The ones we didn’t expect so high: Warriors
The pillars were always firm and it was only a matter of time before the Golden State Warriors returned to the top of the Association and resumed their role as favorites after a couple of forgettable campaigns and many moves.
After two seasons full of bad tastes for the now San Francisco-based Warriors, it could have been considered that the team led by coach Steve Kerr was going to take longer to return to the top of the ‘Wild West’.
A pitiful 15-50 (.231) record in 2019-20 saw them occupy last place in their conference. Undoubtedly the departure of Kevin Durant was a tough blow for the organization that months later lost Klay Thompson to injury.
A year later, even without Klay, Stephen Curry’s three-pointers were not enough and the team fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 112-117 in overtime. That season they ranked ninth in the West with an evident improvement in their record: 39-33 (.542). However, Ja Morant and company took it upon themselves to wake the Warriors from the dream of returning to the Playoffs.
The current season saw a radical change in the team with Curry as the spearhead of a team that looks like in those Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Few significant movements, five additions (Andre Iguodala, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, Jonathan Kuminga (Draft), Moses Moody (Draft) and three departures (Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Paschall, Kent Bazemore) were enough to shore up a team that has long known what it plays and today is one of the strong candidates for the championship.
Curry and the return of his ‘Splash Brother’.
If we thought Curry had peaked in the 2020-21 season with outrageous numbers in which he averaged 32.0 points (48.2% from the field, 42.1% three-pointers on 12.7 attempts per game), 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists, we were wrong.
This season, Curry’s marksmanship from range took him over 3,000 three-pointers lifetime and his numbers are currently out of this galaxy.
In 40 games, the ‘Chef’ averages 26.1 points per night, product of 38.6% from the arc, 91.5% from free throws and 42.2% from the field; to that we must add 5.4 boards and 6.0 assists. Enough for the Warriors to swing between first and second place in the conference and in an exciting fight with the Phoenix Suns, the best team so far this season.
To Curry’s numbers we have to add the contribution of his ‘Brother’, Klay Thompson who has participated in 5 games since his comeback and averages 15.2 points, thanks to his 37.7% from the field, 36.1% from three-point range and a perfect 100% from free throw; plus 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Undoubtedly the most lethal power duo of the current campaign.
A guaranteed cast and a deep bench
Draymond Green, an old sea dog, Andrew Wiggins, explosiveness and Kevon Looney, low profile, but a guarantee in the paint.
The cast that accompanies Curry and Thompson seems to have no cracks to support its two stellar pillars and if you add to that the depth of the bench with elements such as Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Andre Iguodala and Jonathan Kuminga, among others, barring injuries, it seems that the Warriors, will remain at the top of their conference and will be the rival that no one wants to run into in the Playoffs.
