I think they will make it to the West finals if everyone can stay healthy and see what happens from there. They got a legit star in Steph Curry who I think has out performed Harden after the ASW. The great thing is that he can play off the ball as well as facilitate at point guard as well as any. They've got Bogut who is a great defensive presence and they have good variety off the bench with Ezeli and Landry. Ezeli defense is better then any of the big men we have not named Asik. Barnes is starting to become a stud, this year's Kwahi Leonard I think. An excellent excellent piece to a playoff team but also with potential to grow. His defense is improving throughout the season and he is starting to play with a lot more confidence. His raw athleticism also gives him a massive edge. They are incredibly fun to watch and I like what Jackson has done with the team to make everyone feel like a family, serious props and deserves strong consideration for COY. They are a jump shooting team which leads to a lot of variance and also losing their only post presence doesn't help but when you have Curry and Thompson my god they are amazing shooters. Mixing in Jack who provides a different spark in the Crawford or Smith mode in that he can break down his defender and create. They have the roster to make an exciting run this post season, when you look around at the other weaker teams in the west or east noone really jumps out except these guys. I had hopes that our Rockets would have been able to had they squeezed into 6th. But with the way we have been playing of late and our offense, defense, youth and inexperience have been seriously exposed is just incredibly disappointing when comparing to the other teams.
Late, they already rae not healthy. Lee is out. No chance to advance to next round, no way team will shoot like yesterday every damn game
Their small ball may struggle against the Spurs who roll out Splitter and Duncan but if they are running well enough and having a good ball movement I think they can make the Spurs adjust. Seriously with Parker still rolling around not being himself and can't explode to the bucket there no reason they can't beat the Spurs. Well I believe they got the roster to make it and losing Lee is a big + for them defensively.
The Rockets could have been the cinderella team had they not rolled over the last two games of the year.
Look, I bet GSW -8 or whatever it was last night, but they just aren't good enough to do much damage going forward. Lee being out doesn't hurt them much, if at all in this series (I actually thought he actually hurt the Warriors in game one), but they most likely would miss him against the Spurs, though I honestly don't think think it matters either way. I highly doubt they win no more than a game with against the Spurs if they manage to 'upset' the Nuggets. Oh, and Leonard >> Barnes. I like dark endings.
That is because they have Jefferson and Beidrins clogging up 20m to sit on the bench the next 2 years. Their management stuffed up the previous few years but they have got it right now with the pieces they got. Especially with Curry, Barnes and Thompson locked up the next 3 years. Jack getting 4m this year will be an important piece to see if he can be retained. Curry is a max player getting payed 2/3 of that as long as his ankles don't blow out. I guess its just me if they can bring back Jack and Rush gets healthy along with keeping Landry and Bogut staying healthy, they can be a strong team going forward. Leonard > Barnes is definitely correct.
Warriors are really good. What do they need to really become a contender, though? The 1, 4 and 5 spots are all locked up. Klay looks good at the 2 and Barnes is decent at the 3. I guess they need an infusion of defense? Someone like Tony Allen would fit very well with that team. Klay could move to the 3, while Barnes comes off the bench for him.
They need mental & physical toughnesss, to score more points closer in and a defensive mindset. A healthy Bogut solves some of this but not enough. The question is how healthy will Bogut be going forward and will he stay there after next season. My concern is their mix of players is too soft, feathery and perimeter. Curry+Thompson+Barnes+Lee all on the same team is unbalanced. This might sound crazy, but Dwight Howard would be a perfect piece to elevate them to championship level. Single-handedly he would transform their defense and also give their offense a low-post (and alley-oop) option that would make their outside shooting even more effective. They are worth keeping an eye on the next few years.
