Better Competition in 2017
The Warriors have had a relatively soft schedule in 2016. 22 of their wins are against opponents under .500, losing to only the Los Angeles Lakers, going 22-1. Against teams over .500, the Warriors are only 8-4 and five of those wins are against the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors are done with the Raptors, the Jazz are inconsistent and the Clippers are talented but always underachieve.
On the flip side, the Warriors are 3-4 against the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors should have no problem with the Thunder because Westbrook can be neutralized by the Warriors defense. The Grizzlies can never stay healthy and have an older roster. The other teams present problems for the Warriors.
The Spurs have always been a difficult matchup for the Warriors and showed they were still a threat on opening night. The Spurs destroyed Golden State, 129-100, led by their stars, Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Leonard dominated on both ends, scoring 35 points and collecting five steals, while providing lockdown defense. Aldridge, who usually struggles against Golden State, had his way scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 boards.
If the Warriors want to beat this team, it will have to be on the road. The Warriors have two games in San Antonio in 2017 and has always been a tough place to play. This may be the only team that wins the season series against the Warriors but they are not the only threat from Texas.
The Rockets may be the biggest threat to Golden State. Throughout Steve Kerr’s tenure, the Warriors have dominated the Rockets. They ended their season the last two years and won the last eight regular season contests. But this is not the same old Rockets and they showed that on December 1st, beating the Warriors in double overtime at Oracle Arena.
The Rockets have a brand new offense, led by offensive guru, Mike D’Antoni. His first change was to make Harden the point guard. Harden has responded, leading the league in assists, averaging almost 12 per game while still scoring at a high rate. The additions of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon have been instrumental to the Rockets’ success. Their shooting abilities present huge problems to the Warriors defense.
In the past, the Warriors have been able to key in on Harden because like Westbrook, was the Rockets only consistent weapon. But the addition of Anderson and Gordon provides the Rockets with two quality three-point shooters that Harden can kick to when he penetrates to the hoop. Trevor Ariza is another threat that cannot be discounted, who is also almost shooting 40 percent from three-point range. All these options give the Rockets the firepower to stay with the Warriors.
The one advantage the Warriors do have is their defense while the Rockets do not defend at all. The Warriors could not defend them in December but these teams will meet three more times in 2017.
The final threat to Golden State in 2017 are the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers won a nail-biter on Christmas in Cleveland, 108-107 but the Warriors had control for most of the game. The Warriors blew a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter by turning the ball over and resorting to isolation offense. The Cavaliers took advantage of the lack of ball movement and miscues on their way to the win.
The Cavaliers were led by their big three, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love with Irving hitting a game-winning elbow jumper over Thompson. The Warriors will get a chance to return the favor at Oracle Arena on MLK Day.