Are The Golden State Warriors Better Than Last Year?

“We are better than we were last year.”

These were the words from Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry after his team came back from 10 down with eight minutes left against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Curry’s words have some validity as the Warriors are outscoring teams by nearly 21 points so far this season. They are averaging 117 points per game and Curry looks like the best player in the NBA through the first five games of the season.

The Warriors showed the championship fortitude against the Clippers on Wednesday night. They played a C game and still found a way to win in the end. Wednesday showed the difference between the Warriors and Clippers. One team performs in the big moments and one does not.

It’s hard to say if the Warriors are truly better than last year because the season just started and to prove it they need to win another NBA Championship. So far though, the Warriors have shown that they are on another level.

Yes, the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies aren’t legit contenders in the Western Conference, but those teams made the postseason last season. The Warriors demolished both of these teams.

The team they faced in the Western Conference Finals, the Houston Rockets, are seen by many as a legitimate championship contender. The Warriors showed why the Rockets shouldn’t be considered NBA contenders by beating them to a pulp.

It’s very possible the Warriors are better than last year because Curry is better than he was last year. Draymond Green continues to improve, Harrison Barnes proved his worth by being the teams MVP against the Clippers and Festus Ezeli so far looks much improved.

Even though role players are important the only guy who matters is Curry. If he’s performing like he is currently, nobody will beat the Warriors. He had a bad game against the Clippers and still had 31 points and outplayed Chris Paul down the stretch when it mattered most.

The only two question marks so far this season have been Luke Walton and Klay Thompson. Walton is a great basketball mind, but he made some mistakes against the Clippers and was out-coached by Glenn Rivers for most of the game, only to be bailed out by Curry. This is ok, as he is still learning the craft of being an NBA coach and the Warriors are talented enough to win in spite of him.

Even though Walton struggled against the Clippers doesn’t mean he’s awful. The Warriors offense is good, their defense is elite and he’s done a nice job of rotating players in and out to give certain players confidence.

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We shouldn’t worry about Walton as Steve Kerr will be back for the postseason. The only thing Walton needs to do is hold the fort down until Kerr gets back, which he will do. Even with his inexperience, Walton is proving to be a better coach than Mark Jackson, which bodes well for the Warriors moving forward.

The last question mark has been Thompson. Warriors ESPN’s Ethan Strauss wrote and article detailing Thompson’s struggles so far this season.

The Warriors need Thompson to step up, as Curry won’t be able to carry him every game. Most of Thompson’s struggles is his shot not falling and reverting back to his bad habits of pressing. Even though he’s struggled offensively, his defense has still been very good. It’s early in the season, though, so he should be fine.

The Warriors look better than last year, but we won’t know until they play the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Warriors can beat those three team handily, then that proves they are by far the best team in the league. Until then, enjoy the Warriors run at 70 wins.