Ever since the trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors have looked completely different, and it’s not hard to sniff out the reason why. Jimmy Butler has been a seamless fit alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the Warriors have skyrocketed up the standings. Once in danger of missing out on the Play-In entirely, the Warriors are now in range of earning home-court advantage in the first round.
But the Warriors could be so much more than that. It’s only been three years since they were on top of the NBA world, and Curry is still playing at an extremely high level. And while Butler hasn’t been putting up insane stats, his impact on winning cannot be denied.
They’ve set themselves up beautifully for a nightmarish postseason. But the nightmare wouldn’t be their own.
Playing Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler in the playoffs is a nightmare for the rest of the NBA
Right now, Jonathan Kuminga is working his way back into the swing of things, Moses Moody looks great, and Quentin Post has found a nice role for himself, too. But this isn’t about them. It’s about the main guys.
Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green. Those are the guys who could give the rest of the NBA nightmares once the playoffs roll around.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the clear-cut favorites to come out of the West this year, and rightfully so. They’ve been incredible this season. But outside of them, the conference is wide open.
Curry and Butler have consistently stepped up in the playoffs. Whenever it’s time for big games, big spots, and big shots, they show up. Look at the four championships Curry has won in Golden State. His dominance in the 2022 NBA Finals. Butler's run to the Finals with the 2023 Heat. His two Finals appearances during his time with the Miami Heat.
Golden State has not one, but two of the best playoff performers the NBA has seen in the last decade. And they’re gelling beautifully. Any team that has to play them in the postseason could be in for a rude awakening (and that includes the Thunder).
Oklahoma City is built perfectly to compete with any team in the playoffs, and they should be one of the favorites to win a title. But they are relatively inexperienced in the playoffs.
Running into a squad that employs two experienced playoff stars like Curry and Butler could make life hard on them. OKC would be favored, but it would be a nightmare matchup of all the options they could potentially face.
The Warriors are built perfectly to be a disaster matchup for everyone else in the NBA.