The Golden State Warriors lost last night against the Los Angeles Clippers, but despite starting 4-4, this team should still have championship aspirations.
It hasn’t been an overly pretty start for the Golden State Warriors. They kicked the season off with two straight 25-plus point losses. Since then, it’s been an uphill battle trying to prove that they belong in the discussion of the league’s elite teams.
They’ve been able to do just that. The Warriors have taken down the Bulls, Pistons, Trail Blazers and Kings. In that stretch, they’ve also lost to the Clippers and Trail Blazers. However, mainly in their game with Los Angeles, they proved they belong.
Despite a poor end to last season, the Clippers are still considered to be one of the best teams in the league.
The Warriors went down to the wire, losing the game in the last few minutes. The Warriors may have lost by more than five, but it was a much closer competition than the final score shows.
It’s more than just the game against Los Angeles. Against the Kings, the Warriors won by more than 20. Against the Blazers, the Warriors won and watched Stephen Curry put up a career-high 62 points.
What gives the trace of a championship-level team? Well, it’s competition, but it’s also growing throughout the season.
Golden State has clearly shown that they can improve. They won’t necessarily be getting much more help from the outside, but Wiggins, Oubre Jr., and Wiseman are still getting acclimated to the system and to playing in a Curry-centric offense.
With five players averaging above double figures and Draymond Green continuing to prove his impact, the Warriors have the scoring; now, they just need to get it on a consistent basis. One strong note is that Wiggins has started to show a special kind of playmaking.
Having that second threat that can one-on-one playmake will be huge. Steph will also have this team in the palm of his hand, but it’ll be about more than him. That second star must step up for this team to be at a championship level.
Despite losing four games, they’ve proven they can hang with some of the best teams when at full strength.