Golden State Warriors: 3 Pivotal games are approaching
By Tony Pesta
Golden State Warriors at New York Knicks (February 23)
Alright, we’ve seen enough. At this point, as surprising as it may be, the New York Knicks are actually good at basketball again.
How did this happen? Well, Julius Randle is having the best season of his career and will earn serious consideration for an All-Star bid. He’s posting 22.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game on near 40 percent 3-point shooting. He’s really blossomed into a star and he’s the driving force behind New York’s success.
But he’s not doing it alone. The Knicks are third in Defensive Rating and it’s because of versatile defenders such as Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock, Alec Burks, Kevin Knox and Elfrid Payton. The young core is stepping up as well, with Barrett making a noticeable leap in development as a dynamic scoring guard who makes high-IQ decisions routinely.
Not to mention, Immanuel Quickley has become a flamethrower on offense. He’s sporadic but a hot-streak from Quickley is already enough to turn the tides of a game.
The Warriors have more star power than the Knicks, but they have to be careful. The Knicks beat them by 15 points last time they met – with Barrett dropping a scorching 28 points and Randle hauling in 17 rebounds.
This is a game that could go either way for Golden State. Taking care of business here would bode well for their playoff outlook. It is these 50/50 games that often determine the fate of borderline playoff teams.