The 2014-15 NBA season has seen the incredible rise of the Golden State Warriors as a franchise.
Former professional American basketball player and head coach Steve Kerr has transformed this team into the best in the league, while subsequently becoming the first rookie coach in history to win 21 of his initial 23 games.
Golden State has gone from a team who struggled to even make the playoffs last season, to the organisation everyone is trying to replicate and catch up too. Currently sitting atop of not only the Western Conference but also the entire league, the Warriors hold a 44-10 record at a percentage of 81.5.
This is phenomenal for a team that lies only seven wins away from equalling the record they achieved last season. One of the primary reasons behind this is the MVP form of point guard Stephen Curry, who was able to dethrone the ‘King’, LeBron James, in the 2015 All-Star voting for the first time in a number of years.
If you’ve ever watched a Golden State game this season, you’d have laid witness to two of the best pure shooters of this generation – Curry and Klay Thompson. ‘The Splash Brothers’ both average more than 20 points per game, and sit first and sixth respectively in MVP voting as the finals approach.
Having pure shooters have allowed Golden State to score at an alarming rate. The Warriors average 110.3 points per game, holding a 10.5 points differential, making them a very entertaining team, as well as one that is currently very successful.
Many teams in the league cannot contain the quick-fire shooting and deadly handles Golden State uses to destroy the opposition. Their ball-playing Australian centre, Andrew Bogut, provides an added dimension to this, as he’s able to dish the ball to the likes of Curry and Thompson for open shots, however can also drive down the lane and finish with the slam.
One of the most important features of the Warriors’ play, which makes them so dangerous, is the ability of the ‘Splash Brothers’ to shoot in traffic and against good defence. The vertical jumps of both of them allow them to casually shoot over defenders and make guarding them extremely difficult. In Curry’s case, if you’re up his face defending, he’ll likely blow past you with a nasty crossover, letting him gain space for the open jumper or dish.
Like the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors have a star-studded bench. Former All-Stars Andre Iguodala and David Lee, along with veterans Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights provide enormous size across all positions, permitting Golden State to exploit teams with no size at all. Not only are they tall, they are also extremely athletic, and can run the fast break well due to the speed of the majority of the team.
Determining the success of Golden State for the rest of the season is the health of Bogut. Without him, Golden State have struggled considerably more than with him. He is the big man that takes control of the Warriors defence, standing tall and dominating the glass and is the last piece to the puzzle for the Warriors to gain success in the league.
However, there is one large problem that is looming in the Western Conference that would be concerning Kerr and his team – the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the NBA playoffs were to start today, Golden State would see the Thunder in the first round, a team that no one wants to face.
The Thunder are currently on an alarming seven-game winning streak and have their point guard Russell Westbrook in career-best form. Westbrook averages 25.9 points, eight assists and six rebounds per game, which has seen him rocket from ninth to fifth on the MVP ladder.
Thankfully, for Golden State fans, the Warriors will not face the Thunder prior to the playoffs (if at all). However, their schedule is still of some concern, as the Warriors press to hold down the number one seed in the West. Golden State will have to face the Clippers, Mavericks and Grizzlies twice each before the end of the season. The Mavericks especially will be a difficult task following their reinvigoration from trades made earlier.
Recruiting arguably the best passer in the NBA, Rajon Rondo from Boston, and former All-Star Amare Stoudemire from New York, have greatly increased the threat of the Mavericks. If the team can gel with these two on board, along with other starters Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler, Dallas could be a definite hurdle for Golden State’s title aspirations.
All three teams lie in the top eight of the Western Conference and will really test the Warriors to see if they truly have the calibre to go all the way, and bring a championship to Golden State for the first time since 1975.
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