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The Golden State Warriors must bounce back against the Philadelphia 76ers

By Weldon Jones

Mar 8, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts behind Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) and Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (27) after missing a shot during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts behind Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) and Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (27) after missing a shot during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors are in a very big slump. Their defense has been solid but, they will need to pick up their production on offense.

Once Golden State Warriors’ superstar forward Kevin Durant went down with a knee injury, the Warriors’ season all of a sudden became complicated. Golden State has spent an entire season acclimating Kevin Durant into their team system and the sacrifice required to this point may be catching up with them.

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When Golden State gave up Bogut, Barnes, Barbosa, Ezeli, and Mo Speights the identity of their team changed tremendously. The Dubs opted to effectively downgrade their defensive prowess in order to make room for another high volume scorer.

This move obviously has shown great upside. The flipside of the story is that the floor became weaker underneath them. When Kevin Durant comes back they will look a lot better than they have recently. However, the season goes on and Golden State will need to get the most out their current rotation players in order to not fall in the standings.

This task is definitely possible. Stephen Curry is still breathing, and their other core players are also still there. Golden State is still an elite team, they will just need to make some adjustments going forward. Kevin Durant will probably be gone until the playoffs begin. This gives the Warriors a chance get Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry in their peak form.

This will be super important. It would be assinine to underestimate how much of a step back the Dubs’ homegrown stars have taken in order to make KD feel comfortable. Stephen Curry is having a really down year by his standards. Draymond Green will need to be more involved on offense. This stretch of games without KD should serve to solidify the Golden State Warriors as a team. The original mantra of the Dubs was strength in numbers. I  believe they still have it.

The Warriors must overcome the 76ers

Golden State is tied for the 1st seed in the western conference. The 76ers game is a must win if they want to be sure that the Spurs don’t snatch homecourt away from them. Another reason they must win is more than clear. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson need to rejuvenate themselves out their individual slumps.

A win would do wonders for their confidence. More importantly, the team still goes as Curry does. If he can show up and show out tonight, there is no doubt it will spark a run for his team that desperately needs one right now. The 76ers aren’t knocking anyone’s socks off, but they are definitely scrappy. This could be what the Warriors’ frontline needs to toughen up and play at the level that they can play at. All these reasons accumulate and make the 76ers vs Warriors’ game a big deal.

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Three things the Warriors must do to turn it around tonight

  1. Golden State has to stop the silly turnovers. The Warriors still have a great amount of players who can put the ball on the floor, pass, and shoot. If the Warriors opt to trust in their offense and get easy looks from it, the shots will fall. For this to happen they must make sound decisions with the ball and look for the best shot. That is what got them to this point of efficiency to begin with after all.
  2. Stephen Curry needs to be aggressive and stingy with the ball. Stingy simply means we as fans would love to see Steph not turn the ball over so much. He is a great player with unworldy talent, but his decision making skills waver when he isn’t relaxed and under control. If Stephen Curry decides to play aggressively on both ends and just enjoy the game like he knows how, the last thing we will talk about is a shooting slump. Steph can takeover games and ignite his team on a night in and night out basis. Now his ability is called upon for battle, and to say the Warriors need it is an understatement.
  3. The Bench needs to play confidently. The Warriors have a young bench that still needs developing. However, they do have good veteran leadership off of the bench and the young guys are very athletic. They may shoot the three as well, but if they opt to attack the basket with the second unit on the floor the results would be really good. Bench minutes are big at this part of the season. The starting lineup is still very good. If the Warriors’ bench comes through like we know it can, the Warriors will be going in a great direction from this point.

Do you think the Warriors can put together a good stretch of games? We are hoping that such great play ignites tonight in a game that is really big for the Golden State Warriors team. Faith should not be lost, but we will be watching closely.

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