Blue Man Hoop
Fansided

5 Obstacles the Warriors Need to Overcome

By Carlos Murillo

Feb 10, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and center Andrew Bogut (12) high five teammates guard Klay Thompson (11) and forward Draymond Green (23) at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Golden State Warriors won 112-104. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and center Andrew Bogut (12) high five teammates guard Klay Thompson (11) and forward Draymond Green (23) at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Golden State Warriors won 112-104. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next

3. Kevin Durant

If it wasn’t for a couple of guys named Steph Curry and LeBron James, Kevin Durant would probably be the undisputed best player in the world.

Two years removed from his first MVP and five years removed from his first NBA Finals appearance, Durant is starving to reach the peak that Curry and the Warriors did last season and are headed towards this year.

All the talk of Durant possibly joining Golden State next season hasn’t stopped him from giving them trouble. For his career, the Thunder forward averages a cool 30 points and 8 rebounds on 51% shooting from the field against the Warriors. In their lone matchup this season, Durant lit up the defending champs for 40 points.

The Oklahoma City Thunder may very well be the Western Conference’s last line of defense against the Warriors advancing to the Finals once again. With Russell Westbrook at his side, Durant can and probably will win the Thunder a series or two come playoff time.

The Warriors have tried different looks on Durant, mostly guarding him with either Harrison Barnes or Andre Iguodala. When Barnes is guarding him in their traditional lineup, Durant uses a high screen where he can get a running start and keep Barnes on his hip and then have the much slower Andrew Bogut caught in no-man’s land. When the Warriors switch screens, he takes a smaller defender (admittedly everyone is smaller) like Klay Thompson to the post.

The Warriors might be best-suited sending double teams and allowing Westbrook to become a volume shooter, which is much easier said than done. While Westbrook can easily win games on his own, he’s not quite as efficient as his teammate and can be forced into taking poor shots, especially from beyond the arc.

Durant is already one of the greatest scorers this game has seen and it’s almost impossible to stop him. But if they want to chase the Bulls’ record and defend their title, they’re going to need to solve him and try to slow him down.

Next: Be Like Mike

Home/Stephen Curry