As the Golden State Warriors continue their hot streak in having now won 13 of their last 15 games, they now sit as a serious playoff contender as they place themselves right in the mix of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Jimmy Butler's arrival to Golden State has signalled an evident shift in both mindset and on-court product for the team, and his trademark intensity on both ends of the floor has elevated them out of the mediocrity that defined most of their season to this point.
As the playoffs approach, many around the NBA are beginning to take the Warriors seriously as an outside contender as a result of their recent dominance. Yet one ESPN analyst, Kendrick Perkins, believes that their Western Conference rival, the Minnesota Timberwolves, are actually a more serious contender for a title this year.
Kendrick Perkins vastly underestimates Warriors' playoff pedigree
On Wednesday's episode of First Take, former NBA player and current analyst Kendrick Perkins appeared to help preview the marquee matchup between the Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets that took place that night.
He expressed that he was bullish on the Timberwolves, stating "they're more serious than the Golden State Warriors to me when it comes to being a threat in the Western Conference. And now what we're watching is a Minnesota Timberwolves team that has found their identity again, and that's getting it done defensively..."
The Timberwolves currently sit in play-in position, a half game back of the Warriors for the sixth-seed. While they have struggled to find their identity as a team since the pre-season trade of Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, their recent five-game winning streak has catapulted them right back into the playoff mix in the Western Conference.
While the Timberwolves are playing their best basketball of the season, Perkins makes a grievous mistake in dismissing Golden State's playoff chances out of hand. Not many players in the NBA have the playoff resumes of Stephen Curry, who has won four titles with the Warriors and one Finals MVP, averaging 27 points across 147 career playoff games. Curry is playing some of the best basketball of his career as of late.
Moreover, there are only a handful of players in the history of the league that can lay claim to the defensive acumen and basketball mind possessed by Draymond Green, whose veteran leadership could help solidify Golden State's defense against even a juggernaut such as the Thunder.
Yet while Curry and Green are both entering the twilight of their careers, the x-factor on this Warriors team is truly Jimmy Butler. The 6x All-Star is known for ramping up his game in the playoffs throughout his career, having led two sub-par Miami Heat teams to the finals during his tenure there.
The Timberwolves, meanwhile, have a vastly different look from the team that made the Western Conference Finals last year in a weaker Western Conference. While Anthony Edwards, their star player, has performed exceptionally well in the playoffs to this point in his career, he is still young and may not have the necessary experience to put the team on his back when it is needed.
Julius Randle, who has finally seemed to find his comfort zone in Minnesota recently, has only won one playoff series in his career and averages 17.1 points across only 15 career playoff games. Rudy Gobert, their defensive anchor, can at times be a neutral or even negative presence on offense and has been played off the floor throughout his career during the postseason
Therefore, while their exact relation in the standings is yet to be determined, Perkins is severely mistaken in taking the Timberwolves over the Warriors as serious contenders in the playoffs this season.