The Golden State Warriors will start the rest of the season on a very important 6 game road trip.
All-Star weekend came and passed, seeing Klay Thompson win the three-point contest, Draymond Green doing some weird thing with Kevin Hart that was surprisingly controversial, and the West winning the actual game.
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But now real basketball resumes. When the Warriors play their first game on Friday, in Portland to take on the Trail Blazers, they will be “resuming” their second 7-game road trip of their season. Now, I say “resuming” because in between game 1 and 2 of the road spell, the All-Star break happened, so let’s just treat the next 6 games of the trip as its own thing. Now remember, no NBA team has ever gone 7-0 on a 7-game road trip, so if the Dubs can go 6-0 in their next 6, not only will they extend their win streak, but they will become the first ever team to finish a 7 game trip perfect.
So, is that possible? Who can possibly beat the Warriors? And what impact will the trip have on the rest of their year?
Firstly, this trip should not be taken lightly. Golden State faces the Clippers, Hawks, Heat, and Thunder in 4 of their 6 remaining games on the trip. Four genuinely good teams. On top of that, they face the Blazers and Magic, two young teams hungry to prove that it could be time for them to be taken seriously, who will want a marquee win against the seemingly unbeatable Warriors. So not only is historical precedent not on the side of the Dubs, but the schedule is also going against them.
Wins against the Clippers and Thunder can almost be guaranteed, as there is no way the Warriors will allow Western Conference rivals to steal a win against them. I also see the Warriors smacking the Blazers, as the Dubs will be well rested and eager to get back on the court.
The 3 Eastern Conference teams, however, do pose a certain threat. The Hawks and Heat are possible contenders to take on Cleveland in the East, and the Magic are a young team with Aaron Gordon, whom I will respect forever after that dunk contest.
and the Magic are a young team with Aaron Gordon, whom I will respect forever after that dunk contest
The three teams are also a bit unknown to the Dubs, who will obviously do their scouting on them, but East-West matchups always come along with a bit of mystery, as the teams play each other so rarely.
Warriors have won 24 road games this season, tied for second-most in a single season in franchise history (most: 28 last season).
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) February 11, 2016
Will the Warriors go 6-0 on the trip? I think so. I think that coming off the break, the team will be energized, and the trip only has one back-to-back (Miami on the 24th and Orlando on the 25th), but it’s in the same state, so travel will not be too much of an issue. However, it is also very, very possible that the Warriors could take 2 losses on the trip. The fact of the matter is, the Warriors play a lot of good teams, and you can never be certain of anything in the NBA (except that Doc Rivers will do something really dumb every year. You can always count on that happening).
The impact that this trip can have on the Warriors season will be immense.
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If the Warriors are able to stay healthy throughout the trip, and win every game, I think that Steve Kerr and the Warriors coaching staff will see no reason to not chase 73 wins. Not only will the Warriors be on a lengthy win streak, they will be the only team in NBA history to go undefeated on a 7 game road trip,they will also still be undefeated at home. They will have become the first team to master playing both at home and on the road. So, if they win out until they come home, the question is essentially this: Why not? Why not chase 73? Why not try to become the greatest team in NBA history? That being said, if the Warriors were to drop a game or two on the trip, they certainly still could get 73, but I think coming back home undefeated will fill the Warriors with a whole new sense of confidence, and if you thought that these Dubs were arrogant now, wait until that happens.
The league better watch out if Golden State can go 6-0 on their next 6 games. It could change basketball history for a long, long time.