Fact Check: The Warriors Are Boring? Not At All
Attention: the latest form of hate for the Golden State Warriors has arrived. And with all honestly, it’s even more absurd than before.
Here we go again. It almost seems customary for Warriors’ hate to evolve over time. And now, the latest example has manifested itself.
First came the argument that “jump-shooting” teams couldn’t win a title in the NBA. Golden State proved that false last June. Then came the claims that the Cavaliers surely would have won if they had all their players at their disposal. After losing on Christmas Day, Cleveland was also proven wrong.
Finally, when the Golden State Warriors, the best team in the NBA at 36-2, who have not one, not two, but three All-Stars, who have overcome injuries to their star and bench players, who have the capability to set the win record in the NBA, seemingly have nothing else to prove, another form of hate happens to arise. This time, it comes from none other than Colin Cowherd, and with all honesty, it’s just hilarious.
What does Cowherd have to say about the defending champs?
"The Golden State Warriors are boring…Basketball was meant to be played with more passing and less shooting and less—it’s ball movement. Ball movement is beautiful. The most beautiful, artistic players that ever played the game weren’t gunners."
This comes from his latest radio show segment titled, “Unpopular Sports Opinions,” and of course, the purpose of making such a claim is to stir conversation and reaction. Nonetheless, Cowherd would never had proposed such an argument unless he actually believed it. And assuming that he does, the fact of the matter is that it’s absurd.
And quite frankly, he’s wrong in more ways than one.
I would challenge Colin Cowherd to watch a Warriors game and rethink what he said. To win in the NBA and to be an elite team it’s essential to have ball-movement, which Cowherd said he personally finds exciting. Does anyone truly believe that Golden State’s key to success is by playing “run and gun” and attempting a three the first chance they get? Of course not.
If the Warriors run the fast break and immediately spot up for a three, that falls on the opposing team’s defense for leaving them wide open. Otherwise, the reason for Golden State converting a high percentage of three-point shots is due to their strong ball movement. The Warriors always make the extra pass, sometimes when they don’t necessarily need to.
Golden State currently ranks first in the league in assists, averaging 29.0 per game. You don’t average that many assists and lead the league by playing run and gun offense. It’s the reason why Stephen Curry does more than shoot from beyond the arc. He also distributes the ball and makes his team better because that’s the emphasis for this team. It’s also the reason why the Warriors are the team that franchises are attempting to emulate.
Very noteworthy was the instance where Cowherd spoke on his fascination with the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.
"I don’t find the Warriors shooting three after three after three after three from a variety of players to be that interesting of basketball—I don’t. I loved watching the Chicago Bulls with Jordan that played defense, that were midrange, that could score low, that could score outside."
Without a doubt the Chicago Bulls of the 90s and the Golden State Warriors of today are two different teams built in two different eras of NBA basketball. But it cannot be said that this Warriors team doesn’t play defense and can’t score from around the court.
Being a sole spot-up three-point shooter doesn’t earn you an all-star nod. So what’s the case with Klay Thompson? He’s not just a three-point shooter, he’s constantly evolving to have an all-around skillset. Before he could only catch and shoot, today he can create his own shot and more importantly, attack the basket and score from inside.
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And how can Colin Cowherd honestly argue that Golden State doesn’t play a high level of defense or play an all-around game? Why are players like Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, and Andre Iguodala so vital to this team’s success? Because they play an all-around game and most importantly, play defense.
Perhaps the biggest evidence contrary to Cowherd’s claims lies with Draymond Green. The Warriors power forward is literally a triple-double machine for one reason: he does everything. Scoring isn’t his number one priority. He plays to do the dirty work: get rebounds, make defensive stops, and overall keep the momentum in the Warriors’ favor.
You can argue that you don’t like the style of basketball they play. You can hate that they constantly blow out opponents in dominating fashion. You can be irritated that when it seems they’re going to lose they somehow find ways to win. But let’s face it, the Warriors are a complete team all-around and have done what might be impossible: make the regular season exciting to watch.
The Warriors are boring Colin Cowherd? Come on man.