Warriors exemplify importance of team chemistry
What is team chemistry? How do you obtain and maintain it? Do only good teams have good team chemistry?
These are all questions we are thinking about referring to the team with the best record in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors are led by a bunch of talented players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Like most NBA teams, they possess lots of talent, but what makes this team special and unusual is how well they get along on and off the court.
The Warriors’ possessed great team chemistry last season but that chemistry has just gotten better because the team stood pat in the offseason, allowing their team to gel even more as a unit. They are one of the elite teams in NBA because of their stable core. Teams such as Memphis, Dallas and San Antonio are elite for the same reason while Cleveland and Charlotte are struggling because of inexperience with one another.
Memphis features Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley. Dallas is led by Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler and the NBA champs are led by the old reliable: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, not to mention their next star, Kawhi Leonard. All these teams will be competing with the young Warriors for the Western Conference because they are talented and have been together for multiple seasons.
On the flip side, we see the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets struggling in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs have a dream roster, led by the best player on the planet, LeBron James. He has teamed up with an up-and-coming point guard in Kyrie Irving and a power forward looking to prove he can play for a winner in Kevin Love. The Cavs look like the best team in the NBA on paper but have struggled for the simple fact that they have not developed the same chemistry as the elite Western Conference teams. The Cavs will regain that chemistry as the team gets more familiar with one another much like James’ Heat team when he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010.
The Hornets have been the most disappointing team in the NBA, and it is not even close. Experts picked them to return to the postseason this season, because of the talent assembled. Already with a good core of Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson, the Hornets made a big splash by stealing Lance Stephenson away from Indiana. So far, this move has killed the Hornets’ team chemistry because Stephenson wanted to be the man, not blending in with his new teammates on an improving Hornet team. This has sparked trade rumors about Stephenson and as a result, Charlotte is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Warriors chemistry may be the best in the NBA and it shows off the court as well. On the Warriors’ most recent road trip, where they finished 5-0, Marreese Speights posted multiple Instagram videos of the Warriors enjoying each other’s company on plane rides after every win. One through 12, this is the closest team in the NBA and it shows on the court too.
The Warriors lead the NBA in assists with 26 and are number one in defensive field goal percentage at 41 percent. These two categories show how in tune everyone is on the court because in order to lead these two categories, you must have trust for one another and the Warriors have exhibited that each and every night.
The Spurs led the NBA in assists last season and they won the championship. Maybe the Warriors can do the same this season.