Opinion: The Golden State Warriors Are Still The Scariest Team In The NBA
The Golden State Warriors haven't had a great start to the 2022-23 NBA season.
After winning their fourth NBA Championship in the last eight seasons, they are currently tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 22-22 record in 44 games.
The Warriors originally got off to an abysmal 5-8 start in their first 13 games but have played much better since the beginning of the season.
They are 6-4 in their last ten games and an outstanding 17-5 in the 22 games they have hosted at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
The biggest problem for the defending NBA Champions has been their play on the road.
Away from home, they have gone just 5-17 in 22 games.
Are the Warriors contenders?
Even though they have not played like an elite team during the 2022-23 NBA season, there is still no scarier team to face in a seven-game series than the Warriors.
No one else (currently) has proven they can beat them.
In 2020 and 2021, the Warriors missed the NBA Playoffs, so in each of the last six times they have made the playoffs, they have gone to the NBA Finals.
The only two teams to beat them in the NBA Finals are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.
LeBron James is no longer with the Cavs, while Kawhi Leonard is no longer with the Raptors.
James is currently on the Los Angeles Lakers, who are coming off a season where they missed the NBA Playoffs, while Leonard's Clippers have yet to prove they are a true title contender.
Therefore, the two superstars that have led teams past the Warriors are not in a position to beat them.
Lastly, no other team has two-time MVP Steph Curry.
The 2022 Finals MVP is currently in the middle of a sensational season and is coming off a game where he had 41 points and seven rebounds (in Monday's 127-118 win over the Washington Wizards).
Through 30 games, he is averaging 29.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists per contest while shooting an outstanding 49.3% from the field and 42.1% from the three-point range.
Even if the Warriors do not finish with a top-four seed in the Western Conference, they should still be seen as the scariest team to face in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
