Ranking the 5 teams most likely to win the 2019 NBA Finals
1. Golden State Warriors
Shy of the Rockets convincing LeBron, CP3, Capela and a bunch of 3-and-D wings to take discounts, it’s hard to see anyone seriously threatening the Golden State Warriors in the 2018-19 campaign.
Houston pushed the Dubs to the brink, but remember, as much as missing Andre Iguodala is not the same as missing Chris Paul, the series might have been over before CP3’s injury if Iggy had been fully healthy. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league, and here’s another that rivals Hereditary in terms of outright horror: This team might be even better next year.
Remember, the Warriors “only” won 58 games with Stephen Curry missing 31 games, KD missing 14, Iguodala missing 18, Draymond Green missing 12 and Klay Thompson missing nine. They mostly coasted, didn’t have home-court advantage, faced their greatest challenge in the conference finals without their fifth-best player, and still made it feel like the inevitable, expected outcome when they raised the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Here’s an especially terrifying thought for those who wanted more competition:
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 9, 2018
This may have been/probably WAS the tough season for the the Warriors, the weakpoint, the year they were vulnerable.
They kicked everyone’s ass but Houston anyway.
The idea that the Warriors have ruined basketball is overdone, but for those who need unpredictability for sports to be fun, the 2019 NBA Playoffs might not hold a lot of intrigue, especially if the Dubs nail their summer once again.
KD will undoubtedly re-sign for a max deal after taking a discount. Zaza Pachulia can be replaced with a better center option willing to take on a veteran minimum. The same can be said for the wing, with the Dubs being able to use their mid-level exception to upgrade from Nick Young.
David West may retire, but Jordan Bell had a terrific rookie year in limited minutes. The improving Kevon Looney may be a roster casualty after the Dubs made the difficult (and ultimately wrong) decision to decline his 2018-19 option and allow him to become a free agent, and Patrick McCaw‘s restricted free agency will get tricky if anyone makes him an offer, but this team will still have Curry, Klay, KD, Dray, Bell, Iggy and Shaun Livingston. That alone might be enough in the playoffs.
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Considering the Warriors will get someone good to take a discount in order to compete for titles, they should be just fine from a depth standpoint. They’ll have their core locked in for another year of coasting before flipping the switch come playoff time, and barring a LeBron move to Houston, Boston or Philly where everything works out perfectly, it’s hard to see anyone threatening this team in the 2019 NBA Finals.