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Golden State Warriors: Ranking their greatest threats in the West

By James D. Tillman III

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 15: Kevin Durant #35 hi-fives Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors on January 15, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JANUARY 15: Kevin Durant #35 hi-fives Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors on January 15, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

The Golden State Warriors are the prohibitive favorites to win the NBA championship this season. However, there a few teams in the West that could give them a run for their money in the the 2019 NBA playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors have been to the NBA Finals in each of the past four seasons. They are back-to-back champions and they have raised the Larry O’Brien trophy three times over the past for years.

Bearing that in mind, it is no secret that the Dubs are the favorites to win it all again this season. As expected, though, the road to a three-peat hasn’t been without some minor speed bumps along the way. For instance, Stephen Curry went down with a mild groin injury in early November, forcing him to miss 11 games, during which the Dubs went 5-6.

Or how about the Nov. 12 incident between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, when the latter questioned Durant’s loyalty to the team in terms of his upcoming free agency following an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers?

Although Golden State bounced back with a win over the Atlanta Hawks the very next night, they proceeded to lose their next four games — something that hadn’t occurred during the Steve Kerr era. Furthermore, integrating DeMarcus Cousins into the mix — even though he is a talented center — wasn’t easy, considering he didn’t play his first game of the season until Jan. 18 due to the Achilles injury he sustained late last season.

Despite the myriad obstacles they’ve faced, the Warriors are atop the Western Conference and appear to be on their way towards yet another Finals appearance. But as we all know, very few things in life are guaranteed.

With that being said, here’s a list of a few teams that could pose as a legitimate threat in the Warriors’ quest to capture a third straight championship.

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