Tag Archive for: Golden State Warriors

Why are the Warriors favored for NBA title?

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The Golden State Warriors are very close to reaching the NBA Finals, their fifth for this generation of players and the head coach Steve Kerr. But not only this, the NBA betting trends suggest that the Warriors stand as the favorite to win the Larry O’Brien trophy, regardless of the rivals coming from the East.

 

All the bookmakers and the majority of the analysts claim that the Dub Nation will beat the rivals from the East. There are various explanations to back up their claims, and we are going to present a couple of the most important ones. 

 

Home-Court Advantage

The Warriors will have a home-court edge in the finals, regardless of the rival. Up until this point, they haven’t lost at Chase Center during the playoffs. Not only that, they have been quite confident, trashing the Nuggets and Grizzlies and currently leading against the Mavericks. 

 

Golden State’s crowd has the experience of participating in the finals and knows how to behave in certain moments. It might sound odd to you, but that is the case. These fans witnessed three championship quests and two more trips to the finals, and for sure know how to disturb the rivals. 

 

As said, they have been undefeated since the start of the postseason and really look flawless at home. That no doubt gives a massive boost to their stocks right now. 

 

Bloodbath in the East and Injuries

 

This is maybe the biggest reason why we personally see the Warriors as the favorites. While they have relatively a calm series against the Mavs, without too much intensity, things are quite the opposite in the East. 

 

The Heat and the Celtics are practically killing each other. Their game is much more physical, with harsh and very tough defenses, which eventually produce lots of injuries. 

 

Pretty much all of the key players have some sort of health issue. Marcus Smart already missed a few games, Al Horford too, and Jayson Tatum has problems. On the other side, among the Heat, Kyle Lowry only recently came back, Tyler Herro skipped the most recent event, and Jimmy Butler had a mild groin injury. We aren’t mentioning several other players who are in the same position. 

 

Now compare that with the Warriors’ situation. They are all in perfectly good health and have a chance to finish the series earlier than the rivals, which would give them an additional edge in terms of recovery and health. 

 

Plus, a very valuable time for scouting the opponents and preparing the tactics. 

 

Experience and Finals Chemistry

The Warriors have experience in these situations. With all due respect to Boston and the Heat, they don’t have players who were at this stage often. Yes, the Heat reached the finals in the bubble, and they landed Lowry and PJ Tucker, but still, that is not even near the Warriors’ experience.

 

Things are even more evident with Boston, who did have some trips to the East finals but didn’t feel what it is like to play in the finals. That might be too big of a challenge for them. 

 

While the Heat has Spoelstra, who already won titles, Ime Udoka used to be an assistant coach in San Antonio’s championship run back in 2014. Yet, that is not even near his current position. 

 

Golden State’s core (Steph, Klay, Green, Igoudala) and Kerr have patterns they already repeated so many times in the Finals, that they became a routine. The pressure, the hype, the stress, they don’t feel that like potential rivals. Curry already stated recently that the playoffs are, in fact, a period of frequent adjustment.

 

He and his teammates have been doing that very well. They adjusted to the Mavs’ defense, which was one of the best in the league, destroying it in the opening two events.

 

The NBA Finals start on Thursday, June 2, which is around the corner. Stay tuned for more NBA news and content. 

 

Warriors look like end of the Big 3 Heat

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All the signs were similar Friday night.

Not closing out on rotations. Hands on hips. Looking lost. Looking spent.

As the storyline shifts to whether a superstar leaves this summer.

The 2018-19 Warriors have become the 2013-14 Heat.

Now, some will — and did — point to the absence of Kevin Durant as the real reason why the Warriors have fallen behind 3-1 to Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. Naturally, that’s a huge component, though the Warriors were nearly unbeatable this season when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson played, and Durant didn’t. There seems to be something else at play here. Teams get tired of each other. But they also just get tired. Tired of all the extra games. Tired of all the roster attrition. Tired of all the media. Tired of all the expectations.

Remember what Dwyane Wade told me after the 2013-14 season?

“Last year wasn’t fun.”

Here was that story: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2217199-the-exclusive-d-wade-qa-on-why-last-year-wasnt-fun-and-life-after-lebron

It wasn’t fun for anyone. Not the players. Not the coach (seen here in one of the grainy photos I took on that final night in 2014 in San Antonio.)

And now, here we are again.

And it’s Kawhi — and to a much lesser degree, Danny Green — again.

A much hungrier team.

A much seemingly happier team.

And the likely end of a mini-dynasty.

Our own Ricky Marc had an astute observation:

Five Reasons: NBA Finals Predictions

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As the NBA Finals start Thursday, we sampled the opinions of the various members of the Five Reasons Sports Network — because, naturally, we know better than anyone.

And, naturally, our first host didn’t really give a result.

