4. Can this team be better than last year?
When a team that goes 16-1 in the playoffs keeps their core together, there is always a belief that they can get even better. Consider the fact that the Warriors have added Nick Young, Omri Casspi and Jordan Bell to this roster and the sky is the limit.
It’s going to be hard for any team, including this one, to go out and almost sweep their way through the playoffs. They caught some breaks along the way and managed to make a memorable postseason out of it. It’s hard to say if Kawhi Leonard doesn’t get hurt if they don’t have another loss or two.
The 73-win season was a one-time ordeal and the players know how taxing it was on them. Any chance at chasing that record again probably isn’t going to be in the cards for this team either. Still, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be better.
Now that Durant has a full year under his belt with the team and they finally found the rotations to gel, getting off to a hot start should certainly be in order. With the Los Angeles Clippers trading away Chris Paul and reshuffling things, the team faces no real competition in their own division.
Realistically, it’s going to be even hard to measure if this team is better than the last couple if they go out and win a championship in convincing fashion yet again. Then again, this team has a knack for doing something new and amazing each year.