Golden State Warriors: 2017-18 NBA season preview
After their second NBA title in three years, the Golden State Warriors once again look to be the class of the NBA. Is the league and fatigue catching up to them, or will they continue to grow as a history-making powerhouse?
The Golden State Warriors are entering the 2017-18 NBA season with fewer question marks than any team in recent memory. Even the last few iterations cannot compare.
The 2016-17 team was expected to be one of the best ever, but there was at least some potential for “only-one-ball”-related disaster. Entering 2015-16, many people saw their recent championship as lucky, so they had something to prove. The year before that, the question was not whether they could win a title, but simply compete for a conference finals berth.
Now they are behemoths of the highest order. Not only do they possess the league’s best roster, but they possess the league’s best roster even if you take away a player of your choosing. They also possess the league’s best chemistry, and on top of that its best scheme on both ends.
However, even though this looks like it could certainly be the strongest version of the strongest team in NBA history, the league, history and plain luck all have a chance to catch up to them. We will keep these factors in mind as we preview the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors.
2016-17 Vitals
67-15, 1st in Pacific Division, 1st in Western Conference
115.9 PPG (1st)/104.3 OPP PPG (11th)
113.2 Offensive Rating (1st)/101.1 Defensive Rating (2nd)
Team Leaders
Scoring: Stephen Curry, 25.8 PPG
Rebounding: Kevin Durant, 8.3 RPG
Assists: Draymond Green, 7.0 APG
Steals: Draymond Green, 2.0 SPG
Blocks: Kevin Durant, 1.6 BPG
Honors
Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
Executive of the Year: Bob Myers
All-NBA Second Team: Stephen Curry
All-NBA Second Team: Kevin Durant
All-NBA Third Team: Draymond Green
All-Defensive First Team: Draymond Green
All-Star: Stephen Curry
All-Star: Draymond Green
All-Star: Kevin Durant
All-Star: Klay Thompson