Klay Thompson is a real believer within the Warriors.
He could be the final one left.
After the Warriors misplaced their closing sport earlier than the All-Star break, Thompson was requested if he believed his 29-29 staff — the defending NBA champions — have been nonetheless title contenders.
He’d been requested the identical query earlier this season. He supplied successfully the identical reply as then:
“We all know what it takes… I’m by no means going to lose confidence on this staff,” Thompson stated.
Sure, the Warriors’ core gamers know what it takes to win titles. A part of that formulation is profitable video games within the common season.
The Dubs merely are usually not doing that at a excessive sufficient price this season. And with 24 video games remaining following this break, it’s greater than truthful to surprise if Golden State’s drawback in 2022-23 isn’t procrastination however the actualization of title-worthy basketball.
The Warriors’ fame as a title contender has been surviving all season on flashes of greatness.
Now that the playoffs are approaching — my guess is you will have already put one thing on the calendar for mid-April already — flashes aren’t sufficient.
It would sound sacrilege, however these Warriors — this iteration — would possibly simply be a .500 basketball staff.
Our situation as observers is that we'll not discover out if that’s the case or not till the season ends.
Sure, the good thing about the doubt might be supplied to this staff till the very finish. They've earned that degree of respect. However sooner or later, if the Dubs are going to be one thing greater than .500, they should begin respecting the common season. They should begin taking part in some actual protection. They should cease messing round with leads. They should begin profitable twice as usually as they lose.
They will do these items.
That doesn’t imply they are going to.
If studying this column appears like deja vu, it’s becoming. The Warriors can’t shake off that .500 feeling, it doesn't matter what they do. The .500 power goes deeper than a file. The Warriors rating 118 factors per sport. They permit 118 factors per sport. They’re 22-7 at dwelling and 7-22 on the highway. They’re 5-5 of their final 10 video games,
It’s adequate to maintain the Warriors inside punching distance, however sooner or later, they should punch.
And since they've waited for thus lengthy to interact within the precise struggle, they’ll must pack a wallop as soon as — if — they begin throwing.
The Warriors enter the All-Star break because the No. 9 seed within the Western Convention. That’s solely good for a spot within the play-in match, which, technically, isn’t the playoffs. Nobody is making the NBA Finals from there.
They’re inside 3.5 video games of the No. 3 seed. That’s good.
The problem is that they would want to hop six groups to achieve that spot. Sure, if the Warriors play nicely, they'll transfer up the standings, however they would want the groups above them to lose, too.
Some will, however not all. I don’t anticipate the Suns or Clippers to fade. The Mavericks and Timberwolves may need made the required upgrades on the deadline, too. There aren't any straightforward pickins.
The Warriors are additionally solely a sport above the No. 11 seed, which wouldn’t even make the play-in match.
We'll see what occurs.
Actually, all the things stays on the desk for the Warriors. However sooner or later, the proof of this season is extra prescient than the staff’s illustrious latest historical past (which does characteristic a dropping and mediocre season).
That time is quick approaching. It could be right here earlier than Curry’s return to the lineup.