Warriors will get tested in West
Maybe it was an act, and Stephen Curry simply pretended to be humble when he said the Golden State Warriors’ so-called super team faces a tricky road ahead. But maybe, just maybe he was being honest.
While most of the other 29 teams will play the hopeless role of the Washington Generals, there are reasons to believe the Warriors will get tested in the West before they run into LeBron James in the NBA Finals for a third straight year.
There are teams other than the San Antonio Spurs capable of running with the Warriors’ starring five of Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson. Beating them in a playoff series is probably a different story.
“Let’s be honest,” Sportsmemo.com handicapper Erin Rynning said, “competing with Golden State will be hard.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is afraid of that. While in Las Vegas for the summer league, Silver said Durant signing with the Warriors as a free agent is bad for the league. It’s never a positive when it seems only two teams can win the championship.
Next to Golden State and Cleveland, the NBA appears to have the competitive balance of Usain Bolt racing a drunk across an icy street.
Curry disagreed, saying last week there’s “nothing easy about it” and the Warriors face a “tough task” in winning their second title in three years and avenging a Game 7 loss to the Cavaliers in June.
Injuries could complicate matters. Chemistry could be an issue — how will Durant mesh with new teammates? Golden State will have a different cast of supporting characters, too, with center Andrew Bogut and small forward Harrison Barnes gone to Dallas.
But the obvious truth is the Warriors improved by adding some quality players aside from Durant and will put the NBA’s most talented team on the floor. A team that is the odds-on title favorite at 2-3.
“Golden State should be favored in every game, unless there are injuries or it’s a terrible spot on the schedule,” Westgate sports book manager Jeff Sherman said.
The Warriors, off a 73-win regular season, are being bet by the public to top their win total of 67½. But I agree with Sherman, who said he doubts Golden State will push hard to win 70 or more games.
“I really think they are going to manage the players’ minutes,” he said. “The Warriors could rest guys for the last two weeks of the season and take a totally different approach than last year.”
Which opponents in the West are somewhat serious threats to the Warriors? The Spurs are the obvious first choice. San Antonio’s top three — Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green — will keep it in the hunt, and adding veteran forward Pau Gasol will help to replace the retired Tim Duncan. Still, Tony Parker and the guards move in slow motion compared to Golden State’s backcourt.
“The Spurs had a lot of problems with young, athletic teams,” Sherman said.
The Los Angeles Clippers, who made no major moves in free agency, need to pray for good health for point guard Chris Paul and power forward Blake Griffin. The Clippers drafted well by grabbing North Carolina’s Brice Johnson and Maryland’s Diamond Stone, but they basically bring back the same team.
Oklahoma City, no longer a title threat without Durant, must decide at some point if trading Russell Westbrook is the franchise’s best move for the future. If Westbrook stays, he’s a good bet to lead the league in scoring and 30-shot nights.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum make Portland worth mentioning, but the Trail Blazers basically whiffed in free agency and have a lot of work to do.
Looking to the future, keep an eye on sleepers Minnesota and Utah, young teams that gave the Warriors fits last season and are rising much faster than the Lakers.
“It’s ridiculous how good Minnesota can be in the next two or three years,” Sherman said. “I think the Jazz will be the No. 4 seed in the West this season.”
Utah has a talented front line with 7-foot-1-inch Rudy Gobert and 6-10 forwards Derrick Favors and Trey Lyles. Gordon Hayward has developed into an elite small forward. George Hill, Shelvin Mack and Dante Exum will be strong at the point. Alec Burks and Rodney Hood are promising shooting guards. The Jazz also brought in veterans Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson in the offseason.
“I love that team,” Rynning said. “Quin Snyder has done a really good job as coach. Utah is probably one of the better developmental teams in the NBA. They seem to understand the makeup of players. Gobert and Heyward are competitors and winners. The Jazz have team guys, and that’s not easy to come by in the NBA these days.”
Sherman said he expects Utah to jump from 40 wins to 50 or more. He projects the Timberwolves to go from 29 wins to around 40.
“Minnesota is a real intriguing team,” Rynning said. “Karl-Anthony Towns might be better than (New Orleans’) Anthony Davis, and that’s a pretty good ceiling. The T-Wolves were terrible defensively last season, but they have players capable of playing defense.”
Tom Thibodeau was an ideal coaching hire for a young Timberwolves team featuring Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Bishop Gorman High product Shabazz Muhammad and first-round pick Kris Dunn from Providence.
The Warriors will win the West, but Curry might be right by saying they will get tested along the way.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow on Twitter: @mattyoumans247