The NBA Finals are still weeks away and a winner won't be decided until about a month from now, but the Golden State Warriors are placing themselves as possible front runner in the talks of a Western Conference showdown. Their team, when they buckle down, have what it takes to go beyond the second round of the postseason.
It's hard to believe this subject is coming up, but after the beating the Warriors put on the San Antonio Spurs an upset might be awaiting the Western Conference as the series goes tied the ORACLE Arena. The Spurs are a veteran team that has been here before and possesses three skilled players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and takes pride in its defensive prowess, but the Warriors have not paid attention to that and have set to defy all odds in this round of the playoffs.
The Warriors have come charging out of the gate following their first upset over the Denver Nuggets. In reality, they should have been up 2-0 in the series, but after another sprinting starter in Game 2, as Stephen Curry was told by Coach Mark Jackson, the Warriors had amnesia. They went into Game 2 focused, knowing falling behind 0-2 was not an option and they put away the Spurs, although they did have to fight a bit at the end.
Golden State has a lot of work to do. Let's say they get past the Spurs, they will either face the Memphis Grizzlies or the Oklahoma City Thunder. Don't count out the Russell Westbrook-less Thunder out yet. Kevin Durant is on a mission and carrying this team on his back, but he needs help scoring, which won't fair well against this high scoring Warriors team. The Grizzlies would present a problem because of their height. They have a lot of speed that can keep up with the Warriors' guards plus they can match up against Andrew Bogut with their length as well, which will give the Warriors trouble on the boards.
However, when all else fails, the Warriors have great shooting abilities. By this point, according to Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, the shooting would have killed the Warriors, but the reason why they have lost games wasn't because they didn't make shots, but rather because they mentally break down. They have terrific shooters and now Curry has a sidekick in Klay Thompson, which will help draw attention away from Stephen.
The Spurs should be up in the second round 2-0, but now that the Warriors have played incredible basketball in the first two games, the matchups don't serve the Spurs well. Gregg Popovich will make adjustments, but if they don't work, expect to hear that the Warriors will have a chance to compete for the NBA Finals. The Warriors' team is still too raw to win the championship, however, they at least have a chance to be in the conversation of the four teams fighiting to make the Finals.
Do you give the Warriors a shot over the rest of the West?
