It’s official – the Golden State Warriors are the team to beat this season. Former legend Shaquille O’Neal declared himself, so this fact must be true.
In all seriousness, though, Golden State should be the favorite to win the NBA Finals across the board at this point. They are 12-2 on the season and have now picked up wins against very talented opponents.
For the first stretch of the season, the Warriors had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA. This led some to believe that their elite record may be a bit of a fluke.
However, after this last stretch of games, they are now primed and ready to make a run at the title. There’s very clearly no other team who really comes close to them right now.
The Golden State Warriors have separated themselves from the pack
Just last night, they took down the star-studded Brooklyn Nets. Not only that, but they absolutely demolished Kevin Durant and James Harden, winning 117-99.
Stephen Curry poured on 38 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. His long-time teammate, Draymond Green, even chipped in with some elite defense.
Though it was a team effort, Green was the main factor in holding Durant to only 19 points. It was the first time the MVP candidate has scored less than 20 this season.
Durant shot 6-19 from the field and 2-6 from three-point range in the loss. It was a truly impressive performance on the defensive end by the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State currently has the number-one ranked defense in the league by a wide margin, as well as the number-three ranked offense. They are the only team ranked top-seven in both.
With the team Golden State has put around Curry, it’s no wonder they’re finding so much success. Outside of just Green, players such as Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Gary Payton II have managed to make a huge impact this year.
They are getting things done on both ends of the floor, and they don’t even have Klay Thompson back yet. Once he returns, the rest of the league could be in even more trouble.
This Golden State Warriors team is legit, and the rest of the league knows that by now. They have separated themselves from the pack.