Golden State Warriors: Without Kevin Durant, the Dubs excelled through two difficult games
The Golden State Warriors demolished the OKC Thunder, beating them by 22 points just a few nights after taking down the Houston Rockets.
Two of the Western Conference’s best teams, the Houston Rockets and OKC Thunder both have seen immense success against the Golden State Warriors this season. However, in their closest matchups until the postseason, the Warriors again proved why they’re the back-to-back champs.
Without superstar Kevin Durant, the Warriors, as they always do, adjusted flawlessly. What they’ve done is involved DeMarcus Cousins, throwing him in the post and allowing him to command much of the offense.
That’s the reason why Cousins led the team in assists for the second straight game. Ending the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Cousins had yet another dominant game on the offensive end.
However, their game against the Thunder proved why OKC will not be considered a true threat to the throne this season. They’re too inconsistent. Westbrook shot 2-for-16 and George 9-for-25. When your superstars shut under 27%, there’s usually a small chance you lose by less than ten.
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At the same time, Stephen Curry turned in his second straight game of dominance. He led the Dubs with a game-high 33 points, draining five threes as well. Thompson also chipped in 23 yet managed to do it on a relatively inefficient 21 shots.
A few days ago, I wrote on how the Warriors had everything to prove over the last two days. Just a hours later, I penned another article on how they’ve been one of the NBA’s worst teams since the break.
Now, half a week since those articles were published, the Warriors completely turned their post-All-Star break troubles around. But, while they’ve downed two of the West’s best teams, they’ve done it without Kevin Durant.
Will Durant’s return actually hamper the Warriors dynamic offense? Do they play differently, more mismatched oriented with Cousins as a focal point of the offense? Lastly, is the way they play with Cousins what they want moving forward?
At this point, the team, even if they believe the latter, won’t play without Kevin Durant in the lineup. What they can do is find a way to incorporate him in the array of screen-setting and mismatch-taking sets offensively.
With two wins over the last four days, the Warriors have proven that they’re still at the top of the West. They need to incorporate Durant and continue this improved play.
They need to flip the switch to an even higher level as the postseason is getting ready to begin. This home stretch can set them up for the success they need to storm through the playoffs and win their third straight title.
Analyzing the Dubs three potential first-round matchups. dark. Next
That success started with them taking two victories in arguably their hardest two-game stretch of the season.