2 Warriors would have to go through the Thunder, Rockets and Spurs to get to the Finals. In their current best-case scenario, they’d feast on the Nuggets/Kings/Blazers/Mavericks in round one and get the Jazz or Clippers in round two before theoretically taking on the winner of Spurs/Rockets in the West finals. Slipping out of the top seed would make for a much tougher path to the Finals. 1 seed and a first-round cakewalk against a sub-.500 team is no longer guaranteed. Although the Warriors remain in the driver’s seat, their grip on the No. That pack starts with the Spurs, who are just three games behind the Warriors in the loss column and will play host to Golden State twice in March. The New Normal: Isaiah Thomas Explains How We Got Here
The Warriors will have their hands full getting out of a Western Conference full of second-tier contenders that have been given new life by this news. Rushing to analyze how Durant’s return from injury might tilt a Finals matchup with LeBron James and the Cavaliers would be a mistake. Without Durant and Barnes, Golden State will find it much more difficult to play elite defense and protect the defensive glass when it goes to smaller lineups.Ģ. That will be tougher this year due to the offseason loss of three players-Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli-who departed to make way for Durant. Last year, the Warriors grinded out postseason wins as they waited for Curry to return from a knee injury. While Golden State’s defensive efficiency has been roughly the same with and without Durant this season, his absence will definitely show on that end too. That’s still good enough to win a title when coupled with an elite defense, but no longer so extraordinary that they should be viewed as presumptive favorites until Durant proves he’s back and healthy. 10, right around the likes of Minnesota and Milwaukee.
When he’s off the court, they slip to roughly No. With Durant, the Warriors are the league’s most efficient offense. Durant’s impact is particularly felt on the offensive end, as Golden State’s offensive efficiency drops by more than 9.5 points when he leaves the court. That’s still a strong mark-similar to the 2017 Rockets and the 2016 Thunder-but not a world-beating one. When Durant has been off the court this season, Golden State’s net rating slips to +6.6.
0 kommentar(er)