Here you go…

 

Giancarlo Navas, Miami Heat Beat:
My heart is telling me Raptors in 5 but my brain is saying Warriors in 7, it’s a huge gulf so it’s probably something in-between. Raptors in 7? Can’t see them winning a closeout in Oracle (the last game that will be played in that arena), and 5 seems a bit ambitious on my part.

The Raptor defense has been incredible this post-season, but the Warriors will present more off ball movement than any other series for them. The Sixers and Bucks offense wasn’t incredibly motion and ball movement based so the question of how much the Raptors will switch off-ball screens is front and center. They have the defensive versatility to switch 1-4 and maybe even 5 on some occasions with Ibaka and Siakam if he sees time at center, which is a possibility if OG Anunoby will be back this series.

Most important in this series is the way that the Raptors defend the Draymond/Steph high screen and roll. It’s been the key to the Durant-less offense and it looked lethal against the Blazers (ranked 16th in defense for the season for what it’s worth). If Durant plays in this series it will be a far less motion based offense and more elbow and isolation sets with Siakam and Kawhi probably sharing the Durant responsibility. I also feel this will oddly be the best series for Lowry, he will have the most space to operate against a small Warrior team unlike the giant Bucks and Sixer teams and it will be empirically the worst defense he will have seen these playoffs (Orlando was a top 10 defense this year!!!!). Look for a healthy dose of pick and roll for Kyle as the ball handler and screener. Klay will likely see the most time on him so Steph can’t be so easily put in pick and roll, he will likely be hidden on Danny Green who has been cold all post season. Similar to the Sixer series where they got away with leaving JJ Redick on him. Danny Green will be able to shoot over Curry so easily so if he gets going and Steph has to be moved onto Kyle that will change things dramatically.
*****
Alex Toledo, Miami Heat Beat:
As much as I want to go with the Raptors here, can’t say I believe the Warriors are losing until I see it. They also need to be the best version of themselves on the offensive end, which is gonna be tough considering Boogie Cousins is active for Game 1 and KD might be returning later in the series. The Raptors’ brilliant defensive scheme is what really gives them a shot, but the Warriors simply will have too many weapons for the Raptors to try and contain. Warriors in 6
*****
Ricardo Montes de Oca, Cinco Razones:

Warriors in 5. Yes, Kawhi is the best player in the world right now. Yes, the Raptors story is refreshing. And yet the Warriors, probably without one of the best player in this generation and with one of the starters with little minutes, are going to have an easy path for a three-peat. I cannot see Lowry and Gasol having a good series and I am giving one game to the Raptors, just because they have Kawhi.

*****
Jeremy Tache, Swings & Mishes:
In what world would I pick against the Warriors? I just…I can’t imagine that team losing 4 of their next 7 games after what I saw from them against the Blazers. While I think the Raptors are better than some might, and I believe Siakam and Lowry will outperform expectations, Curry and co. will be too much to handle. Yay for dynasties.
*****
Alejandro Villegas, Cinco Razones:
I think the Golden State Warriors will take it in six games, even though they´re probably not going to have Kevin Durant at all for the series. Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors are going to make it interesting and give us a better NBA Finals than what we had last year, but I don´t see the Raptors winning four times against this Golden State team.
*****
Chris Wittyngham, Five Reasons flagship:
Warriors in 4. I think Giancarlo is going to occupy my “I think this series is closer than you think” corner. So I’m going the exact opposite end of the spectrum. As a basketball public, we spend a lot of time talking ourselves into competitors. For LeBron in the East. For the Warriors. Sometimes, there are no peers for the greats. This Golden State team is one of them. Sweep
*****
Alfredo Arteaga, 3 Yards Per Carry
The Raptors genuinely have one of the better teams to face Golden State by eastern conference standards, and might have the best player in the series. In the end, the greatest team of a generation has the experience and the collective will to impose their game on this series. Intangibles such as experience tend to matter much more in the championship rounds. Kawhi and a good Toronto team make it interesting, but fall short of a 7th game.
Warriors in 6.
*****
Josh Houtz, Fantasy On 5:
I’d be lying if I said I let the outcome of a basketball ruin my day. Truth is, I have not cared much about the sport since Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Muggsey Bogues played for the Charlotte Hornets. So it’s been awhile.
With all that said, I have watched more basketball over the last two months than I have in the last three years combined. And although the Golden State Warriors have reached Brady and the Patriots level of hatred, it’s still not the same.
However, my Finals prediction isn’t the same either. And while so many are taking the Warriors to win the series, I’m not. Instead, I’m going with the King of the North and NBA MVP Kawhi Leondard. He’s the best player on the court in these finals and when the  dust settles, he will be the one holding up the, *googles NBA trophy name* Larry O’Brien trophy?
Raptors in 6
*****
Greg Sylvander, Miami Heat Beat:
Warriors in 6
Steph Curry Finals MVP

NBA’s Final Four followed the path Heat taking

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The Miami Heat, as currently constituted, are nowhere near the NBA’s Conference Finals.

