Golden State Warriors: 5 Lessons From Week 1
1. The Warriors might be a championship contender
I hate to make sweeping statements a week into the season, but since I’ve been saying it all summer long, a 3-0 start makes it worth repeating: The Golden State Warriors are the Western Conference contender that nobody’s talking about…yet. The Dubs currently have the best point differential in the NBA (+15.3) and they’re in the upper half of the league in points (fifth), points allowed (second), assists (third) and rebounds per game (14th).
Golden State has an elite defense, a vastly improved offense and the Splash Brothers are hands down the best starting backcourt in the NBA. Andre Iguodala hasn’t quite gotten used to his sixth man role yet, but this is a deep team that can beat anybody if everyone stays healthy. What’s scary is the Warriors are only shooting 34 percent from downtown on the season and haven’t even gotten real minutes out of Shaun Livingston or Brandon Rush yet.
It may be early, and we have to mention that two of the three teams the Warriors have beaten so far project to finish at the bottom of the West, but this team is for real. Sunday’s road win over the Portland Trail Blazers and the 3-0 start have solidified it: the Golden State Warriors are an elite team.