The Warriors are now the NBA’s undisputed superior team
Golden State’s equal was supposed to be the San Antonio Spurs. After a 120-90 rout Monday night, who else is left to challenge the Warriors’ superiority?
In the course of just a week, the Golden State Warriors have managed to topple three of the top teams in both the NBA. First came the embarrassing blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers, next was the demolishing of the Chicago Bulls, and finally came the thirty-point thrashing of the San Antonio Spurs.
In perhaps the most anticipated matchup in the NBA, the Warriors knew exactly what was on the line and made a statement. Playing at Oracle Arena in front of their fans, Golden State justified their title as best in the league with arguably their most significant win so far.
In the weeks leading up, the talk around the league was that despite the Warriors’ stellar record, the fact that they hadn’t played the second place San Antonio Spurs couldn’t be overlooked. The Spurs, who were just two games behind Golden State and displayed their own chemistry and precision ball-movement, surely would give the Warriors a run for their money.
The final score probably shocked everyone…except for Warriors fans.
The Golden State Warriors are the defending champs and best team in the league for more than a few reasons. They emphasize attention to detail with their ball-movement, they take pride in their defense and ability to stop opposing teams, and they have the league’s most valuable player in Stephen Curry, which is a huge advantage.
Add the fact that they have two additional young all-stars in Draymond Green and Klay Thompson with a core group of young players, and you get a championship caliber team for years to come.
Without a doubt expect the Spurs to put up much more of a fight in future outings, especially if they play the Warriors at home in San Antonio and potentially in the postseason. Yet the key aspect to take away from the Warriors’ win over the Spurs is that this Golden State squad has vastly improved and is capable of overcoming the challenges that have plagued them in the past.
A few years ago, San Antonio proved too large of a hurdle for the up and coming Warriors, who were eliminated in the Conference Semifinals. Even last season on their championship run, Golden State lost the regular season series to the Spurs, 2-1. It’s unimaginable, but this Warriors team is much superior in comparison to last season’s championship team.
The fact of the matter is that right now the Golden State Warriors are in their prime. Possibly their greatest advantage over the other twenty-nine teams is their youth. The foundation of Curry, Thompson, and Green will be in the Bay Area for years to come. On the opposite side, age may finally be catching up with the Spurs.
With Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker beginning to reach the end of their careers, they may just not have what it takes to make another championship run, and perhaps it’s time to focus on Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge for the future. But focusing on those two stars may not necessarily mean that another championship is in sight for the Spurs in the near future.
It’s because of this that the Golden State Warriors now hold the unquestioned title of the best team in the NBA. San Antonio was arguably the only threat to the Warriors’ dominance over the rest of the league, but after Monday night’s thirty-point blowout, Golden State erased any notion of the Spurs’ superiority.
The Warriors are sitting atop the league, and it’s a pretty far distance between them and their next challenger.