warriors that seemed to be unbeatable during their 73-9 season was questioned; there was uncertainty about how Durant would fit into the equation. Durant had 21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in 25 minutes. He was 6-of-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep. Klay Thompson, who led all scorers, had 30 points, with Stephen Curry finishing the night with 14 points.

Usually it takes a while for super teams to figure out their style of play. It took the Big Three of the Miami Heat a quarter of the regular season to get in sync. It took LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love of the Cavaliers an entire season to find their rhythm.  But it only took the Warriors two preseason games to establish their synergy. Durant fits so perfectly with the team’s style of play that it seems like there has not been any significant changes to the team. In fact, Durant has even claimed the role as the team’s leader. In Thursday’s 105-96 win against the Sacramento Kings, Durant scored 25 points in 26 minutes, leading all scorers.

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Their defense is equally exceptional. The Warriors’ defense is so overwhelming that it made the Clippers not look like a top-tier team in the West, which should really scare other teams in the NBA.

The only noticeable flaw to the Warriors is their lack of depth. Their bench is not as effective as they were last season, which is due to the loss of key role players such as Andrew Bogut and Marreese Speights. But if the Warriors continue to annihilate teams like they did the Clippers last week, their lack of depth should not be a problem.

At least we have learned that the Warriors are beatable. In a lackluster performance, the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors, 97-93. So, at least we know that the Warriors are not infallible. But, they do look really scary. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Warriors break their regular season record for this upcoming season.

Everyone else, including Doc Rivers who mentioned there was no “gap” between his Clippers and the Warriors according to ESPN, feels as though the Warriors are nothing to be concerned about and they have not at all ruined the NBA. But, they are wrong.  The Warriors have already proven themselves to be more advanced than any other team in the league. This leaves the rest of the NBA with a huge task at hand for this upcoming season — to beat the Warriors.