The Warriors are the team to beat. The question is how? FIRST Let me say - the Warriors benefit most from the rules ENDING HAND CHECKING and ALLOWING WHAT USE TO BE ILLEGAL DEFENSE. These rules allow them the movement they need and allows them to cover their defensive liabilities. THAT SAID - The other thing will come does to the Refs . .. how they call the games will 100% determine Golden State's success. If they continue to allow the illegal screens and tackles then they will be near impossible to beat. Sticky Defense is the first key. You need guys to get in their shirts Forcing them to move more and make their screens even stickier (read more illegal) The main thing is on Offense I think you are going to have to attack Curry relentlessly still but you will also need to have someone to BANG DOWN LOW with KD. Their Starting Line up will be Curry - Klay - Durant - Green - (Center) Body and Muscle Curry and Durant RELENTLESS when they on Defense Bump them . . Push them . . .make them work If they are allowed to get away with slaps and fouls . .again it won't help But you should be able to get them in some kind of foul trouble Just Spit balling here Rocket River
Body them up and they break mentally. This is what teams did this year in the playoffs. Super physical D
Honestly the chances of curry and durant not breaking during the season seems slim. Look at them they need some milk
Yeah, you could see the effectiveness of their offense take a hit with the physicality allowed in the playoffs. Nowhere near the team they were in the regular season as a result.
You can body them up all you want, but they can body you right back with Zaza and David West (and Green, but he is obviously more than just a "body" guy). It's gonna take more than just shoving them to beat them. You also need speed, length and skill, etc. With all that shooting, there is just a lot of space to cover. It was that case last year, and it's only gotten tougher with Durant replacing Barnes. Durant is a better shooter and far better creator off the dribble. He also draw fouls like no other GS player does. Also, even if you contain them somewhat on offense (a tall task) you still gotta score against their defenders. Durant is likely a defensive upgrade over Barnes when locked in, given how long he is (just look at what he did to GS in the playoffs), and they already have high level defenders in Draymond, Klay and Iguodala. Zaza is not the rim protector that Bogut is, but both he and David West are pretty solid. And if refs swallow the whistle on what you do on D, they will likely let GS get away with more on D also.
The Warriors now have the best perimeter rotation in NBA history with Durant, Curry, Thompson, Igudala and Livingston. The depth is exceptional and the top talent is amazing and in their prime. Having said that, there is some issues. First, the Warriors now have three 35 minute a night players that like to play almost exclusively on the perimeter outside the three point line. Thompson and Durant also like to shoot from the same area of the floor. In order to get open shots, Curry. Is going to have to be able to break down the defense and get open shots for Durant and Thompson. The Warriors last year were able to help Curry get into the lane through picks and smart movement on offense by Bogut and Green. Bogut especially was able to get creases open for Curry. Durant can always isolate or create off the dribble, but teams can and will give him this. These are tough shots that he has complained of in the past. Second, passing from the post is a huge part of the Warriors success the last few years. Green is obviously good at it and the give and go, but he didn't operate in the post offensively as one would expect. The best post out passer was Andrew Bogut and he is gone. Zaza will get his chance and his hands are soft enough and he moves well enough to possibly be adequate. However Bogut set screens as well as any big man in the NBA and instinctively knew where to be and the right tempo. Defensively I expect the Warriors to struggle more than most expect. They lost their best defensive player, and someone that was long and smart that was elite at coming around screens and protecting the inside. You saw it in the last few games against Cleveland, they really missed Bogut and struggled against a bigger and more physical team. People blamed Kerr for not making adjustments; but there was no one on the roster that could do what Bogut did inside defensively. Also, Igudala was their best perimeter defender; both physical and quick enough to cover a multitude of defensive sins by Curry and Livingston. Klay Thompson is still a solid defender but that is about it on the perimeter. Livingston is long and bright, but lacks foot speed. Green will have to guard more players inside. Durant defensively is a down grade over Barnes, and while a smart defender, has physical limitations. Really, a smart and very physical team inside will be able to play the Warriors tough. In the past Memphis gave the Warriors some trouble; and teams long and strong and physical inside should be able to do the same. San Antonio may be too old, but the Gasol signing helps them quite a bit against GS. I understand why the Warriors went so hard after Durant, you have to if you can get him. However, the moves made in order to sign him made their primary weakness more glaring. The Warriors should be huge favorites to win it all. However it may not be as easy as everyone assumes.
The Warriors are going to be great (duh) but people just don't realise how sneaky/dirty Bogut was. The little things he did to free up a shooter are so instinctively dirty they can't be taught. Best bet is to hope for poor shooting nights by at least 2/3 of Curry/Klay/KD and that's just the beginning.
Tou gotta insult them, dog em, do whatever it takes to get them inside that ring, but thats what you got to do... ROCKY V .
The Warriors defense is not as good. Bogut was elite at protecting the paint and making switches. Zaza does neither thing well. Bogut's presence masked perimeter defensive issues. Igudala noticeably slowed as the season went on next year. I am not so sure that he will be a really good defender next year. Green is obviously a good man defender and a very good team defender. Barnes is/was a better defender than Durant. Curry especially had defensive deficiencies covered by Bogut. Their offense should be record breaking good.
these were the warriors weaknesses in the playoffs barnes played like trash ezeli played like trash bogut got injured as always and therefore, who cares how good he is, if he's always injured? they upgraded barnes to durant who is better at everything by a lot. Literally. they upgraded ezeli to west who is better at everything by a lot. literally. and they replaced bogut with zaza who isn't as good at anything, but who will actually be on the court. So the warriors are going to be significantly better this year than last year. Period. The team that can beat them (barring injuries of course) is probably the cavs. They need James to take a paycut, sign Dwade, and then ship Klove out for someone who will be more useful.
did a little research. I'm pretty sure cavs are going to trade klove for cousins. James takes a hefty paycut. They get Wade. Irving, Wade, James, Thompson, Cousins It could happen.
Wait for free agency next year and hope they lose some of their players. If not, wait 365 days and repeat.