They weren’t as good as any of the bottom four teams in the East’s playoff bracket — and none of those teams, after Victor Oladipo was injured for Indiana, were all that good.  But, at the very least, there is some validation of Miami’s recent approach, which has been to build from the middle rather than break it all down and sink to the bottom.

Toronto, Milwaukee, Portland and even Golden State rose to prominence with picks outside the top 5.

The Raptors started their rise with the drafting of DeMar DeRozan ninth overall in 2009; eventually DeRozan was flipped for Kawhi Leonard, taken 15th by San Antonio. New star Pascal Siakam was taken 27th.

The Bucks? Giannis was 15th also. Khris Middleton, scrapped by Detroit, was a second rounder. Brook Lopez went 10th to the Nets. Eric Bledsoe was 24th.

The Blazers? Their excellent backcourt came into the league at No. 6 (Dame Lillard) and No. 10 (CJ McCollum).

Then there are the Warriors. And we know it’s unfair now, as long as former No. 2 overall pick Kevin Durant is healthy. But the original base of the squad was constructed with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, all of whom should have been drafted higher than they were, with Curry (7) the highest.

The point is, you can build through the middle. Denver, which nearly got to the West Final, has done it as well as anyone. Philadelphia, which was a shot from the East Final, has done it the other way — but Phoenix has tried that way and its only elite player is a guy the Suns took 11th (Devin Booker). None of the other players, picked higher than the players in the posted tweet, are as good at the moment as anyone on that list.

And Miami has done well in the middle with three picks, all of which have outperformed their draft slots as compared to the other players in that draft, whether Justise Winslow at 10, or Bam Adebayo at 14, or especially Josh Richardson at 40 — Richardson has been the third most productive player in his draft so far.

So even if our Lottery Draft Party (at Tap 42 in Midtown Miami) is a spectacular failure, and Miami slips from No. 13 to No. 14 rather than moving up, it still can land a quality player. And get the narrative of team-building back in its favor.

 

Why is Pat Riley assisting the enemy?

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One of the remarkable things about the late-career Pat Riley story is that he keeps getting asked for his advice about other franchises — even as he’s uncharacteristically struggling to fix his own.

First, there was all that Los Angeles Lakers chatter, following the resignation of Riley favorite Magic Johnson — and reports that owner Jeannie Buss wanted to bring Riley back aboard.

And now, the organization that supplanted the Heat as the power brokers in the NBA apparently has consulted with Riley as well.

This was an interesting nugget from the only person on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith, in reference to scuffling Warriors guard Klay Thompson who, like Kevin Durant, is due to become a free agent.

“Even folks like Pat Riley have spoken to folks within the Warriors organization to say, ‘Your priority had better be keeping the Splash Brothers together. Not only have they heard that from Pat Riley, they’ve heard it from Jerry West, they’ve heard it from others. Keeping the Splash Brothers together. Obviously you know that Kevin Durant is the best player on the team, he’s one of the top two players on the planet. But the point is they anticipate — although they hope otherwise — they anticipate that he may leave….”

That is typical Riley thinking, it would seem, not wanting to sink to the bottom. Recall that after the Heat added Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger in the summer of 2014 — and then watched LeBron James walk — Riley immediately maxed out Chris Bosh to top a competing offer from Houston, while giving Dwyane Wade just enough to stay. (Riley has later said he regretted the decision not to max Wade first, which ultimately contributed to the fractious negotiations in 2015 and the ugly departure of 2016).

But there’s a deeper question here:

Why is Riley, the man who would fine his players for picking opponents off the floor and scowled every time BFF’s Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing went to dinner during a Heat-Knicks series, helping the team he and the rest of the NBA have been chasing? West, Riley’s mentor, isn’t even with the Warriors anymore, but now with the Los Angeles Clippers, who are far better positioned than the Heat. Did anyone — save perhaps Riley pal Gregg Popovich — offer the Heat advice during the Big 3 run?

No. They were all too busy legislating against the Heat, voting through punitive luxury tax penalties to ensure the Heat’s eventual breakup. If the Warriors are dying their last breaths, let them die Pat. Don’t throw them a lifeline. Or just tell them to sign a contract equivalent to James Johnson’s.

Marc Stein on Pat Riley: “I won’t doubt him again”

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The newly-minted Basketball Hall of Famer, Marc Stein — long of ESPN and now of The New York Times — joined the Five Reasons Sports flagship on Thursday to discuss the NBA playoffs, NBA player movement, the Miami Heat and Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade.

You can find the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marc-stein-on-nba-playoffs-riley-wade-dirk/id1336060206?i=1000435259473

Here are some highlights:

On Pat Riley…

 

On Kevin Durant and the New York Knicks….

 

On the Miami Heat’s trade for Jimmy Butler falling through with the Minnesota Timberwolves….