The Golden State Warriors are 7-1 right now and take on the Houston Rockets tonight in their ninth game of the season. They are one of the top teams in the league and a lot of people consider them to be title contenders.
The core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson is finally going to play together again once Thompson returns later this year. Everything is pointing up for Dub City.
Golden State even has a solid group of guys around their core. Players such as Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Damion Lee have all played huge roles.
With a record as good as 7-1, it would be foolish not to consider them one of the top teams in the NBA, wouldn’t it? Well, their record this season might be deceiving.
Why the Golden State Warriors 7-1 record is very deceiving
Yes, the Golden State Warriors have only lost one game this season. That L came at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies in an overtime game on October 28th. Other than that they have been perfect.
However, instead of looking at the losses column, the win column is actually what tells more of the story about Golden State. Who exactly have they beaten this year?
Well, they opened up the season over the Lakers and the Clippers – two solid wins for them on paper. However, both of those teams now have a combined record of 9-9.
After that, the Golden State Warriors went on to beat the Kings, the Thunder twice, the Hornets, and the Pelicans. All of those teams have a combined record of 13-24.
So, adding all of those numbers together shows that the teams that they have beaten have won an average of .351. That winning percentage would be good for 25th in the NBA right now.
The only team who has had an easier strength of schedule to start the season has been the Lakers (who somehow still sit at 5-5 on the year).
The Warriors will now play the Rockets twice in a row and then the Timberwolves. It isn’t until this Friday that they play a team above .500 (they play the Chicago Bulls).
Now, all of this isn’t to say that the Golden State Warriors aren’t a good basketball team. Winning games in the NBA is no easy task, and being 7-1 is an amazing feat.
However, calling them title contenders for simply taking care of business against weaker opponents might be a stretch. If they can go on to beat some serious playoff contenders, then the title talks can start up again.