Critics will point to key injuries on opposing teams that have opened the door to the Golden State Warriors winning 3 titles in 4 years. So just how big of a role has luck played in the Warriors’ dynasty?
We’ve all heard grumblings about the Golden State Warriors getting lucky:
Kawhi Leonard’s injury sealed the Spurs’ fate in the 2017 Conference Finals, which ended in a Warriors’ sweep.
Kyrie Irving’s and Kevin Love’s injuries gifted the Warriors their first championship in 2015..
In fact, since the 2015 playoffs, the Warriors have faced a Memphis team without Mike Conley, a Blazers team without Nurkic, a Rockets team without Chris Paul for two crucial games, a Spurs team again without Kawhi in 2018, a Pelicans team without Cousins in 2018, and a Pelicans team without Jrue Holiday in 2015.
It’s a trend you can’t ignore if you’re evaluating the level of Warriors’ adversaries these past four years.
So it begs the question: Are the Warriors just really lucky?
The answer is both yes and no.
There’s no denying that the Warriors have had luck in facing opponents not at full strength in the playoffs. If we insert Kawhi in the rest of that 2017 Conference Finals series, it probably goes at least six games, if not seven.
If we keep Chris Paul on the Rockets in the 2018 Conference Finals, who knows what would’ve happened?
On the other hand, the Warriors can only control what’s in front of them. And their job is to defeat whatever opponent is placed on the court that night. It is of no fault of their own that they’ve gone up against foes not quite at the peak of their powers.
But what most tend to forget is that the injury bug has bitten the Warriors as well. The only difference is that the Warriors have built their team specifically for such times. They’re built to withstand a major injury, which all of the above-mentioned teams couldn’t do.