The Golden State Warriors have played teams that aren’t considered to be among the best in the West, and they’ve been destroyed by them.
It’s been a strange ride for the Golden State Warriors. Through their first quarter of the season, Golden State has been able to beat some playoff-caliber teams, but that doesn’t automatically guarantee that they can keep that level of play up.
Earlier in the season, the Warriors defeated both the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers one time each as they played back-to-back games against both franchises. The Warriors also beat the Lakers.
Now, it’s nice to say that, despite many not believing in them, the Dubs have clobbered expectations. However, they’ve proven that they’re a playoff team, and while they’ve beaten some top teams, they’ve also gotten absolutely blasted recently as well.
The Warriors have taken on both the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz in their last four games. Losing by at least 19 to both teams, the Warriors were able to slap a two-game winning streak between the two losses.
Their game against Phoenix was their third in four days, so despite the Suns being with Devin Booker, Golden State does have some excuse. Against the Jazz, it’s tough to argue that the Warriors aren’t good versus that the Jazz is just that good, currently No. 1 in the West.
However, at the end of the day, when you think of the teams that are going to make it far in the playoffs, it goes back to Los Angeles, and the Warriors have defeated both teams at full strength. Should we then be concerned with their recent losses?
Well, yes, the inconsistency should be an issue.
Against Utah, Golden State got 37 points from non-Stephen Curry starters. They’re going to need more before this team can officially take a step to the next level. With teams that have elite defenses and are among the best in the conference, the Warriors slow down.
With one of the most challenging first quarters of the season in terms of opponents, the team’s record should pick up, but at the end of the day, it’ll only matter if they can win the important games and win down the stretch against tough defenses.
They haven’t proven that in the last few weeks, and that will be something to keep an eye on as they welcome the Boston Celtics on February 2.